Submissions are currently OPEN.
We are strictly a free verse and flash fiction publication. We will consider most genres, except horror and erotica, so long as the piece has literary undertones.
Submissions for Emerge Literary Journal are accepted on a rolling basis. We publish exclusively online on a bi-monthly basis, although an annual “best-of” issue may be possible in the future.
Submissions are accepted by electronically via SUBMITTABLE ONLY and will always be FREE.
POETRY:
Please send no more than 3-6 pieces at a time BUT no less than 3 poems at a time, so that we have the best selection of your work in which to make our decision.
Please include a short 3-4 line third person bio in the Submittable cover letter only. Please do not include biographical information or your name in the submission itself.
PROSE (FICTION OR CNF):
Please send no more than 3 stories in one document at a time. We accept flash fiction up to a maximum of 750 words.
Please include a short 3-4 line third person bio in the Submittable cover letter only. Please do not include biographical information or your name in the submission itself.
ESPERANZA CORNER:
Emerge Literary Journal believes that #mentalillnessawareness and #endingthestigma are of paramount importance. We believe in the necessity of sharing our mental illness stories to facilitate writing through illness and create broader awareness. We aim to publish and showcase work in this category in each issue. We ask that you follow our regular guidelines for poetry and prose when submitting to this category.
#LITBLITZ:
Please send one poem OR one flash (fiction or CNF) that adheres to our guidelines and indicate to which category you are submitting, as well as whether your submission could be considered part of Esperanza Corner. Submissions for #LitBlitz will be responded to within 24 hours of submission close. Please only submit once per #LitBlitz, although it’s fine if you have an outstanding submission at Emerge Literary Journal in another category.
KILL YOUR DARLINGS:
Please send one poem OR one flash (fiction or CNF) that adheres to our guidelines and indicate to which category you are submitting, as well as whether your submission could be considered part of Esperanza Corner. Submissions in this category will either be accepted—congratulations!—or rejected with 50-100 words of constructive feedback from the Editors. Accepted submissions will have their submission fees refunded. We regret that we cannot answer specific questions about your writing in our feedback.
Guidelines Applicable to ALL Submissions:
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable so long as we are notified in your cover letter and messaged promptly when your work is accepted by another publication. We do not permit multiple submissions in our main categories (Fiction, Poetry, CNF or Esperanza Corner). You may submit again after you receive a rejection at any time during the open window.
If you wish to submit multiple works but think some of them but not all are relevant to Esperanza Corner, please indicate which poems or flash fit the theme in your cover letter.
If your work is accepted by another publication, please let us know where it was accepted in your withdrawal so we can send our many congratulations. Please do not withdraw a piece once your work has been accepted. We have a limited amount of slots for our issue.
Once you’ve been published by Emerge Literary Journal, we ask that you wait 6 months before submitting again.
Rights:
All rights remain with the writer; we take only First North American Rights to publish. All rights revert back to the author. We only ask that in subsequent publications you credit Emerge Literary Journal as having first published the piece(s) and that you grant permission for us to permanently archive your work as part of the issue in which you are published in, including any print anthologies published any time in the future.
Payment:
Beginning in October 2022, Emerge will pay a $10 honorarium to each accepted contributor.
Emerge Literary Journal 