The Women Who Submit members included in this post published their work in amazing places during February of 2026. Three of our committed members heardabout their publication opportunity through WWS programming and/or another member.
I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available), along with a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety. Please take some time to celebrate yourself and your wonderful accomplishments. Thank you and happy submitting!
The ocean is alive with them— orcas break its shimmering surface, stretching snouts at a cerulean sky. Humpbacks and blue whales twist pleated bellies, thrust their ribs like dancers while I watch, laughing,from the tip of my own iceberg.
Something’s swimming beneath the precision of language— beautiful, dangerous, ready to tip yachts, straining, heaving, coming up for air and, for one gloriousREM cycle, consoling, pressing love into my skin through outstretched fins.
Kudos to Mahru Elahi whose creative nonfiction piece “Passing: A Softball Tale” appeared in Seventh Wave’s 2026 Community Anthology.
When I try to name where Ali and I fell along the racial spectrum, the word interstitial comes to mind. It was 1982 and we lived in the gaps, the only Iranians at our Southern California middle school. Iranians in Amrika were racialized before the 1978 Revolution, it was just that we were considered benign, exotic even, definitely not dangerous.
Ali’s skin was lighter than mine, with the blue-green cast of an abalone shell’s interior. His curly black hair, regal nose, and baby doll lashes might have made him attractive, but Ali’s mouth was a blunt weapon. He made the Science teacher cry. After that, I only saw him in PE.
Last year, as I began the query and submission process for my hybrid memoir, I knew I was going to submit directly to small publishers. I’d heard from industry experts about the difficulties non-celebrities face trying to publish a memoir. As recently as January of this year, a Jane Friedman newsletter referred to an article that notes non-celebrity memoir as the most difficult nonfiction genre in which to publish. Thus, I began my querying journey as a non-famous person knowing that agents are paid from a percentage of an advance, and the chances of securing a large advance from a big publisher were slim to nil.
I became familiar with the pitch-query-submission process after taking a series of courses from various creative writing and publishing providers. With Jane Friedman and Allison K Williams, I’d taken a slew of courses on topics such as writing the proposal, publishing paths, and book marketing. And following Courtney Maum’s guidelines, I learned how to pitch hybrid memoir specifically. As a result of my coursework, I wrote a 26-page proposal that I submitted on occasion since not all publishers required it. Although I didn’t always use the entire proposal, it was an incredibly useful resource because I pulled out sections related to my comps, my audience, or other topics that I could use for individual submissions.
Shoutout to Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo whose article “Writing a Dream Into Reality” appeared in the March/April 2026 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
The friend I invited to lunch declined, not for fear of ICE. She is not worried for herself, but for me. ‘Can’t make it, watch out for ICE,’ she said, fancying herself funny.
I go along with the joke as nothing will keep me from stopping by the restaurant that’s easily overlooked with an empty dirt lot next to it, low ceiling. Thick roots give rise to spindly branches and a lush. top heavy Laurel Fig, an outstretched canopy over the world.
I tell my friend I have a strategy for defeating ICE. Say I will expose how much of a good citizen I am
Shiny sterling silver Sparkly and cool to the touch Inside soft red velvet A jewelry box reminds me of Nana’s Heart. No music, no jewelry, nor an empty find. Memories open of childhood past and love, For our matriarch, Beautiful teacher, disciplinarian, and kind.
Congratulations to Lili Lang whose fiction piece “Love and Blood” was picked up by Die Laughing Literary Magazine.
Shoutout to Joyce Loh whose fiction piece “Something Borrowed Something Blue” appeared in Pure Slush.
The WWS CERTIFIED list was first created for AWP-Los Angeles in 2025 by WWS Board member, Noriko Nakada. Of the list’s inception she said, “In 2019, I walked into the book fair at AWP Portland and into complete overwhelm. The enormous convention space held presses big and large, writing programs both esteemed and unheard of and writers, agents, and publicists everywhere. The whole place was so big and white and male. I had no idea where I might feel welcomed, where my stories may find a home.” The goal was to find the spaces that illustrated a clear appreciation for diverse voices. She combed through the Bookfair list of exhibitors looking for two criteria: an editorial board, board of directors, or masthead that was at least 50% women and 50% POC.
Using these same criteria, WWS Board member, Ashton Cynthia Clarke has curated a new list for AWP-Baltimore. Below are 32 (11 more than last year!) literary magazines, journals, organizations, and writing programs that have at least 50% women and 50% POC on their mastheads and/or Boards. Check them out. Chat them up, and then, after AWP, submit your words.
Each year Women Who Submit puts together a guide of all places you can find our writers, partners, and friends. See below for a list of panels, readings, and meetups where our writers are featured and use this list catch up with likeminded folks.
