Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Call for Submissions with Strong Connections to San Francisco: The San Franciscan Magazine

 
 

The San Franciscan publishes two print issues per year featuring work from a diverse group of local artists and writers. Our magazine celebrates the unique and diverse subcultures of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Please browse our website and read past issues to get a feel for the breadth and depth of our publication.

We value unique perspectives and welcome contributors of all backgrounds. We consider lived experience to be an asset to journalists writing about communities in the Bay Area. We especially welcome submissions from BIPOC and LGBTQ writers.

While contributors do not need to be current residents of San Francisco, we are looking for authors with a strong connection to the Bay Area. Reach out with any questions:

info@thesanfranciscanmagazine.com

Nonfiction Pitches

The San Franciscan publishes literary journalism including short- and long-form reported pieces, reviews featuring cultural commentary or critique, profiles, data visualizations, and more. We have very limited space for personal essays and prefer essays that include a reported angle. Nonfiction pitches should clearly describe the author’s idea, unique angle, and connection to the topic. Full submissions are welcome, but one- to two-paragraph pitches are preferred. Review past issues for guidance on style and tone.

Email pitches and nonfiction submissions to:

submissions@thesanfranciscanmagazine.com

Please include a short bio (50 words or fewer) and 1-2 clips of previously published work.

We are now accepting pitches. Inquire for further details.

Fiction Submissions

The San Franciscan publishes one short fiction piece per issue. Excerpts of longer works are accepted. Please limit submissions to 4000 words. We encourage locally themed submissions. Email fiction submissions to:

submissions@thesanfranciscanmagazine.com

We accept rolling submissions for fiction.

Flash Fiction Submissions

The San Franciscan publishes up to three flash fiction stories per issue. We encourage locally themed submissions. We publish writers with a strong connection to San Francisco and the Bay Area. We would especially like to read submissions from BIPOC and LGBTQ writers.

Send your story in the body of an email to:

flashfiction@thesanfranciscanmagazine.com

Include your name and contact information. No attachments please. Please limit submissions to 200 words. Write the story’s title and word count in the subject line. Include your name and contact info with your story. If selected, we will request a bio.

We accept rolling submissions for flash fiction.

Poetry Submissions

The San Franciscan typically includes two to three poems per issue. Though we encourage a variety of work, we have a preference for content relating to San Francisco.

We are now accepting poetry submissions.

Email poetry submissions to:

poetry@thesanfranciscanmagazine.com with the subject line: Poetry Submission.

Include a third-person bio in your cover letter, no more than 50 words.

Send up to three poems in one document, one poem per page. Each poem should be a maximum of 30 lines. We accept .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, or .txt. Please do not include any identifying information in the document, as the poems will be read blind by our editor. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us of placement by replying to your submission email with the subject line: Poem Title, Withdrawn.

Though we get many incredible poems, we have very limited capacity to give each one a home. If your submission is not accepted, we encourage you to try again for our next issue.

Compensation

The San Franciscan is run by a small team of passionate and dedicated volunteers, and the money we earn from sales funds the production of the magazine. Paying writers and artists is important to us. At this time, we are able to offer writers and artists small honorarium payments to acknowledge their invaluable contributions. Please inquire for further details.

More information on their website.

Writing Competition: Grayson Books Poetry Chapbook Contest

Guidelines for Grayson Books Poetry Chapbook Contest

Use the submission manager to electronically submit your 16-36 pages of poetry: Submittable.com

*If the contest you are submitting to does not appear, it is not currently open for submissions.

Prize: $500, publication of chapbook and 50 copies. 

Reading fee of $20.

Submissions accepted starting November 1st. Deadline is January 31, 2024

Please do not put contact information on the manuscript. Entries are judged anonymously. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable if we are notified immediately about an acceptance elsewhere. Multiple submissions are also permitted; a fee must accompany each entry. Acknowledgments of previously published poems may be included with your submission, but are not required. When a manuscript is chosen for publication we will request acknowledgments.

Call for Submissions: West Branch

The editors of West Branch welcome submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation. We normally read unsolicited manuscripts between August 1st and April 1st. We print only original, unpublished work. For accepted work, we purchase First North American serial rights.

Payment is awarded for accepted works in the amount of $100 per submission of poetry, and $.10/word for prose with a maximum payment of $200. Additionally, we provide each contributor with two copies of the issue in which his/her work appears and a one-year subscription to West Branch.  

Please review the submission guidelines below before submitting using the online submission manager:

1. All manuscripts should be paginated, with the author's name on each page. Prose should be double-spaced and include a word count.
2. Please send no more than six poems or thirty pages of prose. You may submit up to three pieces of short-form fiction (flash, short-shorts, etc.) so long as the total page count remains under fifteen pages. Poems and multiple short-form pieces should be saved and uploaded as a single file.
3. The submission manager accepts most document types; we prefer to receive files in .DOC or .RTF format.
4. We prefer to receive no more than two submissions from a single contributor in a given reading period. We make periodic checks for contributors who have reached the 2-submission limit, and reject any additional pieces submitted by those contributors. However, you will still be able to log in to view your account, and reaching the 2-submission limit will not affect pieces already under consideration. Please note also that the submission manager will only allow you to have one piece under consideration at any given time.
5. Simultaneous submissions must be clearly marked as such in the comments section. If any of the work is accepted elsewhere, please withdraw your own West Branch submission immediately.

Our usual response time is ten weeks or less--often much less--but if we find your material interesting you may wait longer to hear from us. Please DO query if more than four months have passed since your submission, via e-mail at:

westbranch@bucknell.edu

 Book reviews are typically arranged by assignment, and we currently publish only poetry reviews. If you are interested in writing reviews, please query with a sample. Our pay rate for reviews is highly competitive.

Please acquaint yourself with the magazine before submitting; sample back issues are available for only $3. Subscriptions are available at $10 for one year and $16 for two years. For subscription information, selected work, and news, see our website. 

Submission form here.

Call for Translations: Words Without Borders

Words Without Borders publishes original translations into English of contemporary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and interviews, and related multimedia. We also publish critical essays, book reviews, and interviews written in English. We generally do not publish fiction, poetry, or drama written in English, and we do not consider work that has already been published in English translation. We welcome submissions in three categories: individual translations; proposals for themed features; pitches for book reviews, interviews, and essays. Submissions of individual works should include translations, brief bios of authors and translators, and information on the original publication. Proposals for features should describe the focus and provide summaries of the three to four pieces to be included, brief biographies of the authors and translator(s), and original publication information or other background of the works. Translators need not secure rights, but should confirm they are available before submitting. Pitches for interviews and essays should describe the focus and include a brief biography. Reviewers may pitch reviews for books with publication dates at least three months in the future.

For all categories, please review back issues of the magazine before submitting. Proposals and submissions may be sent to:

submissions@wordswithoutborders.org 

Please note the genre in which you are submitting in the subject line of your email.

Words Without Borders is proud to pay all its contributors for their work. Authors and translators are paid equal amounts for translated writing. Translators hold the copyrights to their translations. We review our payment policy every three years. Our current rates are as follows:

Poetry: $50–75 for a single poem, depending on length; rates for multiple poems are negotiated based on length

Fiction: $150/1,000 words, capped at $300

Nonfiction: $150/1000 words, capped at $300

Selection and compilation of features: $250

Interviews: $150

Book reviews: $150

Call for Submissions: ROOM Magazine

Wade through the pleasures and pains of the flesh with us in the BODIES issue!

We’re seeking writing about touch and isolation, trans and queer embodiment, fat liberation, chronic illness and disability, brutality, sensuality, and other meditations on the bones and muscles you inhabit every day.

What words live in the relationship between your body and other bodies? Between your body and the land beneath it? Explore what it means to feel empowered and grounded in your body—and what it means to feel betrayed by it. Have you ever lost your body to dissociation? Or perhaps to transcendence? The body is a site of self-love, self-hate, and body neutrality alike: accepting loving odes, body horror, and everything in between.

Room publishes original fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art by folks of marginalized genders, including but not limited to women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people. We encourage writers with overlapping under-represented identities to submit, and we don’t want writers to feel restricted by gender or genre labels, so if you are unsure if your work is a fit for Room, please get in touch. 

Submit your work through Submittable. We do not accept submissions via mail.

