The Publication Project
Sending Your Work Out
After the course, each writer revises one essay on their own and, if they wish, sends it out. This page tells you where true stories are published and exactly how to send yours.
The Printable Guide
Download Sending It Out — the full submission guide (PDF), with sample cover letters, sample bios, a tracking sheet, and this directory. For a chart of at least five venues for every essay we write in the course — and exactly how to adapt each essay for each venue — download Where to Submit Each Course Essay (PDF).
The Ten Steps
- Choose one essay from the course (Session 10).
- Revise it on your own in three passes — the whole, the scene, the sentence — over about four weeks after the course.
- Check the ethics. Any living neighbor named or recognizable must have read the essay and signed the consent form.
- Choose five venues from the directory below that fit your essay’s length and subject and are open now.
- Read two pieces each venue has published, and its guidelines — twice.
- Format the manuscript exactly as each venue asks: some want your name on it, some want it removed; some want single spacing, some double.
- Write a short cover letter (about 100 words) and a third-person bio (50–75 words).
- Submit through the venue’s own system — usually a free Submittable account, sometimes email or mail.
- Log it in a tracking sheet: venue, date, fee, status.
- Keep going. When a rejection comes, send the essay to the next venue within a week. If one says yes, withdraw it everywhere else that same day.
Before You Send: Five Rules Editors Care About
- Unpublished means unpublished. Many venues treat a blog or social media post as prior publication. Share drafts in class and by email, not online.
- Simultaneous submissions. Most venues allow them if you withdraw promptly on acceptance; some (such as the Christian Science Monitor) do not.
- Your own words. Many venues, including Brevity, River Teeth, Modern Love, and Chicken Soup for the Soul, refuse AI-generated or AI-assisted writing.
- Reading periods. Work sent while a venue is closed is usually not read.
- Fees are small and optional. Many venues are free; others charge about $3. Several waive fees on request.
Honest Odds
Publication is competitive everywhere. A few published figures:
- Modern Love: About 7,000 submissions a year for 52 essays (roughly 0.7%).
- River Teeth: Its editors once wrote that they receive more than a thousand unsolicited manuscripts a year and can accept only about ten or twelve.
- Brevity: Editor-reported acceptance rate of about 2% (Chill Subs); writer-reported data on Duotrope shows under 1%.
- The Sun: More than 2,000 unsolicited submissions every month.
- Chicken Soup for the Soul: An average of 100 stories a day.
The answer is persistence and good matching, not discouragement. Most published essayists collect many declines before a yes. Count your success in essays sent, not only essays accepted.
The Venue Directory
Details were checked on each venue’s own guidelines page on September 27, 2026. Guidelines change often: always read the live page before you submit.
Welcoming First Venues
Free to enter, open to writers at every level, and interested in sincere true stories. The best place for most first submissions.
The Sun — Readers Write
- What it publishes: True, first-person responses to a monthly topic. “Writing style isn’t as important as thoughtfulness and sincerity.”
- Length: No set limit; most published pieces run about 300–1,000 words.
- When: Topic deadlines posted on the site; upcoming topics listed Sept. 27, 2026: “Roots” (due Oct. 1) and “Teamwork” (due Nov. 1).
- How to submit: Submittable, or typed/handwritten manuscript by mail. No email. Put your name and the topic on page 1.
- Fee: None. · Pay: A complimentary one-year subscription.
- Good to know: Decisions within six months of each topic deadline; The Sun requests one-time rights.
Chicken Soup for the Soul
- What it publishes: Inspirational, true, first-person stories “about ordinary people having extraordinary experiences.”
- Length: Recommended maximum 1,200 words; no minimum.
- When: Book-by-book deadlines on the Possible Book Topics page (for example, a book of funny stories with a deadline extended to Oct. 15, 2026).
- How to submit: Online form at chickensoup.com; choose the book topic.
- Fee: None. · Pay: $250 one month after the book’s publication, plus ten copies.
- Good to know: Receives an average of 100 stories a day; no rejection letters; no AI-generated or AI-assisted stories.
The Christian Science Monitor — The Home Forum
- What it publishes: Upbeat first-person essays about a place, person, situation, or everyday event; gentle humor welcome.
- Length: 600–1,000 words.
- When: Year-round; time-sensitive pieces at least six weeks ahead.
- How to submit: Email homeforum@csmonitor.com with “Submission” in the subject line; paste the text into the email or share a Google Doc. Include contact information and word count.
- Fee: None. · Pay: $400 per essay, on publication.
- Good to know: Exclusive for four weeks; no simultaneous submissions; replies to acceptances only. Avoids death, aging, medicine, and disease. No AI-generated work.
Reader’s Digest — True Stories
- What it publishes: Very short true stories.
- Length: 100 words.
- When: Rolling.
- How to submit: Online at rd.com/stories.
- Fee: None stated. · Pay: Writer’s Digest reports $100 for true stories used in the magazine (confirm on the site).
- Good to know: Extremely competitive; excellent practice in compression (Session 4).
