Image from The Seafarer by David Swartz, Issue 164 Summer & Fall
Submissions
Thank you for your interest in TriQuarterly, the literary journal of Northwestern University. TriQuarterly is edited by students in the Litowitz MFA+MA Graduate Creative Writing Program and the MFA in Creative Writing in the School of Professional Studies. Alumni of these programs and other readers also serve as editorial staff. We welcome submissions in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, video essay, short drama, and hybrid work from established as well as emerging writers. We are especially interested in work that embraces the world and continues, however subtly, the ongoing global conversation about culture and society that TriQuarterly pursued from its beginning in 1964. We also accept craft essays and interviews, which we publish throughout the year.
How to Submit:
We accept all submissions through Submittable, an online submissions system. There is no charge to create a Submittable account, but please note that we do charge a small reading fee to help cover the costs of the software and some operating expenses. We do not accept mailed or emailed submissions.
The Reginald Gibbons Editor’s Prize for Short Fiction
Open from January 1–March 31, the Reginald Gibbons Editor’s Prize will award $1000 to an author for outstanding contribution to the short fiction form. Alongside the prize, the winner will be published in a future issue of TriQuarterly. This year, our judge is author and professor Juan Martinez.
Submission Guidelines
We will only accept submissions via Submittable. We will not consider submissions over email or snail mail.
Submit one single short story for consideration, up to but not exceeding 5,000 words, alongside a $12 entry fee.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, however writers will need to withdraw their work immediately if accepted elsewhere.
All entries will be considered for regular publication.
This is a general short fiction contest, so all genres and forms of short fiction are welcome, including excerpts of larger works. Work must be original and unpublished.
When to Submit
Submissions windows vary by genre and open and close according to the schedules below. Please note that we do accept simultaneous submissions.
Fiction and Creative Nonfiction
Fall/Winter submissions open in September and stay open until we reach a cap of 500 submissions.
Spring submissions open in March and stay open until we reach a cap of 500 submissions.
Poetry
Fall/Winter submissions are accepted in the months of October.
Spring submissions are accepted in April.
Video Essays, Craft Essays and Interviews
Submissions are accepted year-round.
Current response time:
We receive thousands of submissions every year. Our current response time is approximately six months but may vary depending on volume of submissions. If you wish to check the status of your submission, you can do so by logging into Submittable at any time.
Important Guidelines:
Poets should submit no more than six poems per cycle, and should place all poems in a single document.
Prose authors may submit one story under 5,000 words or up to three pieces of flash fiction (1,000 words or fewer, each) in a single document. While we encourage simultaneous submissions to other journals, we do not accept multiple submissions from one author in a reading period. Please submit only once per three-month open call.
Please limit formats to .doc, .docx, .rtf, and PDF. We suggest keeping your font to 12-point Times New Roman and double-spacing all prose submissions.
We do not publish previously published work.
We do not publish creative work by current Northwestern MA/MFA students or those who have graduated from our program within the past five years, or by program faculty.
Honoraria:
TriQuarterly pays honoraria for published work.
Submit Your Work:
We accept all submissions through Submittable, an online submissions system. There is no charge to create a Submittable account, but please note that we do charge a small reading fee to help cover the costs of the software and some operating expenses. We do not accept mailed or emailed submissions.