Matt Kendrick
Writer | Editor | Teacher
Submissions Guidelines
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Submissions are currently open for 100 word micros in the following categories. The Welkin Press accepts both fiction and creative non-fiction:
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ABDCE micros
A story that works through five or six sentences where there's a clear progression of:
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"Arrival" (setting your reader on scene)
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"Backstory" (or context) to the current moment
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"Development" (one or two stories that build towards the climax)
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"Climax" (emotional zenith)
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"Ending" (a note of reflection)
An example of this (although not quite in 100 words) is "Inheritance" by Grace Q. Song in SmokeLong Quarterly.
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Vignettes
A piece that describes a place or scene in rich detail without a traditional plot, focusing instead on the build of mood and atmosphere. Things I'd love to see:
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Creative / unique descriptions of a home
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Atmospheric descriptions of a weather event
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Paintings or other artwork brought to life
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Hermit crab and epistolary micros
A story told through a found form like a recipe, an instruction manual, a shopping list or an advertisement. I'd also love to see stories told through letters or other forms of communication. An example of the epistolary-in-micro is "A Rush-Hour Rush" by Sumaiya Aftab Ahmed in The Citron Review.
Criteria
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Submissions must be no more than 100 words. Titles are not included in the word count. There is no minimum requirement. Word count will be checked using Microsoft Word.
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Submissions should be written in English. However, all variants and dialects of English are welcome.
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Submissions must not have been previously published or accepted for publication, either online or in print. This includes blogs and personal websites.
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The Welkin Press champions human-made writing. Please don't send pieces that have been created using AI tools.
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Submissions are accepted from anywhere in the world. The Welkin Press is particularly keen to champion the work of writers from low-income households, Black, Asian, and Global Majority writers, writers living with a disability or chronic illness, and LGBTQ+ writers.
Submit your work
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To submit your work, please send it in the body of an email to welkinprize@gmail.com. Please include:
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Your name
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A short bio
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A confirmation that the piece is entirely your own work and that you haven't used AI
You may submit one micro per category (a maximum of three).
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Simultaneous submissions are fine. Please simply withdraw your piece if it's accepted elsewhere.
Responses
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​You will typically receive a response within a month. However, please note that the Welkin Press operates on the basis of crip time where the process adapts around the individual rather than the individual adapting around the clock. Your response will fall into one of the following categories:
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Acceptance. Note that the Welkin Press is an editorial journal and, as such, there will generally be suggested edits for you to consider before your work is published.
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Invitation to re-submit. Where a story has caught my eye, I may occasionally offer feedback to a writer and invite them to re-submit a new version of their piece or to offer them a chance to submit a different piece. This is not a guarantee of acceptance.
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Decline with feedback. For certain pieces, it might be possible to offer feedback. If you would like feedback, please note this in your submission.
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Tiered decline. Where I’ve particularly enjoyed a story but don’t think it is a good fit, what I enjoyed will be flagged in my response.
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Standard decline. As is unfortunately the case with most literary journals, the majority of submissions will receive a standard decline. This is simply down to the numbers involved.
Rights and payment
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Authors will retain all rights and copyright to their works. The Welkin Press requests one-time, non-exclusive rights and non-exclusive electronic archival rights to show your work indefinitely on this site.
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Unfortunately, I am currently unable to offer payment for published work.
I am committed to opening up writing opportunities to people from all backgrounds based on ability to write rather than ability to pay. As mentioned above, the Welkin Press is a labour of love and, as such, I don't get paid for any of the time it takes to read submissions or to work with writers to edit their writing prior to publication. I also mostly fund the website, email and competition prize pots from my own resources. While it makes me very happy to do this, I would of course be grateful if you would consider buying me a virtual coffee to help support my work.
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*Since I also use my Ko-fi page to fund free and reduced price places for my Write Beyond The Lightbulb courses, as well as to provide free editing and mentoring opportunities for low-income writers, if you'd specifically like your donation to be used for the Welkin Press, please add this to your message when you donate.
