OUR MISSION: Writers Read is a not-for-profit literary forum promoting established and emerging writers through curated live and digital performances celebrating the spoken word.
Writers Read features true personal stories—two pages, five minutes, and 650 words long—read aloud by the writer. Learn more at WritersRead.org
Our editorial committee places a strong emphasis on the craft of writing—word choices, sentence structures, the arc of the narrative—and our submission-based shows and events are developed around broad themes that invite a wide range of expression.
We may edit accepted pieces for clarity and length. Individual readings are recorded and promoted in e-blasts, podcasts, and printed anthologies. Writers retain the rights to their work and have unrestricted access to their recordings.
In the digital arena, people are far more available for spoken word than ever before, and in a publishing environment with a shrinking number of opportunities to showcase new voices, Writers Read is a high quality platform for aspiring and established writers alike. If you love language and craft and enjoy a good story, you’ve come to the right place.
Please note that there is a $5.00 fee to submit electronically per reading period. We accept PayPal and all major credit cards.
TERMS: I verify that the piece I’m submitting is my original work, authored by me, and that I retain the copyright and/or have permission to perform it for Writers Read. I consent to editing of my work, and I am willing to have photos, videos, and audio recordings of my performance available for the public on the Writers Read website and YouTube channel, as well as in podcasts and radio broadcasts. I also grant permission for my work to be excerpted for promotional purposes, and for it to be included in printed form in Writers Read’s themed anthologies.
We want to feature your short personal true story on our stage and in our podcast. The maximum length of 650 words translates to a five-minute spoken word piece. In 650 or fewer words, these narratives are powerful stories about meaningful life experiences, big or small. They can express our fears, hopes, and joys and can help us make sense of the world and our place in it. The pieces can be original, or can be excerpted or adapted from your own earlier work. Submissions are evaluated by an editorial committee of professional writer/editors for presentation on stage, in podcasts, broadcasts, YouTube, and in printed anthologies. The work remains yours to publish again elsewhere if you choose.
TOPIC: CATS • According to one of our longstanding cultural myths, dogs are man’s best friend, while cats are aloof, demanding creatures associated with witchcraft and bad luck. Of course that’s nonsense. Cats are beloved (if enigmatic) roommates and housemates; zen-like creatures who, in taking care of us, somehow let us believe we’re the ones taking care of them. Did you ever turn to your cat for comfort during a time of grief or a messy breakup? Watch a litter be born? Volunteer in a shelter? Lose a staring contest? Watch in awe of animal nature as your cat stalks a mouse? Learn something about the quiet appreciation of life by watching your cat in a sun-drenched window sill? In 650 words, write a true story about a cat who has served as a silent witness to a pivotal moment in your life—or is simply your best friend. DEADLINE: November 1, 2026 / NYC Live event date and venue TBD
We want to feature your short personal true story on our stage and in our podcast. The maximum length of 650 words translates to a five-minute spoken word piece. In 650 or fewer words, these narratives are powerful stories about meaningful life experiences, big or small. They can express our fears, hopes, and joys and can help us make sense of the world and our place in it. The pieces can be original, or can be excerpted or adapted from your own earlier work. Submissions are evaluated by an editorial committee of professional writer/editors for presentation on stage, in podcasts, broadcasts, YouTube, and in printed anthologies. The work remains yours to publish again elsewhere if you choose.
TOPIC: The Best / Worst Meal Ever • Tell the true story of a single, unforgettable dish, meal, or recipe. Was it a hilarious culinary disaster, the exact meal you ate when your life took a turn (for good or bad), or the simple dish that anchored you during a hard season?
Pull us directly into the kitchen or room. Focus on the sensory details—the sizzling pan, the aroma, the specific flavor—and show us in 650 words how this particular meal became bound up with a key moment, relationship, or memory. Keep the focus sharp, personal, and grounded in a single scene. DEADLINE: December 1, 2026 / February 2027 show date and venue TBD
We want to feature your short personal true story on our stage and in our podcast. The maximum length of 650 words translates to a five-minute spoken word piece. In 650 or fewer words, these narratives are powerful stories about meaningful life experiences, big or small. They can express our fears, hopes, and joys and can help us make sense of the world and our place in it. The pieces can be original, or can be excerpted or adapted from your own earlier work. Submissions are evaluated by an editorial committee of professional writer/editors for presentation on stage, in podcasts, broadcasts, YouTube, and in printed anthologies. The work remains yours to publish again elsewhere if you choose.
TOPIC: Road Trip (Are We There Yet?) • In 650 words, tell the true story of a journey that took you far beyond your comfort zone. Was it an epic cross-country trek, a chaotic family drive gone off the rails, or a quiet, late-night trip where everything changed between two exits?
Put us in the vehicle with you and help us see what you do and where you’re going. Capture the sensory texture of the open road—the static on the radio, the neon diner lights, the miles ticking away. Focus on a single journey and show us how the distance traveled shifted something vital inside you or between you and a companion. DEADLINE: February 1, 2027 / April 2027 show date and venue TBD
We want to feature your short personal true story on our stage and in our podcast. The maximum length of 650 words translates to a five-minute spoken word piece. In 650 or fewer words, these narratives are powerful stories about meaningful life experiences, big or small. They can express our fears, hopes, and joys and can help us make sense of the world and our place in it. The pieces can be original, or can be excerpted or adapted from your own earlier work. Submissions are evaluated by an editorial committee of professional writer/editors for presentation on stage, in podcasts, broadcasts, YouTube, and in printed anthologies. The work remains yours to publish again elsewhere if you choose.
TOPIC: The Dance • Tell the true story of a single, unforgettable dance. Was it the awkward horror of middle school gym class, a formal ritual, a midnight kitchen dance party, or a night on a crowded floor where time stood still?
Whether you were a trained dancer, a square dancer, a secret moonwalker, or a wallflower clinging to the edge of the room—put us in the scene with you. Tell us in 650 words the story of a time you found your rhythm or footing (or completely lost it). Bring the moment alive and show us how a fleeting song became bound up with a vital truth about your life. DEADLINE: April 1, 2027 / September 2027 show date and venue TBD