Now Seeking Essays and Illustrations (Theme: Nightness)

Wild Lot Press, with the assistance of the Pennsylvania Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program (CEAP), is publishing an illustrated nonfiction anthology book about night, with the working title Nightness: Ruminations on the Darker Side of Day.

Essays and Ruminations

We’re looking for essays/creative nonfiction of any length, from snippets and passing anecdotes to longform opuses, that take keen interest in what happens between dusk and dawn in the wild spaces of our world, or better still, in the liminal spaces that bridge the human-centric, built world and the extra-human margins that encircle us.

Nightness—coined in 1839 by the poet Philip James Bailey—is the phenomenon most of us now experience only fleetingly, as the world transforms the usual in so many ways, hidden from our own perception by the call of sleep, of shelter, and by the demands of day. This book asks readers to look again, with fresh eyes, at night.

The winning essay will receive a prize of $250; all selected contributors will receive free copies. To submit, contact publisher@wildlotpress.com with the subject line “Nightness submission: [title]”.

Illustrations

We are seeking black and white illustrations augmenting nonfiction essays chosen for the book Nightness: Ruminations on the Darker Side of Day. Illustrations selected for the book will be awarded between $20 and $50. The illustration chosen for the cover will be colorized and awarded $250. Pennsylvania-based or affiliated artists are especially encouraged to submit. Interested artists may reach out to inquire prior to submission. For more information or to submit, email publisher@wildlotpress.com with the subject line “Nightness submission: art” and links or a portfolio of samples plus bio.

Submission Period: January 15–May 31 2026

Inquiries? Contact us: publisher@wildlotpress.com.