Submission Guidelines

Fiction

FWJ publishes short stories and excerpts from novels, as long as the excerpt stands on its own as a literary work. We do not publish children’s literature, flash fiction, sci-fi, horror, pornography, or nonliterary works. There are no set limits on length of a work, but manuscripts of less than 1,000 or more than 12,000 words are less likely to make it into the journal. Please limit your submission to a single story until you have heard from us.

Poetry

FWJ publishes poems of any length, in traditional or experimental styles. However, poems longer than four pages are less likely to make it into the journal. Please limit your submission to one set of up to five poems until you have heard from us. Put all poems in one Word document with page breaks.

Creative Nonfiction

FWJ publishes creative nonfiction, book excerpts and essays, as long as they stand complete as a literary work. In our view, creative nonfiction is work that uses the techniques of fiction, such as characterization, setting, dialogue, and narration, to write about factual subjects. Successful creative nonfiction goes beyond the personal experience or anecdote to engage a larger world. We do not publish nonliterary material (self-help, inspirational, philosophy, op-ed, general humor, etc.). Please follow the submission guidelines for fiction.

Photography

FWJ publishes black-and-white photography on our cover (12" x 9" wrapped from front to back) and inside each issue on single pages (6" x 9") as well as across spreads (12" x 9"). We determine placement. All tasteful subject matter will be considered. We do not match photography to the literature, but you may include a one-sentence caption with each photo. Please upload no more than 10 high-resolution JPEG files through our Web site per submission period. Prints, negatives, and slides received via surface mail or e-mail will not be acknowledged or returned. Files must be uploaded individually. Fill out the submission form completely for the first file. For each subsequent file, please provide your name, e-mail address, and title of the photograph. In the bio field, please provide the caption (optional) and the number of your submission (1 of 10, 2 of 10, etc.).