Tiny Love Stories (The New York Times)
- What it publishes: “Modern Love in miniature”: true stories about love of any kind.
- Length: No more than 100 words.
- When: Rolling.
- How to submit: Online form at nytimes.com/tinylovestories.
- Fee: None stated. · Pay: Not stated on the pages reviewed.
- Good to know: A good home for a flash piece written in Session 4.
Venues for Older Writers
Magazines created for writers over fifty or sixty — many 2601 residents qualify.
Persimmon Tree
- What it publishes: Fiction, nonfiction, and Short Takes by women over sixty.
- Length: Under 3,500 words; Short Takes 250–500 words on a posted theme.
- When: Nonfiction any time; Short Takes in brief announced windows.
- How to submit: Email the piece as an attachment to editor@persimmontree.org (Short Takes: shorttakes@persimmontree.org). You must be a (free) subscriber.
- Fee: None. · Pay: Not stated.
- Good to know: Simultaneous submissions allowed with notice. Editor in chief: Margaret E. (Peggy) Wagner.
Passager
- What it publishes: Poetry, memoir, and short fiction by writers age 50 and older.
- Length: Up to 4,000 words of prose.
- When: Annual window July 15–Sept. 15 (the 2026 window closed Sept. 15, 2026, or at 400 submissions); watch for the next call.
- How to submit: Submittable, or hard copy by mail to Passager, 7401 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore, MD 21208. No email entries.
- Fee: $5 on Submittable; free by mail. · Pay: A complimentary copy.
- Good to know: Include a cover letter, brief bio, and your name and contact information on each page. Editor in chief: Rosanne Singer. No AI-generated work.
Philadelphia and Regional Venues
Local outlets where an essay about 2601, the Parkway, or Philadelphia life has a natural home.
Philadelphia Stories
- What it publishes: Creative nonfiction essays, especially “positive Philadelphia experiences,” but any well-written essay is considered.
- Length: Up to 2,500 words.
- When: Seasonal windows (Summer/Fall 2026 ran June 1–Sept. 1, 2026); check for the next window.
- How to submit: Online Submission Form for the Nonfiction Editor; include a third-person bio of about 75 words stating your Pennsylvania, Delaware, or New Jersey connection.
- Fee: None. · Pay: $50 honorarium for print publication.
- Good to know: For writers living in or from PA, DE, or NJ. Simultaneous submissions accepted with notice. Nonfiction Editor: Jenny Burkholder. No AI-generated or previously published work.
Broad Street Review
- What it publishes: Essays and op-eds: personal narratives mixed with facts, research, or current events, preferably with a Philadelphia connection.
- Length: 800–1,000 words.
- When: Rolling.
- How to submit: Email a pitch to the editor in chief, Alaina Johns (address on the Writers’ Guidelines page), with a subject line beginning “PITCH:”. Drafts as Word or Google Docs, single-spaced.
- Fee: None. · Pay: $100.
- Good to know: Prefers a pitch before a finished draft.
The Philadelphia Inquirer — Opinion
- What it publishes: Op-eds on news issues, cultural reflections, and “the occasional personal or explanatory essay,” preferably local.
- Length: About 700 words (letters to the editor: 200 words at most).
- When: Rolling; editors ask for five business days before you submit elsewhere.
- How to submit: Op-eds only through the form on the submission page; letters to letters@inquirer.com. Include 1–2 lines of bio and links to sources.
- Fee: None. · Pay: Not stated.
- Good to know: Must be entirely original and unpublished; no work written with AI. Opinion desk led by Richard G. Jones; commentary edited by Sabrina Vourvoulias.
Hidden City Philadelphia
- What it publishes: Stories about Philadelphia’s architecture, neighborhoods, and urban history — a natural home for a researched essay about 2601.
- Length: Not stated.
- When: Not stated.
- How to submit: Pitch the Editorial Director, Michael Bixler, at mbixler@hiddencityphila.org.
- Fee: None stated. · Pay: Not stated.
- Good to know: No public guidelines: send a short, specific pitch.
Cleaver Magazine
- What it publishes: Philadelphia-based quarterly publishing fiction, poetry, essays, and craft essays.
- Length: Varies by category; see the submission page.
- When: Rolling, year-round.
- How to submit: Only through its Subfolio portal (no mail or email).
- Fee: $5 (waived on request for hardship). · Pay: Not stated.
- Good to know: Simultaneous submissions welcome with notice. No AI-generated or AI-assisted work.
Painted Bride Quarterly
- What it publishes: Long-running Philadelphia literary magazine.
- Length: Creative nonfiction up to 5,000 words.
- When: Currently closed (Sept. 27, 2026); watch for open calls.
- How to submit: Submittable during open calls.
- Fee: Not stated. · Pay: Not stated.
- Good to know: Simultaneous submissions accepted; no AI-generated work.
Literary Magazines for Creative Nonfiction
Respected, selective journals. Expect long waits and many declines; aim here with your most finished work.
Brevity
- What it publishes: Flash nonfiction: “crisp, concise essays of 750 words or fewer.”
