Call for Submissions: Litmosphere

Litmosphere is now an open submission, paying online literary and art journal, published twice a year.

We’re open for submissions of art, flash (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, and short prose (fiction and literary nonfiction) in January for the Spring issue and in July for the Fall issue. The journal is free to read and there is no fee to submit.

Litmosphere is a publication of Charlotte Lit Press, the imprint of Charlotte Center for Literary Arts, Inc. (“Charlotte Lit”). We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts center. You can find us at charlottelit.org and on social media: Instagram: charlottelit, Twitter/X: CLTLitArts, Facebook: CLTLit.
Our Vision

It seems the literary journal world has become an immense and sometimes less than friendly landscape for writers seeking to find homes for their work. We’ve envisioned Litmosphere as an oasis in the desert of long response times and impersonal rejection notes. As writers ourselves, we know submitters are putting real skin (thick or thin) into the game and deserve our full attention and respect. We strive to make meaningful connections with potential contributors, regardless of our ability to include their work in a particular issue. That desire to connect carries over to a preference for readers to more deeply experience authors’ voices by publishing together multiple pieces from the same writers. We are interested in work by all writers, and are particularly eager to receive submissions from those historically underrepresented in publishing. Finally, we’re committed to crafting a nourishing, visually appealing, easy-to-navigate journal.
Our Aesthetic

Litmosphere is for lovers of image and metaphor, writers and readers as curious about inner experience as driving narrative. It’s a place readers can easily dip in, read a piece or two, but our goal is to curate content and design a reading experience that makes you want to linger, luxuriate in rich language, reconsider the world and your place in it.

How, When, What to Submit

All work must be submitted through Submittable during the month of January (for our Spring issue) or July (for our Fall issue).

Poetry

Submit up to five poems, ideally topically, thematically, or stylistically related, as we prefer to showcase multiple pieces as a set from each selected contributor. Each poem should start on a new page inside a single .doc, .docx, or .rtf file (up to ten pages total), using Times New Roman or another readable font. Important: Do not include your name/contact information in the document so we can read without bias. Payment: $50 per accepted poem.

Flash Fiction and Nonfiction

Submit up to four pieces (no more than 500 words each), preferably stories or essays that speak to each other in some way as we prefer to showcase multiple pieces as a set from each selected contributor. Start each piece on a new page inside a single .doc, .docx, or .rtf file, using Times New Roman or another readable font. Important: Do not include your name/contact information in the document so we can read without bias. Payment: $50 per accepted piece.

Short Fiction and Literary Nonfiction

Submit a single piece (up to 5000 words) as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file, using Times New Roman or another readable font. Important: Do not include your name/contact information in the document so we can read without bias. Payment: $100 per accepted story.

Art

We feature a single visual artist/photographer every issue, pairing individual pieces of artwork with selected poems and stories; we’ll also showcase artwork on a separate artist gallery page. Please upload ten representative images of topically, graphically, or thematically related art in one of the following formats: .gif, .jpg, .png, and .tif. If you have one, please include a link to your artist’s webpage or online gallery in your bio. Payment: $250 for non-exclusive online use of 15-30 images. 

Reading period: July 1-31, 2024

More information and submission portal here.