At Johnson County Library we love local authors. In support of our home-grown talent, we invite submissions of poetry, fiction, and essays.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
- Writers must be residents of the Kansas City Metro Area
- Poetry limit: 60 lines or fewer (special project excepted)
- Prose limit: 1000 words (special projects excepted)
- Submissions must be in English and previously unpublished
- Submission limit: one submission per category (one poem, one short story, one essay, one open)
- Please do not include identifying information on your submission. We're serious about this! No name in the document or even the file name. NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION!
- One short story, one essay, one poem, and one entry from an open category will be selected for publication on our Staff Picks blog
- Runners up may be posted on the Staff Picks blog
- Authors of selected works must be available for a reading in the Kansas City Metro Area
- Authors who read will receive a $200 honorarium, provided in part by The Johnson County Library Foundation and the Joan Berkley Writers Fund
- Johnson County Library staff are ineligible
- The committee selecting works is comprised of Johnson County Library Staff and community volunteers
- We reserve the right not to present an award
- Looking for feedback before you submit? Try the Writing Lab at Brainfuse. It's free with your Johnson County Library card and PIN!
Check For Writers | Johnson County Library (jocolibrary.org) for more information
Our contest prompt for May - August is Color Our World.
This summer Johnson County Library invites readers and writers to color our world. In words, paint us a picture of your life in all its shades, tones, and hues. From watercolor skies to the deep red of a cherry pie, what visions of summer are most vivid to you?
Who has left a mark; physical like a bruise or unforgettable like a brilliant memory? How does your life imitate art? Or does your art reflect life? Describe what an artful life might be for you. Is it looking or doing? Is it feeling, expressing, or experiencing?
Show us the ways our world is enriched by the world’s palette.
Poetry: 60 line limit
Prose: 1000 word limit
Volume 8 prompt is Food Culture
Our food culture colors our world in many ways. Here in Kansas City, many would say our food culture is barbecue! The world’s first museum dedicated to the history and cultural significance of barbeque opened in Kansas City this April. When friends and family come to town, we treat them to our famous barbecue. Many barbecue joints have pictures of celebrities who have visited, and we host numerous barbecue contests each year. The American Royal World Series of Barbecue is the world’s largest competition of its kind. The Kansas City Barbeque Society boasts 16,000 members worldwide.
Whether you love it, like it, or are resigned to live with it, share your best barbecue story. Is it a childhood memory of the neighborhood block party? Who’s in charge of the grill in your family? Who taught you to be the family grill master? Do you have a special sauce recipe passed down through generations? We’re not asking you to reveal the secret ingredient but tell us the story of who gave you your treasured recipe and what it means to keep these family traditions. When you’re invited to a barbecue, what do you bring and why? Paint or draw or photograph a picture of what a delicious spread looks like to you. Tell us the story of Kansas City barbecue from your point of view. If BBQ isn’t your food culture, share what is.
Disclaimer
All submissions must be original work. By submitting, writers warrant and represent that the work is their own. Writers will retain copyright of their submissions. By providing original work, writers agree to allow and permit Johnson County Library the right to print, publish, showcase, reproduce and distribute the submissions. By submitting, writers agree to any and all editorial alterations and abridgments including, but not limited to, re-formatting, grammatical correction, and cropping. Johnson County Library reserves the right to incorporate and/or disseminate the submission in any form, including, but not limited to, in other publications, marketing, promotions, and other material both internal and external. (12/22/2020)
This summer Johnson County Library invites readers and writers to color our world. In words, paint us a picture of your life in all its shades, tones, and hues. From watercolor skies to the deep red of a cherry pie, what visions of summer are most vivid to you?
Who has left a mark; physical like a bruise or unforgettable like a brilliant memory? How does your life imitate art? Or does your art reflect life? Describe what an artful life might be for you. Is it looking or doing? Is it feeling, expressing, or experiencing?
Show us the ways our world is enriched by the world’s palette.
Poetry: 60 line limit
Please keep in mind: Poetry is limited to 60 lines or fewer. Do not include identifying information in your submission. Including identifying information will disqualify your submission.
This summer Johnson County Library invites readers and writers to color our world. In words, paint us a picture of your life in all its shades, tones, and hues. From watercolor skies to the deep red of a cherry pie, what visions of summer are most vivid to you?
Who has left a mark; physical like a bruise or unforgettable like a brilliant memory? How does your life imitate art? Or does your art reflect life? Describe what an artful life might be for you. Is it looking or doing? Is it feeling, expressing, or experiencing?
Show us the ways our world is enriched by the world’s palette.
Please keep in mind: Stories are limited to 1000 words or fewer. Do not include identifying information in your submission. Including identifying information will disqualify your submission.
This summer Johnson County Library invites readers and writers to color our world. In words, paint us a picture of your life in all its shades, tones, and hues. From watercolor skies to the deep red of a cherry pie, what visions of summer are most vivid to you?
Who has left a mark; physical like a bruise or unforgettable like a brilliant memory? How does your life imitate art? Or does your art reflect life? Describe what an artful life might be for you. Is it looking or doing? Is it feeling, expressing, or experiencing?
Show us the ways our world is enriched by the world’s palette.
Please keep in mind: Essays are limited to 1000 words or fewer. Do not include identifying information in your submission. Including identifying information will disqualify your submission.
This summer Johnson County Library invites readers and writers to color our world. In words, paint us a picture of your life in all its shades, tones, and hues. From watercolor skies to the deep red of a cherry pie, what visions of summer are most vivid to you?
Who has left a mark; physical like a bruise or unforgettable like a brilliant memory? How does your life imitate art? Or does your art reflect life? Describe what an artful life might be for you. Is it looking or doing? Is it feeling, expressing, or experiencing?
Show us the ways our world is enriched by the world’s palette.
Please keep in mind: Poetry has a 60 line limit. Essays, short stories, and other prose forms are limited to 1000 words or fewer. Do not include identifying information in your submission. Including identifying information will disqualify your submission.
Enter your work to be included in Johnson County Library's Volume 8 Notebook, which will be distributed at our 2025 Writers Conference Thursday, October 16 - Saturday, October 18.
Food Culture
Our food culture colors our world in many ways. Here in Kansas City, many would say our food culture is barbecue! The world’s first museum dedicated to the history and cultural significance of barbeque opened in Kansas City this April. When friends and family come to town, we treat them to our famous barbecue. Many barbecue joints have pictures of celebrities who have visited, and we host numerous barbecue contests each year. The American Royal World Series of Barbecue is the world’s largest competition of its kind. The Kansas City Barbeque Society boasts 16,000 members worldwide.
Whether you love it, like it, or are resigned to live with it, share your best barbecue story. Is it a childhood memory of the neighborhood block party? Who’s in charge of the grill in your family? Who taught you to be the family grill master? Do you have a special sauce recipe passed down through generations? We’re not asking you to reveal the secret ingredient but tell us the story of who gave you your treasured recipe and what it means to keep these family traditions. When you’re invited to a barbecue, what do you bring and why? Paint or draw or photograph a picture of what a delicious spread looks like to you. Tell us the story of Kansas City barbecue from your point of view. If BBQ isn’t your food culture, share what is.
Poetry: 60 line limit
Prose: 1000 word limit
Artwork: minimum resolution 300 DPI
Unpublished and unexhibited work only, please.
Selected submissions will be published in Volume 8 and those writers and artists will receive $200. Works may be used for promotion of Volume 8, and future additional use may be requested.
Submission deadline is June 30, 2025.