Happy Monday, everyone! (We can’t believe it’s Week 9 already!)
This week, calls for submissions for six creative writing journals will be closing on Saturday; two more journal deadlines will close this Sunday. We’ll add these to the Week 9 deadline list further down.
We also have four newly-listed calls for submissions. Scroll for more info on each of these!
Calls for Submissions:
(The information below has been copied from each journal’s website.)
1. Taco Bell Quarterly
Deadline: July 31, 2025
About:
My kids make books all the time for fun. Both of them want to be writers and artists when they grow up. I feel like this is my fault. I’ve made it look too fun. They bring me their stacks of pages, begging for the stapler, as if the stapler contains magical powers, as if the act of binding together the book is what makes it real. I staple three neat clicks and I’ve made it look real. Something more real to pretend with, at least.
We are back, pretending to make our literary magazine again. We are the Taco Bell Quarterly, a Prestigious Literary Magazine that is opening for submissions on 4/20/25.
We are looking for prose, poetry, art, and beyond for our eighth issue, which will be available to read for free online, and to buy in print in the late fall. We will pay $150.
What are we looking for: works of literature that intersect with Taco Bell
TLDR: we’re like the Paris Review but with bean burritos
Is this a joke?
No! This a real literary magazine for you to submit your literary Taco Bell writing. Like The Paris Review. Granta. Ploughshares. Taco Bell Quarterly.
It still sounds like you’re joking, but okay. What are the guidelines?
Taco Bell Quarterly seeks literary/creative essays, short stories, fiction/prose, poems, comics, art, one act plays, fever dreams, multimedia, stupid status updates, criticisms, manifestos, recipes and anything else that explore any and all elements of Taco Bell. Or not. Shoehorn a chalupa in your short story. Maybe we’ll love it. An elegy for the discontinued menu items? Fine. An experimental essay about marine biology and the XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito? Awesome. Review the new Beefy Fritos Burrito and how it reminds you of the time your grandma died? We want it. Something that introduces us to inventive form, dynamic language, and strong voice. Or perhaps it does none of the above. We’re not judgey and pretentious. We’re the Taco Bell fucking Quarterly. We lean towards pieces that are queer and center their pain/joy in a Taco Bell.
Does it have to be about Taco Bell? Does it have to mention it? It’s the Taco Bell Quarterly. The joke is that it’s our only guideline. Also, we do not have any guidelines. We have no rules. You can say whatever you want. We have an aesthetic. We have a vibe. Read our last 3 issues especially to get a sense of the direction we’ve been going in.
But also, yes, it can and should be about Taco Bell too, because that is the joke of the literary magazine, in which every piece has a recurring product placement. Because life might happen in a Taco Bell, or with a Taco Bell logo in the background for a moment. That moment of product placement may be chosen sincerely, sarcastically, however you see fit to tell your story and land in The Taco Bell Quarterly. Why that moment? Why are you telling that story? It’s probably not the Taco Bell. And we’re not Taco Bell. We’re just the strangers in the background listening in on your conversations. Tell us a good story.
We are interested in presenting pieces that are in conversation with one another, and often the mention of Taco Bell is the tiny thread that connects these larger stories.
Guidelines:
Prose: The sweet spot we usually publish is 500-2500 words, but we’re open to considering up to 4k words.
Poems: someone said about one poem in our last issue (paraphrasing) “I want to write like this but then I don’t think anyone will get it, but TBQ gets it, so I should just do it”
Actual editorial guidelines: 1-4 poems, yeah fine, and there can be 5 or 6 if you’re undecided. Try me. The 5th one you almost left out because of some dumb guideline is the one I’m going to like the most.
Art/Visuals: Art that touches. Art that jumps off the page and touches. The touch the feel of cotton the fabric of our lives. Whatever is the opposite of art in hotel rooms. Unexpected art. Found art. No AI bullshit. We will shame you in front of cool writers.
Comics: Our comics have been fucking amazing and honestly could have been published literally anywhere else so we have no idea why their artists chose us. Send us something distinct, in your style, make it pop, give it narrative; we’ll take pencil pen watercolor digital.
Things That Are Not Literary: Smut, romance, aliens, elves, serial killers, detectives, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and beyond. We want to publish more, but we are also looking for Literary writing. Whatever that means to you. – see Rae Wilde in TBQ6 for a good example of something that worked.
Other: I want to find Waldo trying to escape the pit of hell. Think outside the bun / think outside the crossword puzzle. RPGs. I would love to see an old school board game across two pages.
Deadline: The last time we were open we got 3k subs in just a little over 3 months, so we will not be open that long. We will probably cap about 1500 subs, so we may be open for a month -ish? If you miss the cap, you can always email it. Don’t stress. We’re barely a real lit mag.
-TBQ (Mick, Axel, Tanya)
Submission page: https://tacobellquarterly.submittable.com/submit
2. Decolonial Passage
Deadline: rolling (poetry deadline: July 31, 2025)
About:
Decolonial Passage encourages emerging and established writers to submit to the magazine. We accept writing from writers of all backgrounds engaged in the decolonial project regardless of race, origin, gender, disability, or geographical location. Simultaneoulsy Decolonial Passage centers African, African-American, and Black Diaspora writing from the African continent, the Americas, Europe, and beyond. Read our Mission Statement to get a fuller understanding of Decolonial Passage and how the magazine interprets the concept of passage as both text and movement across geographical space. Read what we’ve published to get a sense of what the magazine is about.
Guidelines:
Rolling/Open Submissions in:
Essays and creative nonfiction wordcount maximum 2500 words.