• Submit only work that has not been previously published (in print or online).

• We gladly accept simultaneous submissions. If another magazine accepts your work for publication, please advise us and withdraw your piece immediately.

• We do not charge for submissions, with the exception of our annual contests, which also come with a one-year print subscription.

• Fiction and creative non-fiction: up to 3500 words, double spaced.

• Poetry: up to 5 poems, submitted in a single doc file, with each poem starting on a new page.

• Submit all work in 12-point font, Times New Roman preferred.

Payment 

 

We pay issue contributors upon publication. We pay $50 CAD per page (up to a maximum of $200) + 2 copies of the issue in which your work appears + a 1 year print subscription to Room

We pay $250 for cover art + 2 copies of the issue in which your work appears + a 1 year print subscription to Room 

 

We pay reviewers and web contributors a flat rate of $75.

 

Room purchases first North American Serial Rights and digital rights. Copyright reverts back to author after publication

Submission period: November 15, 2023–Jan 5, 2024 

Printed & in circulation: September 2024 

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions: Chimosa Literary

Poetry (max. 3 poems)

Prose (max. 500 words)

Flash Fiction (max. 700 words)

Creative Nonfiction (max. 5,000 words)

Short Stories (max. 5,000 words)

We prefer writing to be single-spaced and in a standard 11pt font. Send us an email to:

chismosalit@gmail.com

Please attach your work as a PDF or Word document, and do not include any identifying information. Writing can be in English, Spanish, or both. Feel free to include a short bio (<50 words) in the body of your email. The subject line should begin with the genre of your work followed by the title. Example:

Subject: Prose, “Pasquali the Dreamer”

Our debut issue is themed “CHISMOSA.” To celebrate the beginning of our magazine, we will be awarding $100 to the piece that best captures the spirit of chismosa that lives in all writers. We want work that explores the idea that to be a writer is to gossip; it is to people-watch and eavesdrop and turn the things we observe into protagonists and plot-devices. Give us a story brimming with gossip, or write a poem to tell us about the art of eavesdropping. Tell us what being a chismosa writer means to you.

We accept all genres of writing, and we encourage work that is experimental. Pieces that are heavily inspired by real people and events are encouraged. We aim to turn Chismosa Literary into a paying market as soon as possible, but we are currently unable to pay writers aside from for the contest. Only one submission per reading period per author.

The deadline for our debut issue and the competition is March 1st, 2024.

More information here.

Call for Submissions: Long River Review

We accept poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translations, drama, hybrid pieces, and/or any otherwise uncategorized creative works. If submitting a translation, please also include the original text with your submission and cite the source of the original non-English piece.

Submission Limit: 6,000 words for prose, drama, or multimedia pieces; 5 poems

Long River Review accepts simultaneous submissions. Please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.

If your work is accepted, we ask for First North American Serial Rights (i.e., to be the first publication in North America to publish it), after which the rights revert back to you.

All contributors get two copies of the issue where their work is featured. Unfortunately, we are not in the position to offer payment to our writers.

While we are open to a plethora of innovative and exciting works, Long River Review will NOT publish stories that/ are: 

Condone bigotry: sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, or hateful ideologies

Center around graphic depictions of sex or violence
AI generated
Excerpted from a novel or larger body of work (unless the piece can stand alone by itself)
Political manifestos

If your work fits into any of these categories, it will be automatically disqualified for review or publication.

Please check genre specific guidelines before submitting.
Guidelines for Art Submissions

Long River Review welcomes all art mediums including; photography, illustration, printmaking, paintings, comics, drawings, and mixed media works.

All art submitted by UConn students to LRR will be considered for generous cash prizes provided by the Gloriana Gill Art Awards and the Long River Art Award.

Submit artwork based on the following specifications:

Photoshop tiff 5.75 inches (minimum width) 300 dpi

Long River Review accepts simultaneous submissions.

We only accept unpublished work.

Deadline: Dec. 15, 2023

Submit your work here. 

Call for Submissions: Biocoastal Review

Poetry: 5 poems max. Please separate poems by page. Titles are preferred.

Book Reviews, Critiques, Thinkpieces: 2,000 words max. Include publisher information, if applicable. 

Nonfiction, Essays: 5,000 words max. Please include any footnotes and citations in Chicago Style format.

We aim to build community with our readers and contributors, particularly the writers and artists of CA and NY. In addition to your original works, we welcome ekphrastic writing that imitates, borrows, challenges, or is otherwise in conversation with a piece we have previously published. Please note in your submission if you are referencing a previously published work or photo.

If you would like to receive artistic postcards, broadsides, or other rare snail mail, please provide us with a physical address. We will not share, sell, or disseminate your information, or send spam.

Note: We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us if your work is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept reprints. Upon acceptance with us, please withdraw your work from other consideration. We also ask that prior contributors wait six months from their last date of publication to submit again.

Deadline: December 31, 2023

Submit your work here. 

Writing Competition: Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards

Deadline: Jan. 15, 2024

The judge is Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

We are looking for fiction and creative nonfiction of any genre. Past winners have included upmarket novels, collections of short stories, flash fiction, memoir, essays, magical realism, and even a graphic novel. SFWP is a traditional publisher with global distribution. We aggressively pursue subrights and have successfully sold translation, audio, and seven figure movie/TV deals for many titles in our catalog. Authors selected by our publishing wing will be offered a competitive contract with full marketing support. SFWP has extensive relationships with trade publications, sales reps, subrights agents, and bookbuyers worldwide.

Contracted authors enjoy a full developmental edit, an in house copyeditor, and will work closely with our in-house layout and design team. SFWP provides full support throughout the duration of your contract, and our authors consistently earn out.

You do not need to be from or associated with New Mexico or Santa Fe. We publish a wide range of books from authors who live all around the world, and are globally distributed by the Independent Publishers Group. Our subrights are represented by the Susan Schulman Agency in New York. 

Eligibility: All unpublished work is eligible. Previously published material is also eligible as long as it has not been published by a major press. So you can submit if you have published in zines, lit journals, and with micro presses. Self-published books are eligible, as are books published via Amazon and Ingram. If you have published with a small press and have not received any marketing support, then your book is eligible. We will accept excerpts and Works-In-Progress. If you have questions about eligibility, please contact us.

• The grand prize is $1,500, and two runner-ups will receive $500 each

• Authors retain all rights to their work

• Winners will be offered a competitive book contract for full-market, frontlist release. There’s no obligation to sign this contract. The prize money is awarded either way.

• The entry fee is $30.

• There is a pay-it-forward option, 100% of which will be used to cover the entry fee for authors who are not able to afford the fee. We will also be offing coupons, discounts, and raffles via our social media channels. If you are unable to pay the entry fee, please contact us.

• There is no minimum or maximum page limit.

• Simultaneous submissions are allowed. If your work is published during the contest, you will not be disqualified, and you do not need to withdraw your entry. If you do withdraw from the contest, we are not able to refund the reading fee. 

Submit your work here.

 

Please visit our page for more details!

Call for Submissions: Doubly Mad

We are OPEN TO SUBMISSIONS!

Send us your best poetry, fiction, and non-fiction!

We are excited to announce that we will begin reading non-fiction prose again during this reading period (beginning October 2) thanks to Mary Katherine Moylan, who is joining Doubly Mad as Non-Fiction editor!

Doubly Mad does not consider work that has been published previously in print or online journals, except by invitation. We do not exclude work from consideration if it has appeared in some form on social media; however, we ask that you inform us if this is the case. That said, we are not interested in casual blog posts, etc.

Do not submit more than one type of work at a time, and please do not submit more than once per reading period. Additional submissions will be deleted unread. Please follow our guidelines for each genre.

Also, please add our email address:

submissions@doublymad.org

to your contact list so we can communicate with you! Sometimes our messages are blocked or sent to a Spam folder.

Nota Bene: We are an all-volunteer organization. Our readers and editors try to process submissions in a timely fashion, usually up to 3 months, but it may take longer. If you don’t hear from us after 3 months, feel free to email us with your name and the title of your submission in the subject line and we will respond asap. We accept simultaneous submissions, but we ask that you inform us immediately if your piece is accepted elsewhere for publication.

Send submissions to:

submissions@doublymad.org

Please include in the subject line the type of submission (poetry, fiction, visual art) and include a brief cover letter / artist statement.

