West Trade Review

West Trade Review Publishing the best contemporary fiction, poetry, and visual art since 2009.

Our mission is to perpetuate the work of artists both well known and yet-to-be-known, simultaneously enriching our world through the written word and visual arts. We strive to reflect diversity in style, content and perspective throughout prose, poetry, photography and other artwork. Our goal is to present to you the best art possible by both emerging and established creative minds. The Staff

Edi

tor: Ken Harmon
Associate Editor: Kelly Harrison

Fiction Editor: D.W. White
Associate Fiction Editors: Gianni Washington, Melanie Pierce, and Tamar Jacobs
Fiction Readers: Matthew Good, Samantha Joslin, Andrew Gunnink, Molly Hill, Bethany Hensley, Corrine Watson, Averi Long, and Alana Moye

Poetry Editor: Mary Sutton
Associate Poetry Editors: Paulina Freedman, Laura Ohlmann, Claire Jussel, and Joana Acevedo

Poetry Readers: Dylan Clark and Antonio Smith

Art Editor & Webmaster: Ken Harmon

Novel Excerpts Editor: Coco Picard

Contributing Editor: Matt Good

Social Media Team: Corey Carter Wilson (manager), Matt Good, Corrine Watson, Averi Long, Alana Moye, and Bethany Hensley

Get inspired. Connect with other readers and writers.Become an annual subscriber to our Substack, Roots & Words, and rec...
01/08/2026

Get inspired. Connect with other readers and writers.

Become an annual subscriber to our Substack, Roots & Words, and receive a complimentary copy of our spring print edition of West Trade Review (2oo pages) or become a free subscriber for our monthly newsletter.

Details at the link below:

https://buff.ly/QlAo9Tz

We are seeking poems that perform Olympic feats with language that leave the reader in wonder while still referring back...
01/08/2026

We are seeking poems that perform Olympic feats with language that leave the reader in wonder while still referring back to the basic things that make us human. We want powerful imagery and enjoy the juxtaposition of images in interesting and unexpected ways.

Send us work that uniquely explores January’s theme of “sound.”

February’s upcoming theme is “obsession.”

Details below:
https://buff.ly/1WhCv4t

The editors of West Trade Review are looking for essays that explore creative life expansively conceived (broader than o...
01/07/2026

The editors of West Trade Review are looking for essays that explore creative life expansively conceived (broader than only literary).

We are seeking personal essays exploring creative practice, support for the literary or creative life, hopes/desires/goals for the arts and creative life, etc.

Details at the link below:

https://buff.ly/4x34pjR

01/07/2026

“Without birds of prey,

carcasses rot in fields.”

Excerpt from “Butterfly Effect” by Annette Sisson. It appeared in the Winter 2025 collection of Online Exclusives.

Read the full poem at the link below:
https://buff.ly/xIqajFc

“A cockroach disappears into the baseboard—its body a fraction of nightthat forgot to leave.”Excerpt from “Somewhere Bet...
01/06/2026

“A cockroach disappears into the baseboard—

its body a fraction of night

that forgot to leave.”

Excerpt from “Somewhere Between Gravity and Dust” by Zizipho Godana. It appeared in the Winter 2025 collection of Online Exclusives.

Listen to Zizipho read the full poem at the link below:

https://buff.ly/PyFUzCX

Are you ready? Our fifth annual fiction contest begins January 15th.We want stories that make the reader think and feel,...
01/06/2026

Are you ready? Our fifth annual fiction contest begins January 15th.

We want stories that make the reader think and feel, work that humbles us with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief, or all of the above, and gravitate toward writing that has something important to teach us.

Details at the link below:

https://buff.ly/RUaYHXE

01/06/2026

“Memory, in the context of loss, can be a mercy.”

Excerpt from review of Bo Hee Moon’s "Birthstone’s in the Province of Mercy," new from Milkweed Editions.

Read the full review at the link below:

Are you ready? The fifth annual West Trade Review Prize for Poetry opens January 15th.  This year’s judge is Jason Schne...
01/05/2026

Are you ready? The fifth annual West Trade Review Prize for Poetry opens January 15th. This year’s judge is Jason Schneiderman.

Details at the link below:

https://buff.ly/Pw0O48F

Need honest, constructive criticism to maximize your manuscript’s potential? Consider working with one of our profession...
01/05/2026

Need honest, constructive criticism to maximize your manuscript’s potential? Consider working with one of our professional editors who can offer detailed developmental feedback. The Iron Oak Editions editorial critique team is here to help you refine your work, a short individual piece, or a full book manuscript.

Meet the team and get further details at the link below:
https://buff.ly/0KvVJVJ

“Little room left for the body I need, I need thebody of the superstore with its curated promise.”Excerpt from “When I w...
01/05/2026

“Little room left for the body I need, I need the

body of the superstore with its curated promise.”

Excerpt from “When I wish to feel abundance I go to IKEA” by Ewen Glass. It appeared in the Winter 2025 collection of Online Exclusives.

Read the full poem at the link below:

https://buff.ly/LHACC3L

Looking for writing inspiration for the new year? Check out the new poetry generative writing prompt from poetry editor ...
01/02/2026

Looking for writing inspiration for the new year? Check out the new poetry generative writing prompt from poetry editor Mikal Wix at the link below:

https://buff.ly/ttt7zIV

We are seeking poems that perform Olympic feats with language that leave the reader in wonder while still referring back...
01/01/2026

We are seeking poems that perform Olympic feats with language that leave the reader in wonder while still referring back to the basic things that make us human. We want powerful imagery and enjoy the juxtaposition of images in interesting and unexpected ways.

Send us work that uniquely explores December’s theme of “letting go.”

January’s upcoming theme is “sound.”

Details below:
https://buff.ly/sgwRaFz

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Charlotte, NC

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