Features: Hosted by Kai Coggen and with readings by Ching-In Chen, Brenda Vaca, Dahlia Aguilar, Donna Spruijt-Metz, Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, and many others.
Location: United Methodist Church – 10 E Mount Vernon Place
Description: Start your AWP on Wednesday night at this historic former church with 32poems, Barrelhouse, and Smartish Pace a 5 min drive from AWP in beautiful Mt. Vernon. Part of the fun of this event is seeing inside an iconic historic space in Baltimore: a long-shuttered 19th-century church at the inception point of being reimagined and renovated for the future. It’s really beautiful, but it means the venue is not ADA accessible and has quirky bathrooms. Admission is free.
Features: Amy Raasch, Emma De Lisle, Erin O’Luanaigh, Grace Gilbert, and many others.
Location: Room 323, Level 300, Baltimore Convention Center
Time: 9:00am – 10:15am
Description: The X in Xicana is the vital confluence of past with future marked by our present voices. Eighty contemporary Xicana writers make up Somos Xicanas, an anthology that connects those represented with future generations in a call to liberate all. “Échale tu canto al viento, pa’ que llega más lejos,” writes editor Luz Schweig in the introduction. Join this panel with the anthology’s editor, publisher, and contributors to discuss from where those songs derive and just how far they can go.
Features: Dahlia Aguilar, Brenda Vaca, Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, and Angela C Trudell Vasquez
Location: Room 329, Level 300, Baltimore Convention Center
Time: 9:00am – 10:15am
Description: Excavating the gritty literary landscape of sexual violence is scary. By sharing how we write our dark emotional terrains, this diverse panel of women will discuss how we create safe spaces to teach students ways to approach trauma such as rape, sexual harassment, and incest. What role do content warnings play? While acknowledging potential triggers and navigating Title IX requirements, how do we equip our students with the tools they need to overcome resistance, shame, and silence?
Features: Nicole Walker, Karen Michelle Otero, Brooke Champagne, Sue William Silverman, and Jill Christman
Location: Room 328, Level 300, Baltimore Convention Center
Time: 12:10pm – 1:25pm
Description: House of Amal is in its sixth year of community programming, teaching, mentorship, and publishing. Amid an uptick in global Islamophobia, it is vital to create spaces centered on both craft and community for aspiring Muslim writers who require a unique kind of mentorship. Bridging the overlap between the spiritual, literary, and artistic identities, House of Amal will share the lessons learned while crafting and recrafting our twelve-month Writing Residency curriculum and membership programming.
Features: Sara Bawany, Safiya Khan, Amal Kassir, and Salma Mohammad
Location: Room 301, Level 300, Baltimore Convention Center
Time: 1:45pm – 3:00pm
Description: Writing has remained an essential practice for Levantine peoples, even during times of war. Spoken word poets from Syria and Palestine will perform powerful political poems inspired by their personal and familial experiences with loss through war, genocide, and settler colonialism. They discuss the intersection of their Muslim and Levant identities and the impact of the diaspora on their poetry, and further, how this influences their teaching of both craft and writing identity at House of Amal.
Features: Sara Bawany, Salma Mohammad, Amal Kassir
Location: Angie’s Seafood, 1727 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21231
Time: 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Description: Butterflies Over Land is an anthology co-edited by Jen Cheng and Camille Hernandez. Readers will be reading from the book and other work.
Come enjoy the world premiere and book launch party of a new immigrant rights anthology BUTTERFLIES OVER LAND: Voices and Visions Resisting Anti-Immigrant Terror. This book includes a mix of genres, from poetry to nonfiction personal essays and short fiction. This off-site event offers a conversation about immigrant rights from Southern California and nationwide.
Location: Angeli’s Pizzeria, 413 S High Street, Baltimore
Time: 5:30PM – 7:30PM
Description: We are really excited to introduce you all to our new poets and Joel Long‘s essay collection! Please join us in Baltimore for our #AWP26 offsite reading. Angeli’s is a short walk from the convention center and a chance to relax and enjoy great food in Baltimore’s Little Italy. We have reserved this great area all to ourselves, which is fully accessible.
Features: Krissy Kludt, Holly Johnsen, Natalya Sukhonos, VA Smith, and Joel Long
Location: Chesapeake Wine Company – 2400 Boston Street, suite 112
Time: 6:00pm – 7:45pm
Description: Join Alice James and Persea for a fabu offsite reading at the lovely Chesapeake Wine Company on Thursday March 5th, beginning at 6pm. Free appetizers, cash bar, and many memorable poems from new/recent books from both presses!
Features: Michelle Peñaloza, Carey Salerno, Cecily Parks, Elizabeth Bradfield, and others.
