Atticus Review is a weekly online journal that publishes stories, poems, electric literature, and other genre-busting words of wisdom and interactive whimsy.
If you’re interested in having your work considered for publication, go to the submissions page of Atticus Books on Submishmash or e-mail your query with attachments to submissions@atticusreview.org.
If you’re the gregarious, ambitious type and have an idea for a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly column, e-mail Dan Cafaro, the publisher, at danc@atticusbooks.net. The worst that can happen is he’ll never receive your submission because gremlins ate it, and you’ll think he ignored you. Fortunately for you, our staff, on the whole, doesn’t believe in public castration or humiliation, so you’re safe in that department. In theory, anyway.
POETRY SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Please submit 3-5 poems through Submishmash. Simultaneous submissions are OK. We give serious consideration to every submission, whether or not we are familiar with the author's work, and respond as quickly as possible. Understand that this is a subjective business; if your work isn't selected, it's not the end of the world (though as writers ourselves, we understand that it can feel that way).
In terms of style, our bias tends toward lyrical narrative poetry, though we're definitely willing to read whatever--so long as it's your best work! In other words, think of your poems less as sermons and more as snapshots. They can be shocking, serene, heartbreaking, elegant, savage, narrative, surreal--or all of the above.
Here are some poets we like, just to give you another hint as to what we're looking for: James Wright, Tony Hoagland, Stephen Dobyns, Bob Hicok, Dorianne Laux, Sharon Olds, Mary Biddinger, Djelloul Marbrook, Charles Simic, Billy Collins, Jeannine Hall Gailey, James Valvis, Peter Davis, Elton Glaser, Rodney Jones, Allison Joseph, Donal Hall and many, many more.
What we DON'T like: poems that tell instead of show, that substitute shock value for depth or intellect for feeling, or that force a certain limited interpretation or philosophy on the reader rather than allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions.
DISCLAIMER IN FINE PRINT ENLARGED FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Atticus Review is an affiliate of Atticus Books, an independent press based in Kensington, Md. If we offend you in any way, you should seek professional help, or if that doesn’t work, you can sue Atticus Books, a limited liability company that is exceptionally good at imitating a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. You would have better luck sifting money out of a stone.
Short Fiction
Size limit: 7,500 words
If you’re a writer who tests limits, especially if you write with a rocket-fueled pen, we want to read your best stuff. Please send it our way. In addition to our role as editors for Atticus Review, we also are writers who are bad submitters. We get intimidated; We fear rejection. So please know that your work will be shown respect, and reviewed with eyes that have stared at submit buttons for too long before nervous fingers finally clicked. We know what a gift it is for you to give us—for free!— something you spent hours honing, tweaking, editing, getting just right.Click submit. The rest is self-explanatory.
Flash Fiction
Size limit: 1,000 words
If you’re a writer who tests limits, especially if you write with a rocket-fueled pen, we want to read your best stuff. Please send it our way. In addition to our role as editors for Atticus Review, we also are writers who are bad submitters. We get intimidated; We fear rejection. So please know that your work will be shown respect, and reviewed with eyes that have stared at submit buttons for too long before nervous fingers finally clicked. We know what a gift it is for you to give us—for free!— something you spent hours honing, tweaking, editing, getting just right.Click submit. The rest is self-explanatory.
Poetry
If you’re a writer who tests limits, especially if you write with a rocket-fueled pen, we want to read your best stuff. Please send it our way. In addition to our role as editors for Atticus Review, we also are writers who are bad submitters. We get intimidated; We fear rejection. So please know that your work will be shown respect, and reviewed with eyes that have stared at submit buttons for too long before nervous fingers finally clicked. We know what a gift it is for you to give us—for free!— something you spent hours honing, tweaking, editing, getting just right.Click submit. The rest is self-explanatory.
Creative Non-Fiction
When we say "Creative Non-Fiction," we're looking for essays, articles, or even confessionals that are literary in either content or bent. Or if you think you've got something interesting to tell the world that's not a flash, short story or a poem, shoot it our way and see if we agree. For examples of the kinds of stuff we've published so far, check out the "From the Attic" column at Atticus Review.If you’re a writer who tests limits, especially if you write with a rocket-fueled pen, we want to read your best stuff. Please send it our way. In addition to our role as editors for Atticus Review, we also are writers who are bad submitters. We get intimidated; We fear rejection. So please know that your work will be shown respect, and reviewed with eyes that have stared at submit buttons for too long before nervous fingers finally clicked. We know what a gift it is for you to give us—for free!— something you spent hours honing, tweaking, editing, getting just right.