Loblolly Press: Open Call for Writers from the American South Gold Star Program Gold Star Fee: usd $7.00

Open Call for Writers from the American South

From November 1 through December 31, 2026, we’re reading poetry, short fiction, and novels from writers with ties to the American South.

Submission window: November 1–December 31, 2026. The category closes Thursday, December 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Who can submit:
Open to all writers from the American South; which refers to writers who were born in or spent a significant part of their life in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, or Washington D.C. We’re particularly interested in publishing writers from marginalized communities, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; LGBTQ+ writers; disabled writers; and writers from rural or low-income backgrounds.

Writers of color should submit through Open Submissions for Writers of Color, which has no reading fee and is read with priority during the full reading period.

Genres accepted:

• Poetry: up to three poems in a single PDF
• Short fiction: one story in a single PDF
• Novels and Novellas: one chapter in a single PDF

Reading fee: The reading fee for this category helps sustain the work of the press and supports our editors, readers, and operational costs. Every dollar goes toward:

• Paying our team
• Keeping our annual reading period for writers of color free
• Covering administrative costs
• Supporting the publication and promotion of Southern writers

Submission notes:

• Please submit one file.
• Cover letters are optional — include one only if you have something essential to share. The strength of the writing comes first.
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.
• All work must be original and previously unpublished in book form.
• We’re unable to provide feedback on individual submissions.

Timeline:

• End of January 2027 — Full manuscript requests sent
• End of February 2027 — 2028 Author Cohort finalized

We expect to select two or three authors. Every submission is read with care.

AI policy: We want to hear you. Please don’t submit AI-generated or AI-written work. Basic tools like spell check and grammar suggestions are fine.

About Loblolly Press:
Loblolly Press is an independent literary publisher in Asheville, North Carolina, founded in 2023. We publish poetry and prose from across the American South, with a small list of three to six books a year and an annual anthology, Understory.