We do not charge reading fees.

We currently provide our contributors a free copy of Doubly Mad.

As a brief word about how we review submissions: We are living in a rich era of writing and art-making. The range of styles and methods are often hard to keep up with, and each has its own niche as well as its avenues for reaching an audience. Doubly Mad is itself an expression of this diversity. We like to read a wide array of material, and consequently avoid generalizing what we like with easy, but ultimately unhelpful, parameters. If a poem or story absorbs us, we are likely to want to include it in our publication. If it doesn’t, for technical reasons or personal preferences, we won’t. Because we are a small annual publication, we can’t possibly include all the work we want to! Doubly Mad publishes work by both emerging and established creatives and looks forward to your submissions.

If your work is accepted we reserve first publication rights which revert to the author after publication and ask that you acknowledge Doubly Mad in any subsequent publications of your work. We do occasionally exercise our right to edit accepted work and will review any edits with our contributors. 

More information here.

Call for Submissions on Theme of "Feminist and Queer Studies": Rejoinder

Rejoinder Call for Submissions

The Archival is Political

Guest Editor: Alexandra Southgate (Temple University)

This issue of Rejoinder addresses the power and politics of the archive as an object of fascination for feminist/queer scholars and activists. Carolyn Steedman states that “you find nothing in the Archive but stories caught half way through: the middle of things; discontinuities” (2002, 45), while Gracen Brilmyer argues that archives are assemblages of “people, places, policies, attitudes, environments, and materials across time” (2018, 98). At the same time that archives can be sites of radical hope for the preservation of the histories of women, queer folks, people of color, and otherwise marginalized groups, they are also institutions that have historically enacted immense violence. As Saidiya Hartman asks: “is it possible to exceed or negotiate the constitutive limits of the archive?” (2008, 11). In other words, what is the past, present, and future of feminist and queer archival practice?

We invite interdisciplinary submissions that address the “archival turn” in feminist and queer studies. Submissions may include essays, commentary, criticism, fiction, poetry, and artwork from any discipline.

 

We particularly welcome work that connects archival practice to activism, whether this be archival collections focused on activist history or archival collection as a political project for historical redress. Other topics may include digital archives, fictional archives, archival silences and violence, archival management, and information sciences. Together these contributions will reflect the contradictions of, and aspirations for, feminist and queer archives.

 

This special issue of Rejoinder will be edited by Alexandra Southgate (Temple University). For manuscript preparation details, see our website at: https://irw.rutgers.edu/about-rejoinder.

 

Rejoinder is published by the Institute for Research on Women at Rutgers University in partnership with The Feminist Art Project.

 

Send completed written work (2,000-2,500 words -- MS Word), .jpegs of artwork, and short bios to:

 

irw@sas.rutgers.edu 

 

with "Rejoinder Submission" in the subject line by December 15, 2023.

Call for Submissions: table/FEAST Magazine

ISSUE 3 SUBMISSIONS OPEN November 1st, 2023 (Close on January 3rd, 2024)

We are not a food magazine. But we are tied to food in a way.

A feast is something held by humans for millennia; throughout our terms of evolution, even. A feast is excess. Modesty. Façade. Gladness. Celebration. Even silence that’s a measure of closeness or distance. Mourning. It’s more than a myriad of reasons.

Food is the first gift we receive. And at feasts, stories are told. Songs recited. Prayers said. Family tensions spewed. Admittances of infidelity. Demands for divorce. Coming outs. And so much more.

Since our ancestors roamed the world hunting for new horizons; we have always gathered around a hearth to share a meal. Sometimes we’d run into strangers. And share.

We are not a food magazine or recipe outlet. We are about stories that have been shared throughout time that have transformed through modern details. Maybe some new ones, too. We are a meager market for new stories and poems. We do not have fees. Yet. When we do contests and contributor pay outs, we match a percent of the winnings and donate it to a charity or non profit somehow tied to food or nourishment.

We are in the process of filing to become an official nonprofit. Although we are a paying market, pay outs are done via PayPal or Venmo.

 

PAYRATE PER CATEGORIED ITEM

- Each accepted general poem piece or translation receives $18.00 USD. (5 maximum sent per submission)
- Each accepted prose piece as fiction or creative nonfiction receives $35.00 USD. (1 maximum piece sent per submission)
- Each accepted piece of visual art receives $20.00 USD. (4 maximum pieces sent per submission)
***WE ONLY DO PAYOUTS VIA VENMO OR PAYPAL AT THIS TIME*** 

 

We only accept original and unpublished work. We publish with First North American Serial Rights - all rights revert back to the author or artist upon publication. We are okay with simultaneous submissions.

 

RULES FOR POETRY & TRANSLATIONS IN POETRY:
- send the file as a Microsoft doc, NOT a PDF. Times New Roman font, size twelve, as poem is styled as wished for presentation as if published in print. Each poem may not exceed more than three pages, unless you request us to read longer works. Works in translation must have documented permission included with your submission. Send poems to Rebecca, L.A. , and Craig at:

 

poetryeditortf@gmail.com

 

RULES FOR FICTION AND CREATIVE NONFICTION:
- send the file as a Microsoft doc, NOT a PDF. Times New Roman font, size twelve, double spaced, and work may be anywhere from 500-3,000 words. Send Fiction to Amechi, Joe, and Matthue at:

 

fictioneditortf@gmail.com 

 

and send Creative Nonfiction to Ileana Leticia Reyes Soliz at:

 

nonfictioneditortf@gmail.com

RULES FOR VISUAL ARTWORK
- send each visual artwork file as a JPEG file, NOT as a PDF file. Send to Allison Janicki at:

 

arteditortf@gmail.com

For any questions regarding submissions, please email us at:

 

managingeditortf@gmail.com

Call for Submissions: Allium

Allium are flowering plants that include hundreds of species. Alliums vary dramatically in size, shape, and color, and are cultivated as both vegetable and ornament. They naturally resist taxonomy. 

Our Allium aspires to create a similar resistance by publishing diverse creative voices, recognized and emerging writers, and a variety of forms and genres from the traditional to the experimental.

Allium, A Journal of Poetry & Prose publishes three issues each year: two online issues (Fall and Summer) and one print issue (Spring). Allium accepts simultaneous submissions, requests a maximum page length of five pages for poetry, fifteen pages (3,750 words, double-spaced, using a 12 pt. Times Roman font) for craft essays, fiction, hybrid, nonfiction, and creative nonfiction, and does not seek previously published work.

Our submission period begins November 15 and ends January 31. Submissions are read February through May. Please do not submit more than once per reading cycle. 

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions to Anthology on Theme of "Personal Gardens": Wild Librarian Press

Submissions for an anthology of personal essays on gardens are being accepted November 15, 2023 – December 15, 2023. During the submission period, proposals of up to 250 words that describe the content of your essay will be considered. If your proposal is accepted, your complete essay of 1,500 to 3,000 words will be due May 30, 2024. Please do not submit a complete essay during the submission period; we will only review brief proposals.

We welcome all voices who love gardens to join us in this writing adventure, including Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit, and Gender Non-Conforming (LGBTQIA+) writers. We also welcome submissions from emerging writers.

Submission Guidelines and Additional Information

One submission per writer only.

Your submission must include the following:

• Summary of up to 250 words that describes the content of your proposed essay. Please provide a clear representation of what your essay will be about.

• A bio of up to 100 words.

What content is desired? We will consider all submissions with a garden theme. The following are examples of some of the topics we are excited about, but do not feel limited by these ideas.

• Wisdom gained from cultivating a garden of your own or wisdom gained from spending time in a garden other than your own, such as a public garden.

• Connections between gardening and your creative life.

• Gardens as healing spaces.

• Food gardens.

• Community gardens.

• Urban gardens.

• Small patio and apartment gardens.

• Creating an ecologically-sound garden, such as a drought-tolerant or native plant garden.

• Ecofeminist understandings of gardens.

• Spirituality and gardens.

• Memories of past gardens you cultivated or visited.

If your proposal is accepted, we desire writing in the first-person that is soulful, authentic, deep, and accessible to a general audience. Academic/scholarly work is not desired for this anthology.

Only unpublished work will be accepted. Self-publishing on your personal website, in a zine you created, or through your social media accounts is not considered previously published. Please inquire if you have any questions.

