Submissions

We look forward to reading your work. Please read all guidelines before submitting.

What we’re looking for. Pieces that move; pieces that surprise. Stunning prose. Thoughtful punctuation over strict grammar. Innovative form over arbitrary paragraphing. Intentional language over wordsmithing. Specificity and context over vague emotion. Interrogation and transcendence over bald trauma. We crave discovery and wonder and awe. Bittersweet is our favorite emotion. We love myths, fairy tales, fabulism, slipstream, and haunting vibes, but horror is not the best fit, neither is fantasy nor sci fi that leans more genre (plot-forward) than literary. We love personal essays that bend and twist and braid, but op-eds, rants, and heavy-handed issue pieces aren't the best fit. More than any genre, we love prose that makes us ache and images that linger. (Sea creatures always a plus.)

Word Count. Up to 400 words. All categories. Firm count.

Categories.

Microfiction (mostly made up) Pay is $25 upon publication.
Micro Creative Nonfiction (true to an experience or topic) Pay is $25 upon publication.
New Writer Micros (your piece can be fiction or CNF, but you, the writer, can only have published three or fewer literary pieces) The definition of "New Writer" has some grace built into it. Read more here. Pay is $25 upon publication.

Prose Chapbook Reviews: For information about reviews, go here.

Submission period. Submissions are open January through November. We do not read submissions in December.

Cover letter. Keep it brief, please. Tell us: the name of your piece, the word count, and the category (fiction or creative nonfiction). Include a 50-word bio about your writing life and any relevant social media handles (instagram, facebook, twitter, or bluesky). If you have published three or fewer pieces, please mention that you are a new writer, so your piece can be considered for that category as well.

Number of submissions. Please send one submission with up to two micros per calendar month. (You can mix and match categories, sending one fiction and one CNF in a single submission.) If you publish in Claudine, please wait 6 months from your publication date before submitting again.

Simultaneous submissions. We accept simultaneous submissions; please withdraw your piece promptly if it’s accepted elsewhere.

Reprints. Original, unpublished work only, please.

Response time. Within 15 days. Please do not inquire about your submission until 1 month has passed.

Rights. We acquire first serial rights worldwide in English and non-exclusive anthology rights. We ask for the right to display the work for the duration of the journal. Copyright remains with the writer in all cases. If your work is subsequently reprinted elsewhere, please acknowledge Claudine as the site of first publication.

AI. Do not submit AI generated or AI assisted work. We want to read what your human self has written.

Fee. Submissions are always FREE.

How to submit.

Please email your submission to submissions@claudineliterary.com.

In the subject line, please state the genre (fiction, nonfiction, or New Writer) and title of your submission/s. Example: CNF submission--"The Sky Is Blue."
Your cover letter and bio can be typed into the body of your email. Please attach your piece as a Word document.