Middle West Press LLC is a Johnston, Iowa-based editor and publisher of non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and journalism. We are a veteran-owned business. We publish from 1 to 4 titles annually.
For more about our mission, submissions practices, and business model, click here.
Our projects are often inspired by the people, places, and history of the American Midwest. To view a round-up of our previously published books, click here.
We are also managers of The Aiming Circle, a Patreon-based community of military-writing practitioners. If you write on themes and topics related to military experiences, please check-in with us there!
What is the "War Poetry Postcard Project (WPPP)"?
The purpose of the War Poetry Postcard Project (WPPP) is to celebrate and promote the work of contemporary poets in illuminating and communicating the effects of military service and armed conflict on service members, veterans, family, civilian populations, voters, taxpayers, and others.
Each year, the project identifies one or more poems to publish and distribute as postcard-sized prints.
We want to help people find new words in the friction and chaos, and to encourage people to share moments of reflection, calm, and engaged conversation.
Through this unique opportunity and medium, the publisher hopes to encourage both poets and readers to more-regularly connect through correspondence, reflection, and mutual witness.
We welcome all poets to submit new and reprint poems on relevant themes including but not limited to: war, peace, sacrifice, resilience, healing, remembrance, service, and more.
What do I receive for my $9.99 (U.S.) entry fee?
Submit up to 3 poems. Your poems will be considered for prizes, as well as for inclusion in a possible print and/or e-book anthology.
ALL (U.S.) SUBMISSIONS—regardless of whether chose as a prize-winner—WILL RECEIVE a new, unused physical set of 3 or more war poetry postcards (1 each of the 2025 prize-winners) as selected by project editors.
(Non-U.S. poets are still able to submit poems. However, international shipping may not be available for this project. At the sole discretion of the publisher, non-U.S. finalists and participants may receive alternative prizes or products.)
Prize-winners are selected on merit by a committee of editors and past prize-winners.
The submissions fee covers production and mailing costs related to the overall project, as well as prizes for the finalists:
- First-prize: $50 (U.S.), a set of 25 print postcards featuring the prize-winning poem, as well as a trophy "War Poetry Postcard Prize" coffee mug!
- Second-prize: A set of 25 print postcards featuring the prize-winning poem, plus a trophy coffee mug!
- Third-prize: A set of 25 print postcards featuring the prize-winning poem, plus a trophy coffee mug!
Judges and editors reserve options to change the number and types of prizes to be awarded. All editorial decisions are final.
What are the format restrictions for each poem?
Submit up to 3 poems. NO WORKS GENERATED USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Due to the 4x6-inch dimensions of a standard U.S. postcard:
- Individual poems should be no more than 26 lines (including stanza-breaks) in length.
- Shorter-length lines (approximately 50-characters or less) are also preferred.
Who is conducting the War Poetry Postcard Project?
The War Poetry Postcard Project is underwritten and administered by Middle West Press LLC, a independent micro-publisher of projects centering regional and marginalized voices, as well as military veterans and families.
In the project's inaugural iteration, Middle West Press is joined by publishing partner Collateral Journal, a twice-annual on-line journal of literary and visual art concerned with the impact of violent conflict and military service beyond the combat zone.
For more information and links, visit: linktr.ee/warpoets