The title of the anthology will be inspired and determined by the content of the essays accepted.

Is there a submission fee? No! 

Will I be paid if my work is accepted? All contributors whose work is accepted will receive a copy of the published paperback book. Wild Librarian Press is a solo-woman adventure founded in 2021. This anthology will be the press’ third publication. Although Wild Librarian Press would love to offer each contributor a payment, such funds are not available. The editors are also not being compensated for their time. We hope you will still desire to add your voice to this collection!

The anthology will be published as a paperback and Kindle e-book. We anticipate a late 2024 or early 2025 release. The paperback will be available through all major online retailers, including Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Bookshop.org. Wild Librarian Press titles are distributed by Ingram.

Calls for anthologies often attract more submissions than space allows. Although all submitted work cannot be accepted, every submission will be thoughtfully and respectfully read and considered.

You will hear about the status of your submission by January 31, 2024.

Please send any questions to Stacy Russo at:

stacy@love-activism.com 

Ready to submit? Please use the Submission Form.

Call for Submissions: Naked Cat Lit Mag

General Submission Guidelines:

Here at Naked Cat Lit Mag, we’re all about pushing boundaries. So for this call, we’re saying fuck it to genre. Give us your filth and your unfettered desires. Give us sex that would make your grandmother drive you straight to church and demand an exorcism. Give us your stories that push a finger into a throbbing, gaping wound cause it’s just so juicy. That is all to say that this issue will be genre-fluid, pro-kink, pro-sex work, and hopefully very, very gay. Your work doesn’t even have to feature erotica elements, but it should challenge norms and push our readers to consider new perspectives. While anyone is welcome to submit, Naked Cat Lit Mag is committed to giving opportunities to historically marginalized and underrepresented populations, as well as featuring first time authors.

​ Please upload all submissions to the following submission portal . If you have any questions, please direct them to our guest editor at:

taboonakedcat@gmail.com

Do’s:

· Do play with genre, structure, POV, and style. If you’ve ever thought “maybe this is too big of a swing”, I am here to tell you that you are wrong.

· Do get a little dirty with it! Naked Cat Lit Mag has a history of publishing the sexy and erotic, and this volume will continue in this trend although erotica elements are no means required.

· Do push against what is deemed taboo! While pieces that challenge general norms are great, we would love to feature authors and pieces that push up against specific cultural norms. The hope is that this issue will feature diverse perspectives and authors of unique backgrounds.

· Do be considerate! If you’re tackling sensitive topics, do your research and try to avoid harmful stereotypes.

· Do fuck the institutions! Authors are encouraged to not only push up against sex norms, but also those that we deal with while trapped in a hypercapitalist, content-spewing hellscape. Be anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, anti-military, political, etc.

Don’t’s:

Don’t be shocking purely to be shocking! We’re looking for well-conceptualized, well-written works and simply shocking us won’t guarantee we’ll publish your piece.

· Don’t be racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, etc. If your characters exhibit these traits, then so be it, but be aware of the message your piece conveys to your reader.

· Don’t think you’re the first person to think: “Wow, cannibalism is kind of hot.”. While our guest editor is a fan of sexy cannibals, they’re already anticipating a large number of sexy cannibalism stories. If you choose to go this route, try to take it in a new and tantalizing angle!

· Don’t self-reject! We want to read your work, so send it our way.

General Requirements:

· All submissions should be in a .docx format file. Submissions not submitted in this format will unfortunately be form rejected.

· Submissions should be double-spaced and in 12 point Times New Roman font; however, if your piece deviates from this intentionally, submit it anyway with a brief note that the formatting is intentional in your cover letter. We will work our hardest to accommodate unique pieces that rely on visual formatting within reason.

· All submissions should be originals, meaning that if your piece has been published elsewhere including on a personal blog or website, this call is unfortunately not quite a fit for you.

· Simultaneous submissions are fine! Being an author is hard and by no means financially lucrative, so please submit your pieces elsewhere, but notify us if you decide

· A short cover letter should accompany your submission. This doesn’t have to be fancy, but please introduce yourself and include a short author’s bio under 100 words, introduce your pieces, and include a short list of trigger warnings per piece. A trigger warning reference index will be included at the back of the issue for anyone who wants to use it, so we won’t be spoiling your pieces.

· Feel free to submit for our fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry categories. Our editor wears many hats too, but please, submit a new Google form entry for each category.

· All authors will be notified of selection by approximately Dec. 1st. If you need to withdraw your piece or haven’t heard from us by then, please query us at:

taboonakedcat@gmail.com

· All authors will receive a digital copy of the issue upon publication. We ask for 6 month exclusivity on print rights for published pieces, with the exception that we will release you from this for “Best Of” anthologies cause your work deserves to be praised!

All selected authors will receive a portion of fundraised funds (ideally a $20-25 honorarium) upon successful Indiegogo funding.

Fiction & Non-Fiction Requirements:

· Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction submissions should be under 1500 words. We know that’s not a lot of words, but we know that you can tantalize, disturb, and turn us on regardless of word count.

· Please adhere to Modern Shunn Format, except for pieces that are intentionally playing with how they appear on the page. Once again, if this is the case, please give us a heads up in your cover letter.

· You can submit one piece of fiction and/or one piece of creative non-fiction per author.

Poetry:

· Each poem should be under 25 lines.

· Please adhere to Modern Shunn Format, except for pieces that are intentionally playing with how they appear on the page. Once again, if this is the case, please give us a heads up in your cover letter.

· Each author can submit 1-3 poems, but please include these in the same .docx file with a page break between poems. If the poems exist as a unit (like a poem told in thirds), please let us know so we don’t decide to only publish one part.

Writing Competition: The J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards for Nonfiction

Two J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards, in the amount of $25,000, are given annually to aid in the completion of a significant work of nonfiction on a topic of American political or social concern.

Recognizing that a nonfiction book based on extensive original research often overtaxes the resources available to its author, the project envisions the award as a way of closing the gap between the time and money an author has and the time and money that finishing a book requires.

Applicants for the award must already have a contract with a U.S.-based publisher to write a nonfiction book. The judges will make their decision on the basis of achieving maximum impact on a promising book project. Therefore, their selection criteria will represent a blend of the merit of the book and the financial need of the author. For this reason, the judges will need to know the amount of the author’s advance, as well as any other financial support for the book, such as a grant.

Materials required for entry: 

• Completed entry form

• A copy of the original book proposal

• 50-75 pages from the work-in-progress

• Photocopy of a contract with a publisher

• An explanation of how the award will advance the progress of the book

No entry fee is required for this prize.

More information and submission link here.

Call for Submissions: Amsterdam Review

Thank you for your interest in the Amsterdam Review.
​
The magazine accepts poetry (including translations), flash fiction, essays, and reviews. We also accept photography and other fine arts — all images in the magazine are original works. Please read our current issue to get an idea of the work we publish.

Please follow the guidelines below based on the type of material you are submitting. Submissions that fail to do so will not be considered for publication.

We want the words and stories that come to you, not those you have to go after.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Send all submissions to:

AMSTERDAMREV@GMAIL.COM

• Simultaneous submissions are accepted and encouraged. We only ask that you let us know as soon as possible if your work is accepted elsewhere.

• No multiple submissions. Please leave at least six months between each submission.

• If we have published your writing before, please wait a year before submitting again. There is no waiting time for photography.

• Only submit previously unpublished material that is your own work. You must own the copyright to any text or image you send us. If you are submitting translated work, you must have obtained permission to translate from the original author/publisher.

• Please allow up to 90 days for a response. You can contact us if you haven’t heard back from us after this time. We will respond to all submissions.

Please note:

• We are unable to offer paid compensation for accepted submissions at present.

• If you are successful we will allow for one round of small edits to the work you have submitted; however the finished work must remain close to the material you originally sent.

• By submitting your work to Amsterdam Review you agree to receiving our newsletter for issue releases. You can unsubscribe at any time. 

More information here.

Writing Competition: 2024 New American Poetry Prize

2024 NEW AMERICAN POETRY PRIZE: FINAL JUDGE NIKKI WALLSCHLAEGER

Submissions for the 2024 New American Poetry Prize will open September 1, 2023. The winning manuscript will be published and its author will receive $1500, promotional support, and 25 author copies.

