We live in a world of infinite gradations and restless infiltrations. We live in a world of checkpoints, watchtowers, walls. We are free to go, or we are not. We are here, but never entirely there. We are fenced in or fenced out. We are on the move or we are hunkered down—stuck—behind a fortress of distance-making words: “Aliens.” “Illegals.”

We are global.

We are divided.

Walls are material, and they are symbols. They cast shadows and create shadow worlds. In our lives, in our neighborhoods, in our politics, we know what divisions do. Every division—metaphorical or real—is a story.

We invite you to tell a true wall story.

GUIDELINES

Seeking: True, previously unpublished memoiristic stories of between 300 and 3,000 words that speak to or illuminate the place of walls in our personal lives or world. The manuscript must be double-spaced and formatted with 12 pt. type and one-inch margins (no PDFs, please).

New Timeline: Submissions will be accepted between May 14, 2018 – September 17, 2018 (due by midnight), with winning pieces selected by November 30th.

Prizes: $250 (1st), $75 (two semi-finalists), and twelve honorable mentions. All selected manuscripts will be published in a beautifully illustrated and produced softbound book. All selected authors will receive two copies of the book, and additional copies will be made available for sale through online retailers. The Walls Between Us will be published in January 2019.

Entry fees and guidelines: $12 per submission, multiple submissions allowed, with each submission requiring a separate fee. International entries are accepted, but work must be in English. This is a blind contest. No cover page or author information will be included in the document. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us if the story has been accepted elsewhere—and withdraw the piece at once through Submittable. Submissions that do not follow the guidelines cannot be considered.

Note: Winners will be notified through Submittable. Winning authors grant Juncture one-time print anthology rights. Copyright of the story will be maintained by the author, who can then publish the story elsewhere.