The Writer’s Center welcomes Washington Writers’ Publishing House to celebrate the release of their brand new anthology, This Is What America Looks Like: Poetry and Fiction from DC, Maryland, Virginia.
Editors Caroline Bock (fiction) and Jona Colson (poetry) will begin the evening with a chat about putting the anthology together, followed by readings and talks from the anthology’s six special honorees.
Fiction Honorees
- Leslie Pietrzyk (Virginia), “Admit This To No One”
- Ahmad Wright (DC), “In My Own House”
- Christopher J. Greggs (New Jersey), “What I Read Between the Lines or A Prose Erasure Of ‘Executive Order on Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes’”
Poetry Honorees
- Kateema Lee (Maryland), “Last Epistle”
- Regie Cabico (DC), “Asian In The Sun”
- Natalie E. Illum (DC), “Bull Sharks of Long Island Sound
About the Anthology
The Washington Writers’ Publishing House, a venerable 45-year-old cooperative, all-volunteer small press, will publish its first anthology in 25 years when This Is What America Looks Like: Poetry and Fiction from DC, Maryland, Virginia is released on February 2, 2021 in trade paperback and in eBook formats.
This diverse, inclusive and incisive anthology features 111 works of poetry and fiction from 100 writers. Among the many notable writers included is Maryland Poet Laureate and press co-founder Grace Cavalieri.
Following an open call for submissions in February 2020, the press received over 500 creative pieces, including new poetry and fiction from past WWPH winners. The ensuing pandemic and the nationwide protests for racial justice later that spring are reflected in the work reviewed and the pieces ultimately chosen to represent this extraordinary historical moment. Traditional geographic limits for submitters, which require residency within 75 miles of the US Capitol, were expanded to include all of Maryland and Virginia, as well as writers who have previously lived, worked or studied in the DMV.
“In the early winter of 2020, when we set out to compile TIWALL, we couldn’t imagine the tidal wave about to break over our heads. The isolation, the worry, the tedium, the masks, the I can’t breathe, the grief—all this is captured in the amber of art. Here is a picture of our time, our shared losses, our shared life,” said Kathleen Wheaton, President, Washington Writers’ Publishing House.
This Is What America Looks Like was spearheaded by Fiction Editor Caroline Bock, 2018 Fiction Award Winner at The Washington Writers’ Publishing House for her short story collection, Carry Her Home, and Poetry Editor Jona Colson, 2018 Jean Feldman Poetry Award winner for his collection Said Through Glass.