Manuscripts should be at least 48 pages, but there is no maximum length. All forms and styles of poetry are welcome.

DEADLINE: January 15, 2024

Entry Fee: $25.00

We read manuscripts blind, so please exclude identifying information from the manuscript itself. All necessary contact information is included in your Submittable record. We do not accept submissions by email or post. Please use Submittable to send your work.

Call for Submissions: The Common

Inspired by the mission and role of the town common, an egalitarian gathering place, The Common aims to foster the global exchange of diverse ideas and experiences. As such, we welcome and encourage submissions from writers who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, disabled, LGBTQIA+-identifying, immigrant, international, and/or otherwise from communities underrepresented in U.S. literary magazines and journals. In an effort to remove barriers to access, The Common will waive submission fees for two weeks every summer.

For those who cannot access Submittable due to disability, or who require a fee waiver due to financial difficulty, please call 413-542-5453 or email info@thecommononline.org

 

Reading periods for fiction, nonfiction, translations, and poetry:

March 1 – June 1
September 1 – December 1

Submissions from current print/digital subscribers to the magazine are accepted free year-round. [subscribe here starting at $16]

Dispatches are accepted year-round.

Please do...

• Send up to five poems, or one prose piece, or three flash pieces per submission.

• Send previously unpublished works in English, and translations for which the translator has secured the rights.*

• Include title, word count, and contact details in your cover letter.

• Send simultaneous submissions, as long as you withdraw them immediately if they are accepted elsewhere. Poets may use Submittable's message feature to withdraw individual poems.

• Read The Common Online to get a feel for what we look for. Or check out these interviews with Editor in Chief Jennifer Acker.

• Be patient with us while we carefully consider your work. Our typical reading time is 8 months, but this varies widely. At least three readers review your work before an editor makes a final decision, so it takes time. You can always check your piece's status in Submittable.

Please don't...

• List any identifying information on your submission.

• Submit more than one submission per genre at a time. Wait for a response before submitting again. We will not read or consider multiple submissions, and Submittable cannot refund submission fees.

• Submit a piece over 10,000 words. Pieces over the word count will be withdrawn.

• Query about the status of your piece. Your Submittable account allows you to check the status yourself; if it does not show a decision, we are still considering it. Our typical reading time is around 12 months for fiction and essay, and about 8 months for other genres. Three readers review your work before an editor makes a decision, so we appreciate your patience while we consider carefully. Your piece isn't lost or being ignored, and querying will not expedite its consideration.

• Let financial hardship stop you from submitting. Email info@thecommononline.org if the submission fee presents a difficulty for you.

• Submit as a subscriber if you aren't a current subscriber. The submission will be withdrawn.

Payment & Publication

The Common charges a processing fee of $3 for essays, fiction, and poetry submissions, and $2 for dispatches. Want to skip the fee? Subscribers submit for free year-round. Subscriptions start at only $12, and you can either subscribe here or or add-on a subscription through Submittable!

If you have a subscription or choose the add-on, make sure to submit to the Subscriber Submission category below, or you'll still be charged the $3 fee.

Fiction, nonfiction, translations, and poetry will be considered for print and online publication. $200 honorarium per prose piece, and $40 per poem.

Dispatches are notes, news, and impressions from around the world. Both prose and verse accepted, but must be nonfiction. Length: up to 800 words. They are accepted year-round and are published online only. $100 honorarium per dispatch. 

 

About The Common

The Common seeks stories, essays, poems, and dispatches that embody a strong sense of place: pieces in which the setting is crucial to character, narrative, mood, and language. We receive many submissions about traveling in foreign countries and discourage writers from submitting conventional travelogues in which narrators report on experiences abroad without reflecting on larger themes.

These interviews with Editor in Chief Jennifer Acker discuss The Common's editorial vision. Read more at www.thecommononline.org

 

* We wish to read only translations for which U.S. English-language rights are available. Please confirm that these rights are available before submitting your work. For more information on translation rights, please read Susan Bernofsky's primer here.

 

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions: The Keeping Room

The Keeping Room Submission Guidelines:

The Keeping Room as an online magazine for all women writers and artists. We are looking to publish your short stories, essays, free writing, and photo essays that touch on topics related to Women’s Wisdom, Lessons Learned, Self-care, Bodies, Relationships, and Community. Submission never closes.

Prose: Fiction and Creative Non-fiction (including social commentary) pieces may be up to 5,000 words in length and may include facilitating original artwork or photography. Stock or unoriginal photos must include credit to the original source.

All contributors: Any relevant links should be included in the body of the submission. Please include a short bio (75 words or less) as well as a headshot to be published with your submission if accepted.

Accepted Prose will receive $25 via PayPal. 

Submission link here.

Call for Nonfiction and Poetry: The Midwest Quarterly: A Journal of Contemporary Thought

Article Submissions

The Editors will be glad to examine article manuscripts from all who are interested in submitting them. Manuscripts should be between 12-18 typed, double-spaced pages including bibliography, should not contain footnotes, should treat subjects of contemporary significance, and should be interesting to and readable by a non-specialist reader. Submit two copies of article manuscripts, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope for return, OR a Word file as an attachment using the form found on this page.

We accept simultaneous submissions (sending your article to more than one journal at a time). We will only consider one article by any author at a time. You can expect a decision within three months of submitting.

The objective of the Editors of The Midwest Quarterly is to discover and publish scholarly articles dealing with a broad range of subjects of current interest. In no way competing with the more specialized journals, The Midwest Quarterly seeks discussions of an analytical and speculative nature rather than heavily documented research studies.

Article manuscripts and questions should be sent to:
Casie Hermansson, Editor-in-Chief
Pittsburg State University
The Midwest Quarterly
Pittsburg, Kansas 66762
Telephone: (620) 235-4369
E-mail:  

chermansson@pittstate.edu 

Poetry Submissions

We look for poems that dare to be authentic, and we’re open to any form. We like to read poetry that moves us—whatever the style. We wouldn’t mind seeing more humor. Please review these guidelines before submitting your work: 

• MQ publishes only previously unpublished poems.

• Poets may submit up to 10 poems in one Word document.

• Submit work via web submissions. MQ will continue to accept poetry via email or post, but we will be going to web submissions only—beginning Fall 2021.

• The poet's name must appear on each page.

• Poems should be no more than 80 lines each, though the poetry editor will sometimes consider longer poems of exceptional merit.

• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but poets should so indicate at the time of submission and send immediate notice of acceptance by another journal.

• Include a cover page that includes any awards or past publications, submission information, contact information, and third person short bio.

From Fall 2016, all poetry published in The Midwest Quarterly in an annual volume (comprising 4 issues, Fall-Summer) will automatically be considered for the Stephen Meats Poetry Prize. Stephen Meats served as Poetry Editor from 1985 until 2016. The Midwest Quarterly is building an endowment to support future winners of this award in coming to Pittsburg State University for a reading of their work. (Donations in support of this endowment can be made via the Pittsburg State University Foundation.)

Similarly, from Fall 2020, all poetry published in The Midwest Quarterly in an annual volume will be considered for nomination for the current year’s Pushcart Prize.

Poetry submissions and related questions should be sent to:
Lori Martin, Poetry Editor
The Midwest Quarterly
Pittsburg State University
1701 S. Broadway
Pittsburg, Kansas 66762
E-mail:  

lkmartin@pittstate.edu

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions: Timberline Review

We are seeking work in the following categories: 

• Poetry

• Fiction (flash, short story, novella, and novel excerpt)

• Creative nonfiction (including essay and memoir) and Critical commentary (Writing about writing including literary analysis, and craft instruction)

• Drama and screenplay

This year, the Kay Snow Award will be chosen by our editorial staff and given to (1) the top piece and (2) the runner-up in each of the above categories. We are seeking submissions from writers 18 and up.

We are also seeking Visual Art submissions in black and white for inside the journal and color illustrations for cover art.

As always, Willamette Writers members may submit to the Timberline Review free of charge. Members of the BIPOC, LQBTQIA+ and disabilities communities are also encouraged to submit free of charge. The submission fee is not a reading fee – it helps cover the cost of the Timberline Review educational programming.

If you are not a member of Willamette Writers, please use the guest submission form. Even better, sign up as a member today!

Authors receive $25 + one print contributor copy. First North American Serial Rights.

