Inclusive, authentic, diverse storytelling
Got some work you’d like to submit to The Watershed Journal literary magazine? Check out this overview of our magazine production cycle to learn more about how we do things around here to stay inclusive and authentically reflect the diverse storytellers in our region.
“When can I submit?”
We run four three-week submissions windows each year to fill our quarterly magazines. Right now is a great time to submit – we are running our fall window until September 21, 2020.
Although TWJ editions are organized seasonally, we welcome submitters to send in pieces that cover a variety of subjects, perspectives, tones, styles and voices. You can check out information about our past issues here.
We are looking to publish stories, poetry, essays, poetry, local journalism, photography and artwork. There is a 1500-word limit for each written piece we put in the print magazine. However, if you have a longer piece we would be excited to talk to you about the possibility of running it serially or publishing it on our website.
You can stay up-to-date on our submissions announcements by checking our submissions main page or our Events Calendar, contacting us about our email list or following us on social media.
“Does my submission need to be set in or about Pennsylvania?”
The short answer is no – if you live here then anything you write about/photograph/draw counts as representing our portion of PA. However, if you do not live in one of our covered counties, then we will offer an opportunity for you to tell us how your piece relates to or impacts our region.
Counties Covered by TWJ
- Cameron
- Clarion
- Clearfield
- Elk
- Forest
- Indiana
- Jefferson
- McKean
- Venango
- Warren
Our mission is to keep our magazine inclusive and focus on how many we can publish, rather than on how many we turn away. We wanted TWJ to be a representative for our area, and to us that means it needs to be defined by our submitters’ voices and not by our editors’ preferences. That’s why we have kept the submissions process free and our guidelines simple. Check out our submissions page for the full guidelines.
“How do I submit my work?”
We accept up to two written pieces and/or ten image files per submitter per edition. Simply attach your file to an email and send it to thewatershedjournal@gmail.com. For photograph or artwork submissions, please send us the highest resolution file you can. Once we receive your email, we will respond with a printing agreement and a short questionnaire that can be filled out online.
We publish original work which the submitters has either created or been granted the right to publish. All rights to the work we print are reverted back to the original submitters.
“What happens after you receive my submission?”
When the submissions window closes, written pieces go through two to three rounds of editing. Our editors take a keen eye to each poem, story and essay, looking for grammatical correctness and consistency within the piece. They aim to preserve the unique voice and style of the writer while elevating the professionalism of the collection as a whole.
After a piece is cleared from editing, it enters layout. The designer takes each written piece and thoughtfully pairs it with a submitted image, arranging the two in an aesthetically pleasing way. The whole team gives input on the laid-out pages. They see each page as it is finished and offer suggestions. Some pages go through 3-4 iterations before we land on just the right style.
Once we have finished with the final layout, we notify the submitters about our selections and offer an opportunity to pre order magazines at a discounted rate. Some selections are set to appear on our website in our free Online Exclusives section. This online presence gives readers a chance to sample the kind of work that goes into the print magazine as well as enjoy local storytelling on-the-go.
Before the final order goes to the printer, we send them the PDF file to make sure there aren’t any red flags from a print standpoint. We get one copy of the magazine in single pages so we can look at things like how the photographs are printing versus how they look on the computer screen. We then meet together (in person or virtually) to figure out the final order of the magazine pages. This can be a long process, but it’s worth it to see the magazine as a whole and to pair the pages in a way that honors both.
“Where can I find The Watershed Journal?”
You can grab new and past editions of The Watershed Journal at Watershed Books on 108 Main Street, Brookville.
Past and current editions of TWJ are also available digitally on Amazon Kindle.
We are so grateful to everyone who has chosen to submit to our magazine over the years. Each edition takes on a character and tone of its own, depending on the particular variety that was sent to us within that particular quarter. We hope to keep producing magazines for a long time to come and can’t wait to see what submissions come across our desks in the future. Over the past two years and almost ten magazines we have seen how vibrant the local literary scene is and we are excited to see where it all goes from here.
