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: INHERITANCE • What did they leave you? Not just the obvious things—the china, the wedding ring—but the invisible gifts that pulse through your veins and shape your days. Your mother's dimples. Your grandmother's laugh, your father's temper, your great-aunt's love of gardens.
Inheritance isn't always welcome. Maybe you inherited anxiety, addiction, stubbornness, or a family tendency toward broken hearts. Perhaps a treasured object carries complicated memories, or you discovered more than you bargained for in an attic. Some inheritances skip generations, surfacing unexpectedly. Others feel like burdens; some like lifelines.
What inheritance—tangible or intangible—has most profoundly shaped who you are? In 650 words, tell us about it, perhaps recalling the moment you recognized it as yours or learned to carry it forward.
Deadline: March 1, 2026 • Live Event: April 25, 2026 • Kingston, NY
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: Your American Song A Carnegie Hall Festival Partner Event: “United in Sound: America at 250” There's no such thing as one American song. Our country's soundtrack is made up of everything from salsa to gospel to jazz. You can hear it in city parks, at southern barbecues, on street corners in New Orleans and everywhere in between. Every one of us carries our own American song. What's yours? Maybe it's a protest song. Or a Beatles song. Or a song so corny, you only dare play it when you're alone. It could be the song you danced to when you came out. Maybe it's the way the National Anthem sounds at a football game. Or how it felt to hear it after 9/11. Or on the day you became a citizen. Or maybe, your American song isn't "American" at all. It could be the Hungarian folk song your grandmother taught you. Or a melody you weren't allowed to sing in your homeland. Or the sound of voices joined in prayer at your mosque or synagogue. Or the aria that never fails to bring tears to your eyes. In 650 words, tell us about your American song. Deadline: April 1, 2026 • Live Event: June 7, 2026 (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: ROOMMATES • Whether you shared a bedroom growing up or, later on, a cramped college dorm or apartment, living in close quarters with another person often acts as a pressure cooker for conflict as well as personal growth. Writers Read seeks true personal essays that explore what it means when your personal space is not your own.
In 650 poignant, reflective, or hilarious words, write a story about living with a roommate that has had a lasting impact on how you relate to others, manage your personal space, or understand yourself today. From sibling capers all the way to declarations of war, the experiences of living with a roommate are so intimate that they resist being patched or painted over, even long after we have moved along. Tell us your tale of woe—or whoa!
DEADLINE: August 1, 2026
LIVE EVENT: 2-4pm Saturday October 17 • Parker Theater / SUNY New Paltz