- Length: 750 words or fewer.
- When: September–April.
- How to submit: Submittable. Format single-spaced, no indentation, a blank line between paragraphs.
- Fee: $3. · Pay: $45 honorarium.
- Good to know: Editor: Zoë Bossiere. Aims to respond within 90 days. Chill Subs lists an editor-reported acceptance rate of about 2%. No AI-assisted work.
River Teeth and Beautiful Things
- What it publishes: River Teeth: essays, memoir, literary journalism. Beautiful Things: micro-essays.
- Length: River Teeth: no limit. Beautiful Things: 250 words or fewer.
- When: Sept. 1–Dec. 1 and Jan. 1–April 1.
- How to submit: Submittable.
- Fee: $3. · Pay: River Teeth: $100, copies, and a subscription. Beautiful Things: a one-year subscription.
- Good to know: Editors: Jill Christman and Mark Neely. No previously published work (including blogs or social media); no AI-assisted work. Responds in three to six months.
Hippocampus Magazine
- What it publishes: Personal essays, memoir excerpts, and flash creative nonfiction.
- Length: Essays up to 4,000 words; flash up to 800.
- When: Essays: Sept. 1–Oct. 31 and March 1–April 30. Flash: Sept. 1–Nov. 30 and March 1–May 31.
- How to submit: Submittable; remove your name from the manuscript and file name.
- Fee: $3 (a Submission Fund covers those who cannot pay). · Pay: $40 honorarium.
- Good to know: Essays Editor: Steph Auteri; Flash Editor: Wendy Fontaine. Typical response: four months for flash, up to six for essays.
The Sun — Essays
- What it publishes: Personal essays “too personal for any other journal.”
- Length: No formal limit; rarely over 7,000 words.
- When: Rolling.
- How to submit: Submittable, or by mail.
- Fee: $2.50 online; free by mail. · Pay: $200 and up.
- Good to know: Receives more than 2,000 unsolicited submissions a month; simultaneous submissions welcome; about three months or longer.
Modern Love (The New York Times)
- What it publishes: Honest personal essays about contemporary relationships of every kind.
- Length: 1,500–1,700 words.
- When: September–December and March–June only.
- How to submit: Email modernlove@nytimes.com: attach a Word file and paste the text in the email body.
- Fee: None. · Pay: $800.
- Good to know: Entirely true: no pseudonyms, composites, or invented scenes; no AI. The column reported about 7,000 submissions a year for 52 slots (2015).
Narratively — The Personals
- What it publishes: Scene-driven first-person stories about “one moment, one day, one week, one summer.”
- Length: Ideally 1,000–1,500 words; never over 2,200.
- When: Rolling.
- How to submit: Submittable.
- Fee: Not stated. · Pay: $300.
- Good to know: One submission at a time.
Fourth Genre
- What it publishes: Literary creative nonfiction (Michigan State University Press).
- Length: Up to 8,000 words.
- When: General: Sept. 1–Nov. 30. Steinberg Essay Prize: Jan. 1–March 15.
- How to submit: Submittable; read blind — no name on the manuscript.
- Fee: $4 (prize: $20). · Pay: Two contributor copies.
- Good to know: Simultaneous submissions accepted with notice.
Under the Gum Tree
- What it publishes: Personal essays and memoir with “authentic vulnerability”; themed departments (family, food, music, travel, flash).
- Length: Departments up to 2,000 words; flash under 750; features longer.
- When: Ongoing.
- How to submit: Online (digital only); no identifying information on the manuscript.
- Fee: A nominal fee (includes a digital issue). · Pay: Contributor copies.
- Good to know: Simultaneous submissions and work posted on your own blog are acceptable.
Pithead Chapel
- What it publishes: Personal, memoir, lyric, flash, and experimental essays.
- Length: Up to 4,000 words.
- When: Rolling, capped at 300 submissions a month.
- How to submit: Submittable; name and contact on page one, double-spaced, 12-point.
- Fee: Not stated. · Pay: No payment.
- Good to know: Simultaneous submissions allowed; no previously published work; no AI.
Sweet Lit
- What it publishes: Poetry and creative nonfiction.
- Length: Up to 1,500 words total (two or three short pieces, or one longer).
- When: CNF in May and June; Flash CNF Contest in November.
- How to submit: Online submission manager with a brief cover letter and bio.
- Fee: Not stated. · Pay: Not stated.
- Good to know: Simultaneous submissions accepted.
Tools for Finding More
- Submittable — The free platform most magazines use. Create one account; every submission, status, and withdrawal lives there. Free for writers.
- Poets & Writers Literary Magazines database — A vetted database of more than 1,000 journals, plus an Open Reading Periods list and a free Submission Tracker. Free.
- Chill Subs — Searchable listings of thousands of magazines with deadlines, pay, fees, and acceptance-rate data, plus a tracker and cover-letter tools. Free core features.
- Duotrope — Market listings and response and acceptance statistics compiled from writers’ reports. $5 a month or $50 a year after a free trial.