Deadline: Dec. 16, 2023

More information and submission link here. 

Call for Submissions: Gone Lawn

We are now accepting submissions for our wolf moon issue, #53.

Desired: sincere, imaginative, unusual and/or innovative works that charm and displace us, that baffle the fence-setters of our rolling, verdant isles and nab all of their dreary tools. Gone Lawn is especially partial to odd animals.

Our broad arm-spans welcome fiction, prose and prose poetry, as well as visual narratives and work involving sound and motion.

All artwork hailing from the second dimension is welcomed for our frontispiece.

Please submit multiple pieces in one submission, not several. Thank you.

Due to volume, we're sad to say we no longer accept verse. We still accept prose poetry, though.

THE FORMALITIES:

Simultaneous submissions are OK, so long as your piece is withdrawn if it's accepted elsewhere. We are not interested in submissions of previously published work. Gone Lawn retains only first-time publishing rights. We will try to respond quickly.

You may otherwise reach us at:

gonelawn@gmail.com, our good gazebo and official receiving room.

Submit here.

Call for Submissions: The Fiddlehead

Submissions to The Fiddlehead are OPEN

The Fiddlehead publishes excellent writing in English, or translations into English, from all over the world and in a variety of styles, including experimental genres. Our editors are always happy to see new unsolicited works in fiction (including excerpts from novels), creative nonfiction, and poetry. We also publish reviews and occasionally other creative work, such as excerpts from plays. Our acceptance rate is around 1-2% (we are, however, famous for our rejection notes!).

We particularly welcome submissions from BIPOC writers, writers with disabilities, LGBTQQIA+ writers, and writers from other intersectional and underrepresented communities. If you are comfortable identifying yourself as one or more of the above, please feel free to mention this in your cover letter.

The Fiddlehead does not publish work that is ableist, misogynistic, queer-phobic, or racist. Strong writing treats identity categories with nuance.

If you are serious about submitting to The Fiddlehead, you should read an issue or two to get a sense of the journal. Consider subscribing or contact us to order back issues ($15-$20 plus postage).

Our two Submittable submission periods are January 1 - March 31 (Canadian only) and September 15 - November 30. If you don’t already have a Submittable account, you will be prompted to sign up for one before you submit. It is free and it only takes a few minutes.

For those who prefer snail mail and handwritten responses, we accept mailed submissions in any category all year round.

Pay is $60 CAD per published page, plus two complimentary copies of the issue with your work. Contributors may purchase additional copies of an issue at a discount. 

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions: Broken Antler Magazine

Broken Antler publishes horror and weird fiction, as well as sci-fi and dark fantasy. The editors are partial to a wide range of subgenres—body, cosmic, folk, gore, etc. (and our EIC likes any writing that screws with her sleep schedule). If your work fits into the horror genre, or is some version of fucked-up, send it our way.

For poetry, creative nonfiction, and hybrid submissions, we’re looking for work that is haunting and monstrous, strange and bizarre. Extra points if your work is experimental or doing something unusual with form.

Do NOT send us work featuring gratuitous sexual assault, violence against women and/or marginalized groups, or hate speech. Broken Antler is 100% run by women, several members of our editorial staff identify as LGBTQIA+, and we are committed to uplifting these and other previously silenced voices.

NOTE: Submitted work should be previously unpublished, and we do NOT accept AI-generated content. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere. Upon acceptance, Broken Antler requests first serial rights for physical and electronic publication. Following publication, all rights revert back to the author; though we do ask that you credit Broken Antler as the place your work first appeared.

Email all submissions to:

brokenantlermagazine[AT]gmail[DOT]com (Change [AT] to @ and [DOT] to . )

In the subject line of your email — please indicate which category you’re submitting to and whether you’re submitting to BAM Quarterly or The Marrow (all submissions are considered for our annual print issue). EXAMPLE: “Fiction submission for BAM Quarterly”

In the body of your email — please include the title of your piece(s), word count (prose only), a brief bio (100 words max.), content warnings if necessary, and any other information you’d like to share with us about you + your work.

Broken Antler is committed to paying writers and artists for their work. Individuals with work selected for Broken Antler’s print issue receive $20 + a contributor copy of the magazine. We pay a token of $10 (per piece) for work published in our online venues. Payment is provided upon acceptance.

Deadline: Nov. 21, 2023

More information here.

Writing Competition: The Headlight Review's 2024 Poetry Chapbook Prize

The winner of The Headlight Review’s 2024 Poetry Chapbook Prize Contest will receive publication (a perfectly bound book with a full color or black/white cover), an award of $500, and 25 copies of the book.

Submission Period

October 1 - December 31, 2023

A list of finalists will be announced sixty days after the close of submissions. All manuscripts will be judged blindly. The finalists who make it through the first round will be judged by esteemed poet Valerie A. Smith.

The winning manuscript will be published within six months after the results of the competition are announced in April of 2024. Each judge’s favorite poem from their selected finalist will be highlighted at The Headlight Review.

Guidelines

Eligibility: Employees and students at Kennesaw State University, both former and current, are not eligible to enter. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age or older.

Electronic submissions: The $18 entry fee is payable by debit/credit card via the KSU submission system, which you may find at the “Submit Your Manuscript” button at the bottom of this page. For $25 you can submit your manuscript and receive copies of the 3 previous winners.

Manuscript Submission Details

• Size: Manuscripts must be between 24-36 pages, including cover page, table of contents and any acknowledgements.

• Format: 12 pt. standard typeface, PDF only.

• Title page: Should include the title of the manuscript and nothing else. No. identifying name or address is permitted in the manuscript.

• Poems: Poems that have been published elsewhere must be acknowledged. Overall, the manuscript should be original and previously unpublished.

• Multiple submissions: Are acceptable. Each submission requires a separate entry fee.

• Simultaneous submissions: Are acceptable. Please inform us immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Entry fees are nonrefundable.

• Language: Entries must be written in the English language.

• Illustrations: Are discouraged.

• Translations: Are ineligible.

• Comments: Will not be provided to non-winning entrants.

• Editing: Will not be permitted once submitted.

Kennesaw State’s MA in Professional Writing Program (MAPW) endorses and abides by the Ethical Guidelines of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP). Our system for judging is transparent and blind. The first-round judges will receive and rate their choices in order, and this will create a list of finalists. The manuscript finalists will go to the finalist judge, who will then select the best among the finalists.

Submit your entry here.

Writing Competition for BIPOC Writers: Kinsman Quarterly's Iridescence Award

Submissions are open for short stories and poetry by BIPOC authors for Kinsman Quarterly’s Iridescence Award. Themes should include the supernatural, extraterrestrial, or the paranormal. Prizes include publication in the Iridescence anthology with cash awards up to $500 USD.

No fee required. Deadline is December 31st.

Those eligible must submit an original, unpublished work in English. Genres include, but are not limited to, fantasy, folk mythology, science fiction, and the paranormal. Winning submissions will also be featured in the Kinsman Quarterly, its social media sites, and printed promotions. Copyrights of the individual submissions remain with the authors and artists. However, copyrights for the anthology as a collection are reserved to Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc.

Those Eligible

• individuals 18 years or older

• literary or visual artists of the Black, Indigenous, or People of Color Community

• must be able to receive cash prizes through Paypal or honorary finalist prizes through Amazon gift cards.
  

• must allow winning submission to be published in the Kinsman Quarterly, in promotional announcements, and social media outlets

Contest Guidelines

Each entry should be an original, unpublished work by the submitting author, which does not infringe upon the copyrights of another individual or entity. Works published solely on the blog or social media outlets of the submitting author are eligible.

Submissions must be received by December 31st at 11:59 p.m. EST.  

Submissions should feature themes of the supernatural, extraterrestrial, or the paranormal, preferably by authors of the BIPOC community.

Participants may enter more than one submission.

Changes to the competition entry cannot be made once a work is submitted. However, a revised version may be uploaded and indicated as such in the file name.

Genre Guidelines:

• short stories (1000-5000)

• flash fiction (up to 1000 words)

• poetry (1 to 5 poems)

Formatting Guidelines

• All text entries must be in Times New Roman, font size 12, double-spaced.

• Be sure to remove all track changes from edited text.

• Entries that do not adhere to guidelines, unfortunately, will not be considered.

