Call for submissions

Deadline: 11:59 pm, 12 October 2025
Publication: July 2026

The Rebecca Swift Foundation and Fly on the Wall Press invite submissions for a powerful new anthology celebrating the complexity, resilience, and creativity of women’s lives today. This opportunity is open to anyone for whom woman is a meaningful identifier or lived experience.

Curated by acclaimed poet and critic Jennifer Wong, the anthology will feature twelve UK-based poets, from emerging voices to established names. Each will contribute a portfolio of up to ten poems and/or a reflective essay.

This collection will explore the journey of becoming a woman: the joys, the pain, and the defining moments that shape us. We are seeking work that speaks honestly to what it means to live as a woman — politically, bodily, emotionally — and to be seen in our own voices, on our own terms. 

We will be selecting works that together map out the stages of life, from girlhood to ageing, reflecting the breadth of lived experience across identities, cultures, and generations.

We hope this anthology will become a generational gift: something that validates lived experience, inspires future readers, and offers the deep companionship of shared understanding.

Each contributor will receive:

• A fee of £300
• A copy of the anthology
  

In addition, one contributor will be selected to have their essay reprinted on the Mslexia blog and deliver a workshop for Mslexia’s Salon members. The selected poet will receive an additional fee for this work.

Contributors who are also members of the Rebecca Swift Foundation’s Women Poets’ Network (WPN) will receive an invitation to read at the in-person launch event, to be held in Northern England and live streamed in July 2026.

How to Submit

We welcome submissions that surprise, delight, challenge, or move us – and those that push at the boundaries of form and experience.

We’re excited to hear from poets whose voices are under-represented in publishing,  including working-class writers and those who’ve faced barriers to participation.

There is no submission fee, but if you are in a position to do so, donations to support the work of the Rebecca Swift Foundation are very welcome.

You can submit poetry, an idea for an essay, or both:

• 3 poems (there is no upper line limit, just send your most excellent poems), and/or
• A 300 word pitch for a reflective essay or piece of creative nonfiction related to the themes of the anthology (with a title of your choice), plus a sample of your work in that form,
• A statement outlining your poetry career to date (up to 250 words). If you’re just starting out, tell us what you hope to explore or achieve in your future career.
  

Please note: Shortlisted poets will be invited to submit a further set of poems for consideration. Shortlisted essayists will be invited to submit the full text of their essay/piece of creative nonfiction.

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to:

• Women poets aged 18+ based in the UK, including trans women and any individual for whom woman is a meaningful identifier or lived experience.
• Poets at any career stage, whether published or unpublished
  

Priority will be given to members of the Women Poets’ Network, and at least eight contributors will be selected from within the network. 

Under-represented, marginalised and/or working class writers are encouraged to apply.

Questions? Contact Degna Stone at:

About the Editor

Jennifer Wong is a poet and editor. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she now lives in the UK. Her publications include Letters Home (Nine Arches), time difference (Verve), and Diary of a Miu Miu Salesgirl (bitter melon). She has co-edited Where Else: An International Hong Kong Poetry Anthology (Verve) and State of Play: Poets of East and Southeast Asian Heritage in Conversation (Outspoken), and author of Identity, Home and Writing Elsewhere (Bloomsbury). She has a PhD in creative writing from Oxford Brookes University and is an associate editor of Wasafiri. Light Year, her next collection, is forthcoming from Nine Arches Press. She also writes creative non-fiction and her stories have appeared in Under the Radar and Sinetheta. She teaches creative writing at Poetry School and Stanford House. https://linktr.ee/jennywcreative

About our Partners

Fly on the Wall Press is an award-winning independent publisher based in Manchester, committed to curating bold political fiction, powerful poetry, and innovative anthologies that engage with pressing global issues. Founded in 2018 by Managing Director Isabelle Kenyon, the press prioritises accessibility, thought-provoking content, and environmental responsibility, printing all books with FSC-certified and carbon-neutral materials. The press won the British Book Awards’ Small Press of the Year (North) in 2024 and has been a finalist for four years running. Other accolades include the Manchester People’s Choice Award and finalist status in the Manchester Culture Awards. Its authors have been recognised in major literary prizes: Morag Anderson’s And I Will Make of You a Vowel Sound was longlisted in the Sky Arts Awards 2024; Ricky Ray’s The Sound of the Earth Singing to Herself was longlisted for the 2021 Laurel Prize; Shahe Mankerian’s History of Forgetfulness for the 2022 Julie Suk Award; and David Hartley’s Fauna for both the 2022 Edge Hill Prize and the Saboteur Awards. flyonthewallpress.co.uk

Mslexia produces the bestselling quarterly magazine for women who write, publishing more than 70 writers in each issue – from emerging voices to award-winning authors like R.F. Kuang, Eliza Clark, and Liz Berry. mslexia.co.uk