Finding the right place to share your writing can be tough. So much of a person’s writing comes from a deeply personal place, and turning it over to a suite of editors to be shown to an audience can be stressful. However, with the dawn of more and more literary hubs, there are more places than ever to submit your writing. While Calliope would love to host your writing, there are plenty of other venues for writers to pursue publication. With these more specific publications, writers can find an audience that fits their individual pieces. Even if the idea of submission feels daunting, these literary publications are part of a welcoming community for both new and experienced writers.
1. Identity Theory
Identity Theory is a mainstay in the social media literary scene. Open to poetry, fiction, and essay submissions, this publication has focused on innovative writing since the year 2000. Identity Theory has been host to many amazing writers over the years, such as David Rice and Benjamin Bucholz. Striving to defy being pigeonholed into a niche, Identity Theory is an amazing place to submit quirky work that refuses to conform to a particular literary space.
2. Kissing Dynamite
Everyone loves a good writing prompt. Kissing Dynamite is the place to go for great thematic issues. Each month they publish twelve poems that fit a particular theme they’ve selected. While some of your prior work may fit a theme, it can be fun to write something new inspired by the month’s theme. Even if it isn’t accepted, you still have a new piece that can be retouched and submitted elsewhere. Gustavo Barahona Lopez’s “Self Portrait as Blank Name Tag” is an example of the powerful poetry that finds its home in Kissing Dynamite.
3. Ouroboros
If you’d rather your work stay close to home, Ouroboros is an amazing Chapman publication for fellow students to submit to. Specializing in speculative fiction, Ouroboros takes both artwork and writing that fits within the publication’s genre. It has become home to some amazing work made by Chapman students. If you’re looking for speculative fiction inspiration or a home for your work, Calliope encourages you to submit to our sibling publication!
4. Smokelong Quarterly
Offering a one-week response and a $50 payment per piece, Smokelong Quarterly is an amazing home for fiction stories. Flash fiction can be a difficult medium to master, but one look at the stories found in this magazine shows how powerful it can be. The magazine also publishes issues in Spanish, giving stories originally written in that language a paying, print publication. Kayla Rutledge’s “3 Kinds of Lies” uses the brevity of flash fiction for its betterment and is a perfect example of the vibrant energy of Smokelong.
5. Koening Zine
Founded recently in 2021, Koening Zine has become a wonderful place to find new poetry and prose from writers. Their publication prioritizes Asian writers and features an all-POC masthead, focusing on uplifting Asian voices in the literary space. Koening Zine has hosted a myriad of pieces that exemplify its mission to provide a deeper sense of the literary community, such as Anh Thu’s recent poem, “ENTRANCE.” Koening Zine is just one of the many exciting, burgeoning voices that have appeared in the literary scene—hopefully one that will continue to grow.
While submitting can be scary, Calliope encourages you to share your work with the world. The experience of honing your work, preparing your submission, and waiting for a response can be an exhilarating experience. The literary community is only growing; all it needs is the addition of your voice. So go out and submit bravely! We can’t wait to see what you create.