Seeking Vision & Verse Ekphrastic Book Submissions

Vision & Verse II, a Fusion of Poetry, Prose, Art and Photography

The California Writers Club is excited to announce we are accepting submissions for poems and short prose to appear in Vision & Verse II, a Fusion of Poetry, Prose, Art, and Photography. 

This is our second all club ekphrastic book combining member art, poetry, and prose. Ekphrastic writing is a literary reaction to a selected artwork. The writer is using art as a writing prompt; writing that is designed to inspire, stimulate, and ignite the imagination of a person viewing the art. 

We are asking our CWC members to submit poetry and prose to be wed with the selected artwork. After selecting a piece of art that inspires you, dare to be great and go beyond the ordinary. Let your imagination and words soar. 

Guidelines for submissions:

• A member can submit a poem or short prose (under 300 words) for up to 3 pieces of art. One poem or short prose per piece.  

• Submissions must be unpublished.  No previously published work. Member status and publication status will be verified.

• The writer submitting must be a current member of a branch of the California Writers Club.

• The fee for a submission (up to 3 pieces together) is $10.00. 

• Limited to one submission per member. 
• Submission period April 15 to May 15.
• Submissions must have artwork title and number. 
• Prose submissions must be under 300 words.

Format requirements:

• Times New Roman (typeface), 12-point font
• Justified left
• For poetry, format the poem as you expect it to appear on a page.
• Format the file to be submitted as a Microsoft Word Document.
• Please include a 50-word professional biography written in 3rd person starting with your full name. 
• There is a $10 submission fee. 
• One submission per member.

Judges

Les Bernstein is an award-winning poet, Pushcart Nominee and anthologist whose poems have appeared in journals and anthologies in the United States and internationally. Her full-length book, Loose Magic was reviewed by the Los Angeles Review of Books and is available on Amazon.

Robin Gabbert has poems in state, national, and international poetry anthologies. Her poem Invisible was a finalist in the 2024 San Francisco Writers Conference Contest. Her chapbook of ekphrastic poetry — The Clandestine Life of Paintings, in Poems was published in November 2022. An instructor in Ekphrastic Poetry, Robin has spoken to the California Writers Club and other groups on using art to enrich your writing.