Call for Submissions for an Artistic Publication

athenaspeaks@westpoint.edu

In 2006, cadets and faculty from USMA worked together to produce a small collection of creative writing and visual art to mark thirty years since women first reported to the Academy as cadets. The original project, Athena Speaks: Thirty Years of Women at West Point, is an anthology of poetry, prose, and visual art created by alumni and then-cadets that reflects the varied and diverse experiences of women at the Academy.

This project, Athena Speaks: Fifty Years of Women at West Point, carries the spirit of the 30-year publication forward by inviting new and original creative submissions from alumni and current cadets to honor fifty years of women at the Academy and reflect on the diversity of women’s experiences. This collection is particularly interested in tracing—through artistic expression—how women’s experiences at the Academy have changed since the first 119 women candidates reported on R-Day in 1976 and how the attitudes toward their integration and inclusion have changed and evolved over the past five decades. West Point has a long history of cadets and alumni using the fine arts to reflect on their experiences and to make sense of the complex (and very human) emotions that accompany their time at the Academy. This collection celebrates this tradition of creative expression and welcomes creative submissions that speak to the diversity of experiences of being a woman applicant, cadet, and graduate.

We welcome submissions of original, previously unpublished creative submissions focused on the experience of women at USMA in a variety of genres:

  • Short Fiction

    500-5,000 words in length

  • Creative nonfiction

    500-5,000 words in length

  • Poetry

  • Humor

    Short sketches

  • Artistic Photographs

  • Photographs of original art

    Paintings, sculptures, sketches

  • Cartoons/graphic stories

    Single-panel cartoons and serial strips

Athena Speaks Submission Information

What we are looking for

We are looking for original, unpublished creative works from West Point graduates and current cadets that offer a nuanced perspective about being a woman at the Academy or that engage with evolving attitudes toward women at the Academy.

Submission Guidelines

We will only accept electronic submissions by email to athenaspeaks@westpoint.edu.

We will not accept submissions through postal services.

  • All authors must include a separate MS Word document that identifies biographical and submission data. At a minimum, that document should include:
  • The submitter’s full name, USMA Class, a current telephone number, and an active email address.
  • A list of submissions by title and genre and any captions for images (as needed)
  • A brief biography (no more than 250 words)
  • Any additional comments to the editors (as needed)

  • Please include a content warning in the contact information document if you feel your submission contains particularly sensitive material. Any warnings will not affect the review process.
  • We do ask that authors/content creators limit the total number of their submissions to five (5) in any given category.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at athenaspeaks@westpoint.edu. 

Formatting

  • Please attach a separate file for each piece of work (e.g., each poem should be its own file). 
  • Name your files as “<Last name, first name of author>_<Name of Work>.”
  • Format for written submissions:
  • Submit in one of the following file forms: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt
  • Submissions should be in 12-point type with at least one-inch margins and sequentially numbered pages.
  • Short stories should be double-spaced. o Poetry should be single-spaced.
  • Format for visual/image submissions:
  • Submit in one of the following file forms: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .jpg, .png
  • All visual submissions (photography, photographed art, cartoons or graphics, etc.) should be sent as low-resolution files. If the pieces have titles, please include them in the submission file title. If images are accepted, then we will reach out to request high-resolution images.
  • Captions or text provided with images should be contained in the biographical information document. If submitting more than one image, the captions or text should be clearly associated with the image file titles. All written portions of the submission should follow the formatting guidelines for creative submissions (specified above).

Timeline

  • Submissions must be received by 30 November 2024 for consideration.
  • Anticipated publication with West Point Press: Fall 2026.

Our Review Process

  • Our editing team will consider all received submissions.
  • If we recommend inclusion of a submission, we will reach out to notify the author/content
    creator and identify any recommended edits.
  • We may reach out to a contributor about a submission that requires revision before we can recommend inclusion. If this is the case, we will notify the author/content creator with recommended revisions.

Additional Info

  • Simultaneous submissions are encouraged; however, we do ask that you notify us immediately if your creative submission is accepted with a different publication.
  • Alumni may be aware of a concurrent project by Leslie Lewis (’85) to collect nonfiction personal accounts of women’s experiences at the Academy. For more information on this project or to contact the author, please go to the WPW 50-year Celebration Book Project.