How to Submit to 10th Ward Lit
Our Next Issue — Joy & Gratitude
Inspired by Ross Gay's book of poetry Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, we encourage writers to explore the theme of gratitude from a wide array of perspectives. Whether it's through poetry, short stories, essays, or artwork, we welcome your creative interpretations. Submissions should reflect the theme while demonstrating originality and depth of thought.
We will be accepting submissions until December 15th, 2024.
General Guidelines
10th Ward Lit seeks individual creative work from Evanstonians and those connected to the Evanston community who are 15 years of age and older
We accept the following type of submissions:
Poems
Short fiction
Sequential fiction (comics)
Photography
Illustrations
Creative nonfiction
Please send original work that has not been previously published
Individuals may submit up to three works at a time
Submissions in a wide variety of languages are welcome
We accept simultaneous submissions, but let us know as soon as it’s accepted elsewhere. Please wait until you receive a response for your submission before submitting again for the same cycle.
We publish four times a year, if your submission(s) were not accepted and your work still fulfills the next theme you may resubmit
We ask that if you have been accepted for publication with us, please skip the next issue before submitting again
Length Limit and Short Bio
For short fiction and creative nonfiction submissions we have a word limit of 4,000 words
For poetry submissions there is a line limit of 70 lines
Sequential fiction of no more than 3-5 pages
Please include a cover page with your submission with a brief one paragraph (between 25 and 125 words) biography and anything you’d like to tell us about your art
Please let us know if you would like your submission published anonymously
Call for Diversity and Content
We strongly encourage submissions from groups traditionally underrepresented in publishing such as: indigenous writers and writers of color, LGBTQA+ writers, members of the disability community, and women.
10th Ward Lit invites submissions of high artistic and literary merit that can appeal to a wide range of individuals in the Evanston community.
Please be aware that explicit nudity, sexuality, language, violence, and degrading or inflammatory content in submissions may be a factor in the final selection process.
How to Send Submissions
We only accept submissions via email at eplart@cityofevanston.org Please send submissions with the following subject line:
Last name, first name, number of submissions, and type: (e.g. Cliff, Robin 2 photos)
Response time may take up to 6 weeks. We will respond to you via email or phone with acceptance or refusal.
Attachments
Microsoft Word document as an attachment only, no PDFs or RTFs
Name and contact info on top of first page
All manuscripts should be in 12-point type, with at least one-inch margins, and sequentially numbered pages. Fiction and nonfiction should be double-spaced.
For art .JPG, .TIFF, or zip file