Submit one short story (really, just one, no more than 5,000 words; shorter is often better, to be honest). Flash fiction, one story only, may also be submitted here. Submit only one story per reading period. No fee.

We enjoy a wide range of literary short stories and recommend that you read same sample stories from our online issues to get a sense of what we publish.

Submit stories for the contest at that link (during contest submission periods), not this one.  

Stories should be double spaced, 12-point standard font, one-inch margins, with indented paragraphs. It's helpful to include the word count on the first page. Pages should be numbered.

Please proofread your work carefully before submitting. A couple of typos isn't a deal breaker, but taking some time to polish your story—checking for spelling, grammar, punctuation, word usage, and other errors—before submitting it to any journal is a good idea. Also be careful not to submit a doc still in track changes mode. When you finish editing your work, accept the changes, eliminate comments, and save the doc.    

We sometimes need to cap submissions to keep the numbers manageable. If writers withdraw their work to fix something and then re-submit it, this counts as two submissions in Submittable—which could end up being a problem. A minor typo? Let it go. A major revision? Send the new doc as an attachment to a Submittable message rather than withdrawing and re-submitting. But again, taking time to carefully proofread your work before submitting is best. 

No need to tell us what your story is about or include extensive information about yourself. A "thank you for considering this story" and brief bio like others you see on our website is really all you need for the cover note box. 

Please be sure to withdraw your work promptly if it is accepted by another publication.

We look forward to reading your work.