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Thinking of submitting to New England Review?
All categories will be open September 1, 2021, through November 1, 2021—though we may close early if we reach our limit in submissions. We will open again in March. See category details below.
What we’re looking for.
We welcome submissions in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, dramatic writing, and translation in all genres.
For translations, please confirm that translation rights are available and submit under the genre that best represents the work.
We only accept writing that has not been published previously, whether in print or on the web.
Please send only one submission at a time per genre. Do not resubmit work, even if it has been revised, unless it has been requested by the editors. Simultaneous submissions are accepted in all genres, but please be sure to withdraw your submission immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. We attempt to respond to submissions within twelve weeks, but it can take longer.
We welcome and encourage submissions from writers of every nationality, race, religion, and gender, including writers who have never been affiliated with an MFA program and whose perspectives are often underrepresented in the literary world.
We suggest that NER authors wait about a year after their most recent publication until they submit again (e.g., If you were published in spring 2021, please wait until spring 2022 to submit new work).
What you get.
Payment for work published in the journal is $20 per page ($50 minimum), plus two copies of the issue in which the work appears and a one-year subscription to the print or e-book edition.
For online publication in NER Digital, payment is $50 and a one-year subscription to the magazine.
Your cover letter—just the facts.
Your cover letter should provide contact information and state the genre and title of the submission, as well as any salient information about you—e.g., previous publications, never before published—or about your piece.
Online submissions.
Please submit your work through Submittable, our online submissions portal. The small fee we charge for online submissions helps to support New England Review in its mission to publish writers at all stages of their careers. You can submit for free if you purchase a subscription or renewal at the time of submission. If the submission fee presents a financial hardship, please email us.
You can check on the status of an existing submission on Submittable. If it says “in progress,” that means we have not yet made a decision about the piece. If you have other submission queries, send us an e-mail and we will respond as soon as possible.
Paper submissions.
We allow paper submissions for writers who for any reason are unable to use Submittable. Please do not send your only copy, as we cannot be responsible for lost or damaged manuscripts, and include a letter-size self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for our reply only. There is no fee. Please do not send paper submissions outside of our open submissions periods or they will be returned unread. Our mailing address is New England Review, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753.
Categories
Fiction: We are looking for short stories, short shorts, novellas, novel excerpts (if they can stand alone), and translations. The word limit is 20,000, though most of what we publish is shorter than 10,000 words. Please send only one piece at a time, unless the pieces are very short (under 1,000 words), in which case send up to three. Reminder: do not resubmit a story that you’ve sent in the past. Please double-space and include word count on the front page or cover letter.
Poetry: We publish long and short poems, including translations. Please send no more than six poems at once, and upload them as a single file. If you need to withdraw part of your submission, please simply add a note to your submission in Submittable.
Nonfiction: We publish a broad range of nonfiction, including interpretive and personal essays, critical reassessments, cultural criticism (art, film, etc.), travel writing, environmental writing, and works in translation. The word limit is 20,000, though most of what we publish is shorter than 10,000 words. Please double-space and include word count on the front page or cover letter.
Dramatic Writing: We are looking for short plays, monologues, and screenplays, up to 5,000 words. Please consider that the work must read well on the page. Please double-space and include word count on the front page or cover letter.
NER Digital: NER Digital is New England Review’s online project dedicated to original writing for the web. We are not currently seeking submissions in this area, but please check back for new developments next year (2022).