Available Prizes

First Place = $500 cash prize and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and Iridescence

Second Place = $250 cash prize and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and Iridescence

Third Place = $100 cash prize and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and Iridescence

6 Finalists receive $25 gift card and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and Iridescence

6 honorable mentions will receive publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and Iridescence

Note that prizes will be received within 30 days of announcements and are non-transferable. Kinsman Quarterly reserves the right to extend competition deadline and announcement dates up to 45 days.

Submission form here.

Call for Submissions: Lumina

Submissions for Lumina Issue 20 are now open from October 24th 9 a.m. EST to November 21st 11:59 p.m. EST.

 Lumina is a multi-genre literary journal and visual art publication, run by Sarah Lawrence College's MFA in Writing students.

Mission Statement:

At Lumina, we aspire to open an accessible and inclusive space for all creatives to take part in the enjoyment of art, publication, and community. Our aim is to be an ever-evolving hub for creative expression, fueled by the desire to represent, support, and empower those who endeavor to share their work, whether for the first time or the hundredth.

The Lumina team values experimental, forward-thinking, and genre-bending works that spotlight each creator's distinctive voice and experiences. We welcome writing and art that excites, radicalizes, and showcases a genuine appreciation for craft. Our editors invite submitters to have fun, explore new variations of themselves, delve into unknown realms, and emerge with intentional work that, regardless of publication outcomes, they are proud of.

NOTE: Gratuitous violence or depictions of violence that advance strategies of marginalization rather than challenge them will not be tolerated.

General Guidelines:

• Submissions are open to everyone except currently enrolled MFA Writing students at Sarah Lawrence College.

• You may send one submission per genre per issue.

• All writing submissions must be in PDF format and all visual art submissions must be in TIFF or JPEG format.

• Please do not include any identifying details (e.g. name) in the submission file.

• All work must be previously unpublished.

• We accept simultaneous submissions. Please let us know if your work has been accepted elsewhere by adding a message on Submittable.

• We are currently unable to offer monetary compensation for accepted submissions.

Call for Submissions: Spooky Magazine

SUBMISSIONS OPEN UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2023

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Cozy horror. Fun horror. Classy horror. Dare we say, wholesome horror?

Oxymoron? We don’t think so. One place you can start your exploration of this idea is an article from Nightmare Magazine penned by one of our co-founders.

But perhaps the easiest way to understand what we mean is to read stories by some of the old masters we love: Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, Roald Dahl. Watch classic episodes of Thriller, The Twilight Zone, and Night Gallery. Read old horror comics. Listen to radio dramas like Suspense, Quiet, Please, and Inner Sanctum Mysteries. Consume enough vintage horror, and you’ll probably begin to get an idea of the type of thing that’s likely to appeal to us.

In short, we’re looking to provide a space for a type of storytelling that has largely gone out of style – dark and scary, but playful and approachable with an emphasis on plot. To clarify further, here’s a list of things we want and things we don’t, which may help you hit the sweet spot.

THINGS WE LOVE: 

• Stories with a moral core. It need not happen in every tale, but we like to see good prevail (or at least evil punished). Ironic justice, in which cleverly nasty things happen to bad people, as in old EC comics, makes us chuckle with ghoulish delight.

• Well-earned twist endings. There’s nothing we love more than a really good surprise or a clever way to subvert our expectations. Pull the rug out from under us and leave us gasping.

• High concept settings and situations reminiscent of the pulps. Androids, ghosts, aliens, old castles, vampires, dinosaurs, deals with the devil, mad scientists, Wild West gunslingers, and so on. All are welcome. Give us thrilling adventures dipped in the macabre. Remember – old tropes are great, so long as your story is doing something new with them.

• Tales of the fantastic invading ordinary settings. Bring terrible and unpredictable horrors into the suburbs, into our workplaces, into our homes.

• Magical realism. Don’t worry too much about explaining how or why strange things happen. We are perfectly willing to accept that they do and move on to the good stuff in the story.

• Playfulness and dark humor. We’re not looking for blatant comedy, but a certain level of mischief and glee will go a long way in making your story a fit for SPOOKY.

• Classic Americana. Halloweeny hijinks. Campfire stories. Stuff that makes us feel like kids.

NO THANK YOU: 

• Grimdark nihilism that leaves us feeling hopeless.

• Trope rehashes that fail to add an imaginative twist.

• Floaty, dream-like milieus without a clear plot. We are fine with surreal occurrences, but things need to actually happen in your story.

• Hard science fiction.

• Sword and Sorcery or second-world fantasy.

• Poetry

• Excessive gore. A certain level of violence is to be expected, but we’re not a market for splatterpunk. Less is pretty much always more when it comes to violent content here – we’re big fans of stories that imply rather than describe gruesome situations.

• Excessive obscenities. We won’t lose our minds over an occasional “hell” or “damn,” but that’s about our limit. Keep it pretty much PG.

• Graphic sex. Again, keep it PG. Any sexual acts important to your story should be implied, rather than described.

• Kidlit. Even though we like fiction that is relatively family friendly in terms of content, children aren’t our primary audience. We aren’t Goosebumps, Scooby Doo, or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Don’t send us stories about eleven year olds investigating werewolf sightings at their school playground.

• Absolutely no abuse, violence, or sexual situations involving children.

• Absolutely no racism, misogyny, or homophobia. Although we are going for a retro vibe with this magazine, we can keep what we love about old fiction while rejecting its pitfalls. SPOOKY is committed to treating all people with respect.

We shouldn’t need to say this, but…

ALL STORIES MUST BE WRITTEN BY A HUMAN BEING. IF WE SUSPECT A STORY OR ANY PART OF A STORY WAS WRITTEN USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, IT WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY REJECTED.

RIGHTS AND PAYMENT

SPOOKY Magazine seeks First Publication Rights in English, with six-months exclusivity from date of publication, nonexclusive thereafter, with the option to reprint stories in a possible “best of” anthology sometime in the future. We pay one cent per word, via PayPal, for original fiction. All accepted authors will also receive a print contributor’s copy of the issue in which their story appears. SPOOKY does not accept reprints at this time. Authors retain copyright to their work.

SPOOKY is not purchasing artwork at this time.

Please send all submissions to:

spookymagazineinfo [at] gmail [dot] com (Change [at] to @ and [dot] to . )

with the subject heading SUBMISSION: Story Title / Author Name. 

Visit our website here.

Call for Submissions: Split Lip Magazine

You know the drill. Read our issues to see if we’re a good home for your work. Get the full scoop before you submit! Then hit up our Submittable. All submissions are currently being considered for our monthly online issues. In an effort to promote Black voices, Split Lip Magazine is opening free submissions for Black writers in all genres.

Payment 💸

We pay (via PayPal) $75 per author for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews for our web issues. 

As long as we’ve got money, we’re committed to paying people for their work.

Free Submissions

January, March, May, August, September, November. We recommend submitting early in free subs months! Sometimes we have to shut free subs early due to a rad but also overwhelming response. (A peek behind the curtain: our free sub cap with Submittable maxes out.

Ground Rules

What’s a magazine without exclusive content? We want to see fresh work that hasn’t been published anywhere before (including your personal blog or website). First-time electronic publication rights are really all we ask for.

One submission per writer at a time, please. That means if you submit a poem, you can’t also submit flash, etc. You get the picture.

We accept simultaneous submissions. Yay! But please withdraw your piece immediately if it’s accepted elsewhere.

Content warnings: If your work deals with sensitive or triggering topics, please identify/note them in your cover letter.

We don’t accept emailed submissions. You gotta use our Submittable. The exception to the rule is Interviews/Reviews—scroll down for more info.

If you have some edits to make after you’ve submitted: withdraw your submission, update it, and re-submit! We know it’s a headache, but we’re a small, all-volunteer team. We only have so many heads to hold everyone else’s aches. So be a pal and do a little of the legwork for us! Any emails asking us to correct something in a submission will, as much as it pains us to say it, be ignored!

It’ll take us up to 16 weeks to let you know if you’re in or not—we’re a small, all-volunteer staff.

If you receive a rejection, please wait at least a month before submitting again: we love you, but a mag’s gotta breathe, you know?

Hot Tips

Double space your work. Some of our staff needs it for readability! Single-spaced poetry is okay, though.

