Submission Guidelines

Submissions are currently OPEN in all genres: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and visual art. Submissions are only accepted via Submittable.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

  • We accept simultaneous submissions.

  • We accept multiple submissions in all genres.

  • We accept, and welcome, translations and co-/multiple-authored works so long as all appropriate permissions have been granted.

  • We do not accept previously published material for our general issues (this includes works published online and social media).

  • We do not accept submissions via post or e-mail.

  • We do not accept submissions that contain hateful material, including but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia.

  • WITHDRAWING: If part of your submission is accepted elsewhere, please leave us a note in Submittable. Do not email us about withdraws. Only use the "withdraw" function in Submittable if you need to withdraw your entire submission.

  • RESPONSES: We aim to respond to all submissions within six months, if not sooner. Please don’t query about the status of your submission until six months have elapsed.

  • Note that if you are still waiting for a response, your submission is still being considered. The release of a new issue does not indicate that your work has been overlooked, lost, or rejected. We review submissions on a rolling basis and do not clear our submission queue between issues.

  • If you have questions about these policies, don't hesitate to contact us using the contact form in the left sidebar.

FORMATTING

  • Please submit your work in a Word document or PDF. Use a standard, legible font, font size, and font color. Include your name and e-mail address in the document. Double-space prose and single-space poetry unless your artistic intentions demand otherwise. Likewise, when possible, each new poem, story, or essay should begin on a new page.

FEES

  • We charge a $3.00 submission fee per submission. After fees, we receive $1.86 of that. This helps us pay for our Submittable subscription. You may also opt for a $5.00 donation submission, of which we receive $3.76. Thank you for your support.

  • FEE WAIVERS: If you would like to request a fee waiver due to economic hardship or other circumstances, please email us, no questions asked.

GENRE GUIDELINES

  • Poetry: Please send three to five poems in one document. There is no minimum or maximum page or word count. We welcome all poetry styles, including formal poems, long poems, and visual poems.

  • Fiction: Please send one story of up to 5,000 words at a time, or up to three stories of up to 2,000 words each at a time. Hybrid, short-, short-short-, and flash-fictions are all welcome.

  • Nonfiction: Please send one essay of up to 5,000 words at a time, or up to three essays of up to 2,000 words each at a time. Hybrid, short-, short-short-, and flash-essays are all welcome.

  • Visual art: Please format up to 10 digital images in a single file. All mediums are welcome, including video.

  • If your work falls outside these guidelines but you think it might be a good fit for Guesthouse, please query with us.

Houseguest, The Guesthouse Blog

RELISH: AN INTERNET ARCHIVE

  • Twice monthly, we will feature a poem, essay, or story on our blog, Houseguest, that has been previously published in a print literary magazine or journal but has not been published online. The goal of this project is to disseminate high-quality work to a wider audience.

  • All previously published works are welcome so long as (a) the work was originally published in print in a literary magazine or journal, (b) author retains rights to the work, and (c) the work has never been published in a digital format available online.

  • A scan, photo, or text entry of a print publication posted on an author’s personal social media or website does not count as online publication in this instance; we do accept pieces that have appeared online unofficially, in these circumstances.

  • We do not accept works that have been published online but are available to subscribers only or are otherwise excluded from public view by a paywall; this does count as online publication in this instance and disqualifies the work.

  • We do not accept works that have been previously published only in books or chapbooks.

  • SUBMISSIONS: Submissions to Relish are always free. Refer to general formatting guidelines above.

  • Please send one poem, essay, or story at a time.

  • RESPONSES: Note that due to high demand, Relish submissions might take longer for us to respond to. We appreciate your patience.

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Note: By submitting to Guesthouse, you agree to subscribe to our mailing list. We won't send more than one e-mail per month. However, please let us know if you'd prefer to opt out.

Updated August 10, 2022.