Location: Room 315, Level 300, Baltimore Convention Center
Time: 9:00am – 10:15am
Description: As cultural touchstones, fairy tales and myths provide fertile creative ground. Leveraging their known settings, characters, and story arcs, writers can slip into ekphrasis, persona, narrative, and more. This panel will offer examples and prompts from poets and prose writers of diverse cultural backgrounds who have used tales and myths to process grief; explore emigration and culture; and question gender, power, and neurodivergence, while using the familiar as a palimpsest to write something new.
Features: Emily Perez, Oliver de la Paz, Kate Bernheimer, and Jessica Q. Stark, and Elline Lipkin
Location: Ballroom II, Baltimore Convention Center, Level 400
Time: 10:35am – 11:50am
Description: When you are active in your local literary community, how do you carve out time to maintain a writing practice? After reading from their work, the poet laureate of Wisconsin, the cofounder of a vibrant reading series in Philadelphia, and the executive director of a community-based literary organization in California will share insights on the challenges of balancing their artistic practice while also serving their local communities.
Features: Raina Leon, Brenda Cardenas, Karla Cordero, and Cloud Delfina Cardona
Location: Room 318-319, Level 300, Baltimore Convention Center
Time: 10:35am – 11:50am
Description: Moving off the page and through the body, five multigenre writers activate possibilities for witness, solidarity, and transformation through performance. The panel celebrates performance as a vital leap from the public literary reading, a meeting of form and content that builds community through practices of ritual, generative discomfort, and care. Panelists within and outside the academy will share and discuss their work to provoke writers toward expansive, liberatory creative practices.
Features: Crystal Odelle, Ching-In Chen, Gabrielle Civil, Joss Barton, and Ali Gali
Location: Room 315, Level 300, Baltimore Convention Center
Time: 12:10pm – 1:25pm
Description: It is imperative that our social justice novels live anew on stage. This panel explores the stage adaptation of Keenan Norris’s award-winning novel The Confession of Copeland Cane, examining social realism as an enduring genre and the systemic inequities limiting such works by Black authors. Featuring authors, playwrights, and educators and casting audience members as “spect-actors,” this panel will model the transformative power of collective performance in bringing social justice narratives from page to stage.
Features: Tommy Mouton, Deborah Mouton, Toni Ann Johnson, Keenan Norris, and Timmia DeRoy
Location: Baltimore Brewhouse 511 W Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21201
Time: 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Description: There are moments when stories are not just read but truly shared. Where Our Voices Meet is one of those moments. Each poet carries their own rhythm and lived experience, and each voice reflects a different way of seeing the world. When they come together in the same space, something meaningful happens.
Features: Stella the Poet, Peter Lechuga, Hope Cerna, Jefferey Martin, Cherice Cameron, Donato Martinez, and Erica Castro
Location: Baltimore Convention Center – Room: 308, Level 300
Time: 10:15am – 11:30am
Description: Writer’s block is a perpetual problem. Confronted with an ominous blank page, what is a writer to do? This craft panel explores the ways in which creative practices outside of writing—film, painting, dance, and performance—can bring us deeper into writing. Books are not born from vacuum. The panel seeks to uncover how engagement with media outside of text can, in fact, be a powerful gateway into writing books and beyond. A presentation of each writer’s work concludes the craft panel.
Features: Cathy Linh Che, Elisabeth Houston, Serena Chopra, Jackie Wang, and Gabrielle Civil
Location: Bookfair Stage, Hall A-D, Level 100, Baltimore Convention Center
Time: 12:10 PM – 1:25 PM EST
Description: “It’s Not Okay” is a poetry event featuring powerful voices speaking out against injustice. These poets will share work about the impact of immigration policies on families, the violence in Gaza, and the pain and frustration so many are feeling. Poets will read about the injustices of our current administration in order to bring light and connect with the audience regarding these issues. Published poets: Cherice Cameron, Peter Lechuga, Clara Roque-Wagner, Erica Castro, and Jeffery Martin.
Features: Peter Lechuga, Jeffrey Martin, Cherice Cameron, and Erica Lopez
Location: Wet City Brewing, 223 W Chase Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Description: A reading celebrating FlowerSong Press authors.
Features: John Compton, Tatian Figueroa Ramirez, Eddie Vega, Michelle Otero, Luivette Resto, Sarah Browning, Natalia Treviño, Genevieve Betts, and Joseph Ross
Description: Hosted by the WWS-DMV chapter, come and meet up with other Women Who Submit members throughout the nation and the world. Say hello, debrief with other writers on your conference experience, and share publication goals!
Description: Join Daxson Publishing for an essential after hours reading exploring liberation in a changing landscape. Featuring a diverse lineup of West Coast voices, this event explores the intersection of identity, geography, and the navigation of a rapidly changing world.
Features: Cherice Cameron, Donator Martinez, Erica Castro, Jeffery Martin, Hope Cerna, Peter Lechuga, and Stella the Poet
