Jack Walker Press

 

Call for Submissions: Voices on the Gift of Aging

Jack Walker Press invites writers to submit personal essays for our upcoming anthology, Voices on the Gift of Aging (working title). This collection will explore the emotional, spiritual, and practical dimensions of aging—celebrating wisdom, confronting loss, and embracing the complexity of change over time.

We’ve been planning this anthology for some time. After our beta readers selected their favorites, only about 12 submissions met the high rating threshold for inclusion. We considered pausing the project—until a late submission arrived. It was so moving that it reignited our hope for the collection. So, we’re reopening the call for submissions.

What We’re Looking For

We seek first-person essays that tell a compelling story—real, emotional, and transformative. Your piece should reflect a “before-and-after” arc, showing growth, insight, or change. We welcome essays that are poignant, funny, dark, or raw—but please avoid overly sentimental or cliché tones.

Aging isn’t just about growing old—it’s about growing up, evolving, and making choices that shape your future. Maybe you’re fresh out of college, navigating your first job, or deciding not to have children and realizing that choice changes how you’ll experience aging. These moments are part of the aging journey, too.

Think of someone you love who is young. What kind of story would help them understand the changes, losses, and gains of aging? Or imagine someone approaching a milestone birthday—how can your essay inspire, caution, or comfort them?

Be funny, be sad, be real. Share what you know for sure, and what you’re still figuring out. Small insights often resonate more deeply than sweeping conclusions.

Submission Guidelines

• Essay Length: Up to 4,000 words
• Authenticity: Must be true personal accounts
• Narrative Style: First-person preferred
• Rights: One-time publishing rights requested
• Content: Essays should have dimensional characters and a clear narrative arc
• Compensation: $25 honorarium (or book copies) for essays of at least 1,000 words
• Cross-Promotion: We appreciate authors willing to help promote the anthology
• Acknowledgment: If your essay is reprinted, please credit its original publication in this anthology
• Publication Timeline: 12–24 months after acceptance, allowing time for editing, reviews, and marketing
• Stay Connected: By submitting, you’ll be added to our newsletter for updates on the anthology’s progress

Themes to Explore

Here are some possible directions your essay might take:

• Youthful beauty isn’t the only kind
• Milestone birthdays
• What I’ve lost and gained
• Loving myself
• Functional but not optimal
• Closer to death
• More or less spiritual as you age
• Better life at the end
• Aging losses and gains
• How I thrive
• Aging isn’t anything to be afraid of
• Why can’t they see me?
• Old guys with skills
• The most important lessons of age
• Wiser?
• What to do with vanity…
• Embracing vulnerability
• Rediscovering passion and purpose
• Navigating changing relationships with family
• The evolution of friendships over time
• Reflections on career and legacy
• Exploring new hobbies and interests
• Coping with health challenges and resilience
• Navigating societal attitudes toward aging
• The beauty of solitude and introspection
• Finding joy in simple pleasures and small moments
• Downsizing for more life
• After I’m gone
• Challenges of aging: 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond
• Wrinkles are not a disease
• I’ve just gotten cooler
• My parents are dragging me into old age
• My kids are pushing me into old age
• Growing up after college: redefining adulthood
• First jobs and the reality of aging into independence
• Choosing not to have children—and aging with that decision
• Aging into your identity: gender, sexuality, or purpose
• The moment you realized you weren’t “young” anymore
• Career shifts and the emotional weight of professional aging
• Feeling older than your age—or younger than expected
• Aging as a single person
• Aging without a traditional family structure
• The pressure of “milestones” and what happens when you skip them

How to Submit

After you Join the LitFriends Group, we will be able to contact you about your submission and keep you updated about the anthology and all things LitFriends. Please email your submission to Join LItFriends to and get the Email Submission Address with the subject line:
"Voices on the Gift of Aging Submission"

Include your:

• Name
• Address
• Phone number
• Email address

Attach your essay as a Word document. Label the file with the essay title and your name (e.g., Aging_Jones.docx).

Final Notes

We look forward to reading your poignant, funny, dark, and insightful essays on the gift of aging. Together, let’s illuminate the beauty and depth found over time.

Submissions are open until April 21, 2026.