The Willow Creek Journal is a community-centered annual anthology. Through the journal, we celebrate and nurture the creativity of artists of all ages.
We believe in the power of local journals celebrating a breadth of creativity, and we invite you to join us as we continue to foster, cultivate and support both our established and new contributors. We welcome you to join us in a re-energized and reinvigorated vision. We prioritize the writer and artist with a relationship to our immediate community of Creede, but good art and writing in a variety of genres and perspectives is welcome from anyone. In other words, no matter your angle, school or form, please feel welcome to submit if you have a common ground with our mission.
Willow Creek Journal LIVE
Monday, June 22, 5-8 PM, Creede Hotel Tent
In collaboration with the Creede Musical Arts Collective: Step into the pages of this year’s Willow Creek Journal and experience the art, poetry, and stories of Creede: LIVE and in person, with the creators. After we wrapped last year’s first ever event of this kind, we received so much positive feedback that our organizations collectively decided to continue on and make this an annual show, AND that we needed to move it to a bigger venue.
The Willow Creek Journal was established in 1993 by the Creede Arts Council to showcase the literary and visual Artists of the Creede community, and is still going strong today, 29 editions later, now in full color!
Part dramatic reading, part open mic, part gallery show, Willow Creek Journal Live brings the published works of this year’s journal to the stage. Local authors, poets, and artists will share their work aloud, and some of Creede’s iconic storytellers-actors will be on hand to read pieces on behalf of those who prefer not to step up to the mic. Visual artists featured in the journal will also present their published pieces (they are encouraged to bring the original piece & this year we will experiment with projecting the works onto the large whit walls of the Creede Hotel Tent), offering insight into their creative process and inspiration.
This year’s event will also feature a group of live backing musicians providing mood-setting music to accompany select works, adding another layer of atmosphere and emotional resonance to the evening. At the heart of it all is a shared connection to Creede, its landscapes, its people, its history, and the stories we carry. Whether joyful or reflective, deeply personal or universal, each piece in this year’s journal is rooted in the spirit of this special place.
You’ll be able to pick up your very own copy of the journal at the event, and some of the creators might even be willing to sign their work!
Whether you’re a contributor, a friend of the arts, or a curious listener, this is your chance to gather in celebration of Creede’s vibrant creative community.
Free to attend, & all donations will go toward the publication of next year’s WCJ.
Entry Info
The Call for Entry for the 30th edition of the Willow Creek Journal is now open. We will be accepting submissions until March 1, 2026. New this year is an alternative, streamlined submission method that combines the entry form and electronic submission. Click HERE for the Google form. Or download the fillable PDF form on the right of this page.
We are always happy to help you with your submission. Just email us at
Please reach out to the Creede Arts Council if you would like a copy of last year's Journal.
