The Milk House is a communal link between those who write about rural subjects and those who like to read about them. We seek to be the meeting point of all high quality writing from the global countryside.
Rural life is both singular and unique across geography, while at the same time having aspects that are shared among those who experience it, regardless of where they come from. It means something to be a part of the countryside, where real people face the dramas of everyday life. The writing on this site is an honest, visceral, and thoughtful look at these experiences.
The Milk House site features a new work of fiction, nonfiction or poetry by a contributing writer every Thursday. If you would like to have writing showcased on The Milk House read here on how to submit a piece. (If you’re entering the annual Best in Rural Writing contest, go here.)
The Milk House is where rural readers meet rural writers. We’re happy to make the introduction.
New in 2025
The Milk House is expanding what it can do for its readers and authors, as well as growing towards being more operationally sustainable. With that in mind, here are the changes introduced for this year.
The biggest addition to the project is the Best in Rural Writing print anthology, tentatively scheduled to be published towards the end of 2025. The anthology will collect the best short stories and essays recently published on/submitted to The Milk House, as well as other journals. All submissions to The Milk House, whether a regular or contest submission, will be eligible for the anthology, and the results of the Best in Rural Writing Contest will have no bearing on the selection for the anthology. More details can be found on our submit page.
Entries to the Best in Rural Writing Contest are now open all year round, and will also be read within 2-3 months of submission with consideration for publication on the site. This is to allow you to get maximum value from your contest fee. Therefore, if you submit to the contest in January, you will likely receive notification by April if it has been selected to be published on the site—and regardless of that outcome, will remain eligible for the contest.
To help cover costs, we’ve also introduced a subscription model to the site. While the latest published piece, as well as material relating to the Best in Rural Writing Contest, the Rural Lit Bookclub, and Book Lists will remain free to view, a membership is required to access the rest of the site. More details can be found here. There is also now a small fee to submit to The Milk House.
While we’re asking more of our readers and writers in 2025, we seek to give much more back in value. Thank you for your partnership in supporting rural voices.
Ryan Dennis
Founder
Where Milk House Writing Comes From