What we’re looking for:
This year’s theme is persevere…
The selection panel is looking for anything in length from a haiku up to 3000 words. Your piece can be poetry, fiction, short story, non-fiction, or lyrics. Leith, in some form, should be recognisably present in the work, however creatively expressed. Persevere… could relate to Leith, or to the cost of living crisis, or to whatever your imagination leads you to.
You can also send creative typography, a handwritten piece, with its own calligraphy and/or integrated decoration, scanned as a PDF in its final form.
You can include a simple illustration or picture to accompany your text, although you must be able to show that you have permission for us to use it.
*Note that all printing in the final book is monochrome.
The work should be your own and be original. If it has been published before elsewhere, we will need proof that you have permission for us to use it. Leith Writings makes no copyright claims on any material we publish.
How to submit your writing:
Please send a copy in either Word or PDF format to:
mail@leithwalks.co.uk
You must include your name and contact details in your email. Please also put your name on each page of your submission. Please complete the following statement and include it with your submission:
I am the creator of the work above titled [… …]. I assert that it is not the subject of copyright with any other body, and I hereby give permission to Leith Writings to publish it in the forthcoming annual edition no 103.
Signed [… …] date [… …]
The panel would like to include younger voices of Leith, so please let us know if you’re under 18. If you do not wish to be identified as the author of your piece in the final book, let us know. We’re happy to oblige.
When to submit your work:
The closing date for us to receive entries is midnight on the 1st of July 2023.
We will contact you by the 2nd of September 2023 with our decision.
The launch of the 2023 edition will be in November 2023. Please note we may also ask you to attend the launch event or take part in some publicity to promote the book.
Please also note that as a small, volunteer-led project, we will not be able to make any payment for contributions. We will provide all the authors selected for inclusion with two free copies of the book.
The book will be free and will be distributed by Leith Writings. Any donations or payments made for copies will be used to cover costs such as print or postage. Any excess will be used towards next year’s edition.
Neither Leith Writings volunteers nor the selection panel will receive any payment.
The selection panel is Megan Rudden (writer and visual artist); Annie McCrae (writer and teacher) and Aly Barr (Scottish Poetry Library).