Call for Submissions: Chestnut Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading Periods:

Jan 1-March 31: reading for Summer Issue (July 15th release) 

April 1-June 30: reading for Autumn Issue (October 15th release)

July 1-Sept 30: reading for Winter Issue (January 15th release) 

Oct 1-Dec 31: reading for Spring Issue (April 15th release)

General Information

• Unpublished work only. We only accept unpublished work that has not appeared in any publicly-accessible form previously, including online. NOTE: art and photography submissions may have previously been presented online, but are eligible for publication if they have not been featured in another magazine, website, or venue besides an artist's portfolio or webpage. Work that is contracted to be published is considered published. Do not submit work from a volume that has been contracted with a publisher.

• We do not accept submissions of AI-generated work. If a submission is sent to us claiming to be author work but then discovered or identified as AI-generated, it will be rejected and the author no longer welcome to submit in the future. We reserve the right to withdraw acceptances from any work found to be AI-generated, even if after publication. Such work will be removed from our online platform and all print editions. 

• We do not use AI to evaluate your work. Just as we do not accept AI-generated work for publication, we do not allow our staff to use AI tools to evaluate pieces, write paid feedback, or complete any other tasks which they are assigned at Chestnut. We stand by our promise that all feedback an author pays for will always be human-written. We consider this to be a serious ethical issue and any staff member found to be using AI to do their CR work will be dismissed. 

• We are an international group of editors, readers, and writers, and wish to emphasize that the language and diction used by the individual(s) who write feedback on your work may not conform to your own dialect. We embrace a world of Englishes with their unique and valuable idiosyncrasies. Our editors will do their best to ensure all feedback is clear and does not depend on an idiomatic usage that might be misunderstood, but we ask our artists to bear in mind these nuances. Artists are always welcome to seek clarification if feedback is unclear or confusing. 

• Language: English. We welcome written works that engage culture through languages other than English if the majority of the piece is in English. We do not publish translations in any form. Epigraphs in other languages are fine as long as the piece provides a translation or sufficient context to appreciate the text. 

• Countries of origin. Any artist from anywhere in the world may submit. 

• Simultaneous submissions are encouraged provided you message us on Submittable if you need to withdraw a piece. 

• One active submission per category at a time. We’re excited to read your work, but please let us consider each piece in turn. As long as you have received a reply to your previous submission, you may submit again as often as you wish. 

• No re-submissions. Writing is a process, but if we’ve already read and declined a piece as a regular submission (magazine or chapbook), please don’t send us revisions for reconsideration or resubmit unless directly requested. 

• Submitting after publication. We ask that artists wait two years from their appearance in the magazine to submit again. This only applies to the magazine; published artists may submit manuscripts for chapbook consideration at any time the reading periods are open. 

• Genre. If you have work that doesn’t fit neatly into the categories, that doesn’t mean we won’t want to see it. Choose the most appropriate and include a note—we’ll figure it out.

• Titles. Please note that we do not have a title field for submissions and the system will auto-number your submission. This is no cause for concern.

Our Process 

• 30-day turn-around. We notify all artists of their status within 30 days for magazine submissions. If it takes longer, we will refund your submission fee (but still consider your work). Feedback fees are not eligible for refund. We may very well get back to you *very* quickly, and we consider that a sign of respect for your time. Every submission is given a complete read by multiple individuals before we decide. Note that chapbooks have their own schedule which does not adhere to the 30-day policy.

• Shortlisting: we occasionally shortlist pieces while we make final decisions on an issue's composition. The following policies apply: We will respond with a shortlist request within 30 days.

• If the writer paid a submission fee and is shortlisted, we will refund the submission fee.
  If the writer paid for feedback, we will deliver that feedback within 30 days, regardless of shortlist status.

 Legal Stuff 

• Minimum Age. All those who submit work must be at least 18 years of age.

• Rights and Payment. We purchase First North American Serial, First Anthology rights (for the annual print anthology), and Audio rights (for non-art pieces). Payment is US $120 per piece, delivered on publication. We only issue payments via Paypal. 

• We will not publish work that seems to us offensive or which exhibits hatred directed towards a particular gender, race, ethnicity, ability, sexual identity, socioeconomic class, or other status, regardless of whether it is protected by law. If we decline to consider a piece, we will refund in full any submission or feedback fees paid. 

• We never solicit written submissions—all come through Submittable. Please do not email us submissions; they will go unread. We do occasionally solicit art submissions, primarily from DeviantArt. 

• No staff submissions. No past or present staff member of CHESTNUT REVIEW may have their work appear in the magazine. Published artists may join our staff after their work is published (and many have!), which is why some of our staff may have CR publication credits.

Submit your work here.