March 20, 2026
Exciting things are happening at The Story Center’s publishing imprint, Woodneath Press! The goal of Woodneath Press is to provide publishing opportunities and support to local authors. We are an independent traditional press that operates on a submission basis. Each Spring we open submissions for our next anthology publication.
Our upcoming anthology, Matters of the Heartland, a collection of nine romance short stories written by authors in the Kansas City area, is set to publish on April 21! Join us at 6:30pm at the Auditorium at Woodneath Library Center to celebrate the launch. We are excited to celebrate our featured authors!
Monstera’s Books will be in attendance selling books, and there will a book signing by all of the featured authors. You can also check out a physical or ebook copy of the collection through MCPL starting April 21. If you can’t make the launch and would like to engage with the authors, we will have a series of author panels this summer for you to hear more from selected authors about their writing process and the inspiration behind their stories.
Check out the lineup:
June 25 at 6:30pm at Withers Branch
Matters of the Heartland Author Panel featuring Stacia Kaywood, Beverly Laudie, and Caldera Thompson
July 23 at 6:30 at Colbern Road Library Center
Matters of the Heartland Author Panel featuring Cordelia Kent, Regina Rodgers, and Laura Scott
August 19 at 6:30pm at Smithville Branch
Matters of the Heartland Author Panel featuring Laura Brava, Marissa McQueen, and Victoria Veltkamp
Registration for these events will open soon!
https://www.mymcpl.org/events/115111/woodneath-press-book-launch-matters-heartland
If you’re interested in being featured in our next anthology, submissions are now open. This time, Woodneath Press is looking for short stories that fall under the umbrella of speculative fiction. This genre can include fantasy, horror, dystopian, and futuristic themes. Submit your 5,000-7,000-word fiction short stories for consideration in Woodneath Press's next anthology publishing in April 2027. Submissions are open through April 24!
For more information and to submit: https://www.mymcpl.org/story-center/publishing/woodneath-press
If you have any questions about Woodneath Press or the specific submissions guidelines, email me at ktiller@mymcpl.org or attend one of my monthly publishing info sessions via Zoom. Upcoming session topics include Nonfiction Proposals (https://www.mymcpl.org/events/114446/publishing-info-session-nonfiction-proposals-zoom) and Publishing Children’s Books (https://www.mymcpl.org/events/114450/publishing-info-session-publishing-childrens-books-zoom)
Kyndall Tiller
The Story Center Publication Manager
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