jmww is a literary journal publishing fiction, flash, poetry, hybrid work, essays, interviews, and other miscellany weekly. We are happy you found us!
We want to see your work, but don't be all stalkerish. Please submit only once every 3 months and only in one submission category (ie, poetry or fiction, fiction or flash). No previously published work, please. We want to be your first. Also, please wait one month after acceptance or rejection to submit again. We love you, but we need our "me" time, too.
Fiction, Essays, Nonfiction: We accept works up to 15 pages double spaced, although 3000 words or fewer usually catches our eye. We like strong characters whose motivations are not always known to us but can be explained within the confines of common sense. We like surprise endings but not gimmicky ones. Any genre is accepted as long as the story is well-crafted. We have no requirements on nonfiction/essays except that they are cogent and are less than 3000 words. We are also interested in flash nonfiction 1000 words or fewer.
Flash Fiction: We like our flash under 1000. Please read our last few issues to get an idea of our tastes. We also *love* the anthologies Sudden Fiction and New Sudden Fiction, edited by Robert Shapard; they are our Bible for flash fiction. Please read them if you haven't.
Poetry: Please submit up to 3 poems of no more than two pages each that give us an idea of your voice and poetic strengths. We aim to publish poetry that contains solid, riveting images, is emotionally complex, and that yields meaning beyond what is merely personal, thus having implications for others and/or society. We do not publish religious-themed poetry unless there is a marked reason for including such images or references in a poem. We admire poetry that makes an impact, whether soft or brash, that is felt in the body while reading, that is thoughtful and carefully wrought. Although we tend toward publishing free verse poems, those that use form, repetition, and rhyme scheme with unique purpose and talent are welcome, as are experimental poems if they are emotionally resonant, in addition to being intellectual or analytic. When submitting, do not include any identifying information on the pages of your submission. We do not accept any previously published work, even if published on your personal blog or social media page. Only one submission per author per period, max.
Interviews: Got an author or book you'd love to share with the world? Contact us (jmwweditor@gmail.com) with your pitch (and a sample of your previous work, although it's not entirely necessary). In fact, Jen would like to hear all of your ideas, for columns, for essays on craft or inspiration, your dreams, big and small, your superhero or stripper name. Please note we are no longer publishing book reviews.
Blended & Beyond was launched in 2023 as a quarterly volume. It is now a regular feature at JMWW and will open for submissions alongside our other categories.
Blended & Beyond is our home for hybrid, blended-genre, and genre-defying works. If you’re a creator working outside the conventions of traditional genres, we want to celebrate your work. If you’re a writer who has come up with something magical that doesn’t fit our other categories of fiction, creative nonfiction, essay, or poetry we’d be honored to read it.
If you’re not quite sure what this is all about, we invite you to read our craft essay about hybrid, blended-genre, and genre-defying work.
We’re intrigued by submissions that combine numerous creative elements. We love surprising work that travels then veers. Explosions of color or black & white diagrams. Fantastical imagination or absurdity among the mundane. Writing that refuses to pick a lane. Blended & Beyond has organically developed into a fascination of fragmentation, distortion, disobedience, devastation, humor, beauty, and the strange.
But Blended & Beyond is far from a catch-all. It does not feature writing that is more obviously suited for fiction, nonfiction, or poetry categories. If you’d like to share with us why your work best fits Blended & Beyond, drop us a note in the cover letter. It’s optional, but we love getting to know creatives and their process.
We look forward to experiencing your work,
Bradley David Waters, Senior Editor, Blended & Beyond
GUIDELINES
- Submit up to six pieces. If submitting text, please do not exceed 2,000 words in total. If a piece is chosen elsewhere, you do not need to withdraw your entire submission but please notify us in your submission’s Message tab.
- We enjoy receiving submissions of visual art, collage, shaped poetics, diagrams, etc., but please familiarize yourself with layouts previously published at JMWW to get a sense for how graphics and line breaks appear on our site. Preserve special formatting by submitting in PDF.
- We do not accept work that has been previously published in print or online. We understand, however, that there are unique instances when this policy could create a gray area for Blended & Beyond submissions. If elements within a new work have been repurposed, in part, from a previous publication: a) the author must retain the rights to do so, b) we request mention of the repurposed element in the cover letter, and c) the new work must be substantially altered from its original appearance such that no conflict of interest may arise.
- JMWW emphatically does not accept work created with artificial intelligence. By submitting to Blended & Beyond you are agreeing that AI was not used in the creation of your work.
- JMWW has long been a respected, respectful, and diversity-embracing publication. We do not choose work with regard to publication history, pedigree, or accolades. We uplift minority and marginalized creatives; are pro-queer and anti-TERF; do not tolerate hate, violence, bigotry, or haras
A 500-word broad overview of what's working and not working for us in your submission with suggested improvements. Submissions include (1) one story 3000 words or fewer or (2) a combination of flash pieces up to 3000 words. If we wind up accepting your piece, your money will be refunded.
A 500-word broad overview of what's working and what’s not working for us in your submission. We’ll suggest improvements and also focus on suggested sentence-level edits, in addition to broader recommendations. Please submit (1) one story 1500 words or fewer or (2) flash pieces totaling 1500 words. If we accept your piece, your money will be refunded.
A 500-word broad overview of what's working and not working for us in your submission with suggested improvements. Submissions include (1) one story 1500 words or fewer or (2) a combination of flash pieces up to 1500 words. If we wind up accepting your piece, your money will be refunded.
**WE ARE CLOSED FOR THE MONTH OF MAY**
A 500-word broad overview of what's working and what’s not working for us in your submission. We’ll suggest improvements and also focus on suggested sentence-level edits, in addition to broader recommendations. Please submit (1) one story 3000 words or fewer or (2) flash pieces totaling 3000 words. If we accept your piece, your money will be refunded.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Please submit up to 3 poems of no more than two pages each that give us an idea of your voice and poetic strengths. We aim to publish poetry that contains solid, riveting images, is emotionally complex, and that yields meaning beyond what is merely personal, thus having implications for others and/or society. We do not publish religious-themed poetry unless there is a marked reason for including such images or references in a poem. We admire poetry that makes an impact, whether soft or brash, that is felt in the body while reading, that is thoughtful and carefully wrought. Although we tend toward publishing free verse poems, those that use form, repetition, and rhyme scheme with unique purpose and talent are welcome, as are experimental poems if they are emotionally resonant, in addition to being intellectual or analytic. When submitting, do not include any identifying information on the pages of your submission.
*We do not accept any previously published work, even if published on your personal blog or social media page.
*Please remove all personal information from submissions--we consider only blind submissions and reserve to reject your work unread if it is not blinded
*Only one submission per author per period, max. Also, please wait one month after acceptance or rejection to submit again. We love you, but we need our "me" time, too.
We're looking for work that is under 5000 words. We love flash cnf, unusual forms, and deeply personal narratives. In addition to no previously published work, please wait one month after acceptance or rejection to submit again. We love you, but we need our "me" time, too.
We like our flash under 1500. We think that Smokelong Quarterly publishes the best work out there, so if you think they'd like it, chances are we'll like it, too. We might even like it if Smokelong doesn't. In addition to no previously published work, please wait one month after acceptance or rejection to submit again. We love you, but we need our "me" time, too.