Quick on the Write: Last Call for Iron Pen Registrations! Contest starts on Friday 2/23

The fastest writing contest in the Midwest is back and taking registrations now!

The Midwest Writing Center is taking registrations for its 16th annual Iron Pen Contest. MWC will supply a prompt to all contestants at 5 p.m. on Friday, February 23 and contestants have 24 hours (entries are due Saturday, February 24 by 5 p.m.) to write and submit their best fiction, non-fiction, and/or poetry pieces. Writers are welcome to enter into as many categories as they like with a paid registration for each entry.

Call For Submissions on the Theme of RADICAL HOSPITALITY — Paid Opportunity!

St. Ambrose University College of Arts and Sciences, Galvin Fine Arts, and the Midwest Writing Center (MWC) are partnering on a series of events and a publication around the theme of Radical Hospitality. This theme calls people to “welcome the stranger” and to extend “an expansive and committed welcome to all regardless of background, beliefs, or circumstances, and particularly to those who face barriers to belonging. More than politeness, radical hospitality calls for a generous sharing of time, resources, and life together” (more on the theme below).

For this project, we are looking for submissions of poetry (30 lines max.) and flash prose (fiction or nonfiction, 500 words max.). Submission open October 1, and close on December 15 (see complete guidelines below). MWC will select the strongest 20-30 works for publication in an anthology, to be published by MWC Press in April 2024. All contributors to the anthology will receive $100 to their work in addition to two copies of the anthology, and the opportunity to record their work for a podcast. Selections will be announced in early January 2024.

Announcing the Results of the 2022 Foster-Stahl Chapbook Series

Thanks to all the terrific poets and writers who shared their manuscripts with us for the Foster-Stahl Chapbook Series. We are grateful for everyone who gave us the opportunity to read and consider their work. The excellence and range of the submissions made for a difficult task in selecting a manuscript and a thrilling reading experience.

In the end, one manuscript was selected for publication. Below are the complete results, including the finalists…