We vastly prefer .doc and .docx files, although a PDF is okay in a pinch.

Don’t send us stuff that promotes bigotry and violence.

More information and submission portals here.

Call for Chapbook Submissions: Red Bird Chapbooks

 Chapbook Guidelines

NOTE: This year, in an effort to respect our volunteer editorial board’s time and energy, we will be capping the number of poetry manuscripts to 100, fiction manuscripts to 30, and CNF manuscripts to 30. This is the total number of possibilities that will be put into the pool for our editors to review and select from. In the spirit of fairness, this will be first come, first serve. The reading period will open at 12:01am on November 1st.

Please follow guidelines carefully. Manuscripts that deviate from these guidelines will not be read or considered.

General

Send manuscripts for consideration only during open reading periods. Our 2023 reading period will open November 1st at 12:01am.

Manuscripts are accepted electronically, by email only. We do not accept manuscripts via US Mail or Submittable.

Email manuscripts to:

 

possibilities@redbirdchapbooks.com

Red Bird accepts simultaneous submissions.

Only one manuscript per genre per author per reading period.

Previously published poems, stories, essays, excerpts may be included in your manuscript. Please provide publication acknowledgements (title of poem/story/essay, where and when published) in the body of your email.

We publish poetry, non fiction, fiction, illustrated, and multi genre/hybrid chapbooks.

 

Illustrated chapbooks are limited to 3 color images; Black and white images are unlimited.

Projects will be selected within three to six months after the reading period closes.

All authors who send us possibilities will be notified of their status within six months. If you have not heard from us after six months, please reach out via email.

Any questions or queries outside of designated reading periods should be emailed to:

 

admin@redbirdchapbooks.com.

Red Bird reserves the right to refuse any manuscript.

Formatting

Format your possibility email as follows…

Enter the genre and your manuscript title as your subject line. Examples from past titles include:

• Poetry - The Heart of Everything That Is

• Fiction - Tree in Winter

• Non Fiction - My Life as a Pencil

• Multi Genre - Book of If & Ever

• Pamphlet - Three Oranges

Enter your contact information, a brief bio, and any publication acknowledgements in the body of the email. Do not include any contact or identifying information or publication acknowledgements within your manuscript.

Attach your manuscript as a single Word .doc or .docx file. Manuscripts received in any other file format will not be read. Do not paste manuscript into the body of your email.

A cover letter is not required. That said, we're a curious bunch and would love to know how you heard about us:

Did you see a post about our reading period somewhere?

 

Did a friend or colleague suggest you send us your possibility?

 

Do you have any favorite Red Bird authors or chapbook titles?

Please feel free to share these tidbits in your email when you send us your possibility.

Format your manuscript…

A typical chapbook manuscript is as a Word Document between 24 and 26 pages in length. Manuscripts should be no longer than 26 pages, not including the cover page. The Table of Contents, any section page breaks, dedication pages, etc. do count towards this 26 page limit.

Manuscripts should include the Table of Contents (if necessary) and the manuscript text only. Tables of Contents page(s) are necessary if more than one piece of writing (poem, short story, essay, vignette, etc.) appears in the manuscript.

Manuscripts must be formatted as Microsoft Word documents. Use standard .doc or .docx files only.

Remove all special formatting from your Word document before attaching it to your email. You may use page breaks, but do not use section breaks, tables, WordArt or other special formatting within your manuscript. Do not include images in your manuscript.

Poetry Manuscripts:

• Each poem should begin on a new page

Prose Manuscripts:

• Each story or essay should begin on a new page

• Manuscript body should be double-spaced

Manuscripts with artwork, illustrations or images:

• Color images are limited to 3; Black and white images are unlimited

• Send artwork as separate attachments

• Images should be provided as high resolution jpeg files

• Identify image in the file name (e.g. Image 1, Image 2, etc. or a brief description of the image)

• Note placement for each image within the manuscript (e.g. by page number or other reference point such as adjacent piece of writing or by listing on the Table of Contents)

• Do not include images in manuscript document

Call for Submissions: The Good Life Review

 

Work must be original and previously uncurated. Please reference this thoughtful article by Tim Green on curation versus publication.

We pay $75 per piece for writing published in seasonal issues ($100 for two pieces). We pay $25 for pieces appearing in our “Micro Monday” segment and for artwork used on the cover of our seasonal issues. For international submissions, we are only able to send money via PayPal.

There is a $3 fee for submissions for our Spring and Autumn issues which allows us to use Submittable and our web platform. The fee for entry to our annual Honeybee Prize is $15 which is used to support payment to contributors. Details about the contest can be found here. Info and results from last year are here.

There is currently no fee for submitting art or pieces to be considered for the “Micro Monday” segment.

We will respond to all submitted work. It may take from one to six months depending on when in the reading period the work is submitted. Artwork may remain open for the duration of a calendar year. Thank you in advance for your patience.

We accept submissions via Submittable only. Any received via email or post will not make it into the queue of our editorial teams.

If you have an issue with the fee because of financial hardship, or difficulties with the submission platform, please send a message via email to:

editors@thegoodlifereview.com

Simultaneous submissions are accepted as long as we are promptly made aware of acceptance elsewhere. Simply withdraw in Submittable – or – for individual flash pieces or poems, initiate a message in Submittable indicating which title(s) are being withdrawn.

The Good Life Review acquires First North American Serial Rights and the right to maintain an archive copy of work online. All other rights revert to author upon publication with a request that if the work is reprinted, appropriate acknowledgment to The Good Life Review is made.

We do not publish offensive work or pieces which exhibit hatred directed toward a particular gender, race, ethnicity, ability, sexual identity, socioeconomic class, or other status, regardless of protected by law. In other words—if you are an asshole, we don’t want your writing or your money.

Each submissions should include work from only one genre/category (for example do not create a submission with both fiction and poetry unless it is to be considered as a hybrid piece). Please only one submission per category at a time and wait to hear back before submitting again.

Again, work must be original and previously uncurated. Give us your very best!

More information here.

Call for Submissions: Four Way Review

Four Way Review accepts poetry and fiction from both established and emerging authors. We look for work that demonstrates fine attention to craft while retaining a powerful and compelling voice. We want writing that showcases the imagination's unique ability to refine the raw materials of human experience.

We encourage submissions from diverse voices.

Unsolicited submissions are considered year-round. Before submitting, please see our latest issue and ensure your work is a good fit. Please wait to hear back from us before submitting again.

We accept .pdf (preferred), .doc, and .docx. You may also include a cover letter with your contact information and a brief bio in the "comments" box. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please note this in your cover letter and let us know immediately if a piece is accepted somewhere else. Due to a high volume of submissions, we cannot respond individually to withdrawal requests.

In order to offer our writers a small honorarium, we now charge a small submission fee of $3 for part of the year. In January, April, August and November, all submissions are fee-free.

Poetry

— We are interested in all styles and forms of poetry.

— We ask that writers submit poetry no more than three times per year, with three to five poems in a single submission.

— Please email us to withdraw individual poems.

Fiction

— We're looking for finished stories that are both whole and surprising.

— Keep longer submissions below 6,000 words. Submit only one piece at a time and no more than three pieces a year.

— Short shorts should be under 1,000 words. You may submit up to three flash pieces in one submission.

Translation

— We are interested in all styles and forms of poetry in translation.

— We ask that writers submit poetry no more than three times a year, with three to five poems in a single submission.
— If possible, please include the original poems with your translated submission.

— Please confirm that you have obtained permission, either from author or rights holder, to publish the translation.

Creative Nonfiction

— We're looking for pieces that surprise us, pieces that push at the corners of the form.

— Keep longer submissions below 6,000 words. Submit only one piece at a time and no more than three pieces a year.

— We do accept flash nonfiction. These should be under 1,000 words. You may submit up to three flash pieces in one submission.

All submissions must be previously unpublished. We request first North America serial rights for any work that we accept. All rights revert to the author upon publication, though we ask that you acknowledge Four Way Review if the work is published elsewhere.

You can withdraw your work using our submissions manager. To withdraw part of a submission, email us at:

fourwayreview (at) gmail [dot] com.

We try to respond within 90 days. Please note that our submissions manager is separate from the manager for Four Way Books. We will not respond to manuscript submissions.

We accept submissions through our online submissions manager. Unsolicited email submissions will be discarded unread.