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

This is Marah.Jacqueline Kolosov renamed her from the Hebrew word for "was bitter," which she chose to read as "is bitte...
08/21/2026

This is Marah.

Jacqueline Kolosov renamed her from the Hebrew word for "was bitter," which she chose to read as "is bitter no longer."

In Motherhood, and the Places Between, the barn becomes the place where grief is not erased but slowly remade into something a life can be built around again.

Preview and Preorder at the link in the comments.

“Jacob leaves a stick of sagesmoldering on an abalone ashtray& skims his hand across a bath filled with dahlia”Excerpt f...
08/21/2026

“Jacob leaves a stick of sage

smoldering on an abalone ashtray

& skims his hand across a bath

filled with dahlia”

Excerpt from this week’s is “The Undoing” by Luke Johnson. It appeared in the Spring 2022 print edition.

Read the full poem at the link below:
https://buff.ly/kAg6MEm

We are seeking poems that perform Olympic feats with language that leave the reader in wonder while still referring back...
08/20/2026

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 August’s theme of turning points.

September's upcoming theme is being alone.

Details in the comments.

“I, tooam a simple creature, possessedof none of my own apologies.”Excerpt from Alec Hershman “Next of Kin,” from his co...
08/20/2026

“I, too

am a simple creature, possessed

of none of my own apologies.”

Excerpt from Alec Hershman “Next of Kin,” from his collection, Spine of the Hug, forthcoming September 15th. Preorder a copy at the Iron Oak Editions website.

Listen to him read at the link below:
https://buff.ly/AaO3Yox

Get inspired. Connect with other readers and writers.Become an annual subscriber to our Substack, Roots & Words, and rec...
08/19/2026

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 or become a free subscriber to our newsletter.

Details at the link in the comments.

“When I had not accepted the terms of my experience, I had not accepted the experience itself.”Excerpt from “When we Nev...
08/19/2026

“When I had not accepted the terms of my experience, I had not accepted the experience itself.”

Excerpt from “When we Never Awaken: Writing as Revision” by Dan Kraines, new on our Substack, Roots & Words.

Read the full essay at the link in the comments.

The editors of West Trade Review seek essays that explore the idea of inheritances, or what you were given without askin...
08/19/2026

The editors of West Trade Review seek essays that explore the idea of inheritances, or what you were given without asking for it.

We are not looking for family memoir, nor for essays on the mechanism of transmission. In other words, don't show us how it got to you. Show us how you carried it and how you dealt with what you didn't choose.

Details at the link in the comments.

“Nors pushes back on society’s standard of excess, forcing readers to sit in isolation and work through limitations of k...
08/18/2026

“Nors pushes back on society’s standard of excess, forcing readers to sit in isolation and work through limitations of knowledge.“

Excerpt from review of Range by Dorthe Nors, new from Graywolf Press

Read the full review in the comments.

“in my hand there’s a rifle called the long-declineit’s a fuzzy cascade like purple like the mountain”Excerpt from “beyo...
08/18/2026

“in my hand there’s a rifle called the long-decline

it’s a fuzzy cascade like purple like the mountain”

Excerpt from “beyond animal instinct, I” by Liam Leslie. It is forthcoming in the Fall 2026 collection of Online Exclusives.

Read the full poem in the comments.

We are seeking poems that perform Olympic feats with language that leave the reader in wonder while still referring back...
08/18/2026

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 August’s theme of turning points.

September's upcoming theme is on being alone.

Details below:

Address

Charlotte, NC

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when West Trade Review posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to West Trade Review:

Shortcuts

Share

Category