Creative Nonfiction Submissions
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We are interested in personal essays, memoir, travel essays, and lyric essays of up to 6000 words that blend style with substance and reach beyond the personal to tell us something new about the world.
We want creative nonfiction that make the reader think and feel, work that humbles us with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief, or all of the above, and gravitate toward writing that has something important to teach us--something that readers really need to know, but might not have understood this was a need until the last word of the work.
Manuscripts are read between April 1 and August 1 & August 15 to December 15.
NOTE: Submissions which do not meet the following guidelines will not be considered:
- All submissions must be previously unpublished and are limited to one entry per submission period.
- While we have no hard limit regarding CNF length, most pieces we accept are typically less than 6,000 words. We do accept flash nonfiction, but we find pieces are often undeveloped or unfocused.
- Work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx). We have had issues with Apple Pages and Google docs. Follow conventional formatting (12pt readable font, double spacing, 1" margins).
- Include a clear title of the work, a brief cover letter, and a short biography no more than 150 words. Work submitted without a biography will not be considered.
- Please mention your social media handles in your cover letter. If you have a personal website for your writing, please provide the link in your cover letter as well.
Submit Only Once Per Reading Period.
While we offer free submissions the first week of each month (April to December), general submissions are typically $3 (to cover administrative costs).
You may also choose to receive a quick decision about your work for $10, and may also receive a quick decision about your work along with personalized feedback from the editors for $25 (1.5-2 pages). The response time for both expedited and personalized options is approximately 2 weeks.
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