Dear Body, is a cross-border literary anthology that invites you to write letters to your body, sparking honest, creative, and necessary dialogue around menopause, fertility, aging, and hormonal changes. By using the powerful, intimate epistolary form, we aim to normalize conversations that are too often silenced or stigmatized. Whether humorous, raw, celebratory, or reflective, we invite letters (in poetic or prose form) that speak to the nuanced experience of womanhood across identities.

This anthology will be edited by Ashley Holloway and Jen Knox

 Guidelines:

• Submissions will be accepted until January 12, 2027.
• All submissions must be in English.
• We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if the story is accepted elsewhere and you wish to withdraw it from consideration. 
• There is a submission fee of $15. There will be no refunds of reading fees.
• All contributors will receive a paperback copy of the anthology.
• All accepted work will be considered for the Editors' Prize, which includes a $150 prize. 

Formatting:

• Epistolary essays or poems should have a total word count of no more than 2,000 words. Poets may submit up to five poems per submission.
• Please include page numbers.
• Please double-space and use a 12pt font.
• Please remove any identifying information from the submission.
• Submit as a .doc, .docx, .rtf, or PDF file format.
• No revisions will be accepted once the submission is uploaded. You may withdraw and resubmit.

Unleash Press is charging $15 to cover the costs of putting together a quality publication, covering mailing and contributor copy costs as well as paying the editor's choice winner. Submission does not guarantee acceptance and there are no refunds.

Unleash Work-in-Progress (WIP) Award 2026 

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We aim to assist writers in completing an important literary project and vision. The Unleash WIP Award offers writers support in the amount of $500 to supplement costs to support the completion of a book-length work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Writers will receive a coaching call, and an excerpt/interview feature in Unleash Lit. 

Our previous winners and finalists are listed here.

This contest is designed to support writers who are just starting or have been toiling away but need a little boost to keep going.

The Unleash Board of Directors will select the winner and provide individual support and mentorship. 

​Guidelines: 

Submit up to the first 25 pages of your WIP (.doc, .docx) and answers to the following questions in the same document:

• Who are you as a creative person, and what is your creative vision? (No CV or resumes here)
• Who is your intended audience for this project, and why?

​Entries will be judged on originality, emotional resonance, and the author’s vision of the work they'd like to create. Please keep your name off all attachments. Share who you are as a creative, without disclosing your name. 

• Submissions will be accepted until July 15, 2026.
• There are no refunds if you withdraw a submission.
• Multiple submissions may be submitted as separate applications.
• Please leave all identifying information off of the manuscript.
• The maximum length of a sample from your manuscript is 25 pages double-spaced.
• Genres accepted include fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and experimental/hybrid.
• If guidelines are not followed, the manuscript will be automatically rejected (e.g., including identifying information on the manuscript).
• Previously self-published works are accepted.
• Previously traditionally published works are only accepted if the author received little to no support.

We abide by the CLMP Code of Ethics and pledge 

• to conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors;
• to provide clear and specific contest guidelines—define conflict of interest for all parties involved, and
• to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. Namely, submissions are read without identifying information (see guidelines). All manuscripts are evaluated by at least two raters/readers.