Short stories maximum 3500 words.
Flash fiction and flash nonfiction maximum 800 words each. Submit one piece or a maximum of two pieces (on one document) totaling 1600 words or less. Indicate in your cover letter if your submission is fiction or nonfiction.
For poetry, we prefer poems that are completely flush left. Writers may submit up to three poems during the months of January, April, July, and October.
Format – submit your work in MS Word or doc format. Use size 12 font, double-spaced, Times New Roman with one-inch margins. Please include your name on your manuscript.
All submissions must include a cover letter and a short and current bio.
Because we currently have rolling submissions, we ask that you submit only once every six months.
Our goal is to have a response to your submission no later than 3 months time.
Submission page: https://decolonialpassage.submittable.com/submit
3. F(r)iction
Deadline: August 31, 2025
About:
F(r)iction is a literary anthology carefully curated to evaluate an important cultural topic from vastly different perspectives. From historical origins and nonfiction essays to the wildest reaches of fiction, poetry, comics, and art, each issue inspires us to think differently.
F(r)iction is the imprint of the 501(c)(3) literacy and storytelling nonprofit Brink Literacy Project. At the heart of our mission, we use F(r)iction to achieve several of our nonprofit’s key goals: to mentor emerging writers, amplify diverse and underrepresented voices, encourage experimentation and genre-melding, and delve into themes that raise important social issues.
At F(r)iction, we embrace the new, the weird, and the unconventional.
We believe that great publishing should push the boundaries of literary convention and advocate for new, emerging, and marginalized voices. Whether it’s traditional literary fiction, speculative fiction, or genre-bending sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, we look for short stories, flash fiction, poetry, essays, creative nonfiction, and short comics that move us to think in new ways and challenge our assumptions about the world.
F(r)iction is published three times a year. Each issue is curated to delve into a theme, from Taboo, to Survival, to Identity, to Monsters. If you’re thinking about submitting, you can take a look at our Upcoming Themes or learn more about What We Look For. We also strongly recommend you pick up an issue from our store to get a feel for what we’re all about.
Guidelines:
Our editors have drafted up this fantastic page on our website to share what we look for in our submissions. We strongly recommend you read this and check out the examples before submitting to get an idea of our general publishing aesthetic.
We accept work, written in English, from anywhere in the world—regardless of genre, style, or origin—and welcome speculative writing and experimental literature.
We read all submissions anonymously. Please include your name and contact information in your cover letter only and remove any identifying information from both the submitted manuscript and the file name as well.
We accept, and encourage, simultaneous submissions and only ask that you withdraw your piece(s) using Submittable upon acceptance elsewhere.
There is a small reading fee for general F(r)iction submissions ($2.50), but authors accepted will be awarded payment for their work. Our staff is almost entirely comprised of volunteers, so this fee goes toward paying all the contributors who are printed in our beautiful pages. F(r)iction pays contributors $25 per final printed page, plus two contributor copies.
We edit every piece accepted for publication; for this collaborative process we will pair you with one of our Senior Editors. All our editors have been trained to help guide the development of each piece to reach its fullest potential in keeping with the author’s vision. This does not mean we will take on a wild jumble of words and half-formed musings. But it does mean that we value your work and want to help each piece to be as unforgettable as possible.
We respond to every submission as quickly as possible, usually within one or two months.
Categories Accepted:
- Short stories: 1,001 – 7,500 words
- Creative nonfiction: up to 6,500 words
- Flash fiction: (up to three pieces in the same document) up to 1,000 words per piece
- Poetry: (up to five poems in the same document) up the three pages per poem
Please visit our guidelines page to properly format your work for submission.
Submission page: https://frictionlit.submittable.com/submit
4. The Glass Post
Deadline: November 30, 2025
About:
The Glass Post is Currently Accepting Submissions! We are a brand new online literary magazine, and we would love some talented writer’s work! We want to see writing that is true to your creative self. Authentic, real, imaginative, and contemplative are all things we look for in new pieces, so once you’ve crafted something that makes you proud, submit! Let us help you put it out into the world to be seen, read, heard, and—just maybe—understood.
Check out our online magazine to get a feel for what we publish.
We’re here for writing that lingers — raw, weird, beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, or imaginative . If your work leaves a mark, we want to read it. Thanks for being here and for trusting us with your words.
Guidelines:
Please read the following guidelines before submitting:
- Poetry – Up to 3 poems, no more than 5 pages total.
- Creative Letters – Up to 3 poetic or expressive letters with a max of 1,500 words each.
- All submissions must be compiled into a single document (.doc, .docx, .pdf).
- You may submit one document per category, but please fill out a new submission form for each.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but we only consider unpublished work.
- If your piece is accepted elsewhere, please withdraw your submission from our magazine.
We strive to respond to all submissions within 2-8 weeks. If you do not receive a response within that time, please consider it a decline. We encourage you to submit again after 60 days.
We currently do not offer payment for general submissions, but we are committed to showcasing and celebrating the work of talented writers.
We look forward to reading your work!
Submission page: https://theglasspost.submittable.com/submit
Week 9
- Saturday, May 31:
- at 2:30 PM: Tint Journal (click here for details)
- at 10:59 PM: Black Fox Literary Magazine: Spring Fox Tales Prize: Mixed Messages (click here for details)
- The Baltimore Review (click here for details)
- Megacity Review (click here for details)
- Equatorial Magazine (click here for details)
- Mixtape Review (click here for details)
In case you missed it . . .
The photos are in! Click here to view the photos from our Spring English Conference & Celebration!
