Anthologies

North Coast Voices 

An Anthology of Poetry and Images of the Great Lakes Region

What is it that makes a region unique? That’s the question we want to answer. We define America’s North Coast as the states around the Great Lakes. We want to hear the poetic stories of those who have lived, worked, vacationed or just passed through. And starting in 2026, we want to include images as well.

Guidelines (poetry):

  • Submission period opens May 1 and ends June 30.
  • Include a cover letter with the author’s name, contact information, and a list of the titles entered. No names should appear on the entry files and no bio on the cover letter. Poems will be judged blindly.
  • Maximum length per poem is 60 lines.
  • No previously published.
  • Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please withdraw if accepted elsewhere.
  • All poems should be submitted in separate WORD files—no PDFs—and emailed to editormsr@outlook.com
  • All contributors will receive one free copy.
  • Prizes will be $300/$150/$75 for First through Third Place, Honorable Mentions receive $25/each.
  • Entry fee: $15 for up to three poems. Multiple entries are permitted, but it’s $15/3 poems.
  • Payments can be made by check, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal (which process all credit cards).
    A link will be provided below for PayPal payment prior to May 1, 2026.
  • Please wait for confirmation of payment receipt to mail entries.

Guidelines (images):

  • Submission period opens May 1 and ends June 30.
  • Include a cover letter with the author’s name, contact information, and a list of the images entered. We realize not all artists and photographers title their work, but we need it for the sake of judging, so help us out here.
  • No previously published.
  • Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please withdraw if accepted elsewhere.
  • All entries should be presented in jpg or pdf format and emailed to editormsr@outlook.com
  • No names should appear on image and no bio on the cover letter. Images will be judged blindly.
  • All contributors will receive one free copy.
  • Prizes will be $300 (cover)/$150/$75 for First through Third Place, Honorable Mentions receive $25/each.
  • Entry fee: $15 for up to three images. Multiple entries are permitted, but it’s $15/3 items.
  • Payments can be made by check, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal (which process all credit cards).
    A link will be provided below for PayPal payment prior to May 1, 2026.
  • Please wait for confirmation of payment receipt to email entries.

 

Questions regarding this anthology should be directed to EditorMSR@Outlook.com

 


Brief Encounters

An anthology of previously unpublished micro-fiction, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction of the same length.
The theme for 2026 will be PLACES.

Guidelines (not yet finalized):

  • Submission period opens May 1 and ends June 30.
  • Include a cover letter with the author’s name, contact information, and a list of the titles entered. No names should appear on the entry files and no bio on the cover letter. Stories will be judged blindly.
  • Length: 500 to 1500 words.
  • Format: 12pt Times New Roman, double spaced, pages numbered, include no images.
  • No previously published.
  • Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please withdraw if accepted elsewhere.
  • All stories should be submitted in separate WORD files—no PDFs—and emailed to editormsr@outlook.com
  • All contributors will receive one free copy.
  • Prizes will be $300/$150/$75 for First through Third Place, Honorable Mentions receive $25/each.
  • Entry fee: $15 for up to three stories. Multiple entries are permitted, but it’s $15/3 stories.
  • Payments can be made by check, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal (which process all credit cards).
    A link will be provided below for PayPal payment prior to May 1, 2026.
  • Please wait for confirmation of payment receipt to mail entries.

Questions regarding this anthology should be directed to EditorMSR@Outlook.com

 

 


If no link is available for a specific anthology, please direct questions to: editormsr@outlook.com

Anthologies already published by Main Street Rag can be found in the MSR Online Bookstore in the Anthology drop down.