CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS (WEB EDITION)
Ninth Letter will be accepting submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for a special online edition to be published at ninthletter.com in Winter 2024. Submissions will be open from September 1 to November 1. No fee is required for submissions to this issue.
The theme for this issue is Praise. Robert Hass begins his 1979 book of poetry, Praise, with an epigraph:
We asked the captain what course
of action he proposed to take toward
a beast so large, terrifying, and
unpredictable. He hesitated to
answer, and then said judiciously:
"I think I shall praise it."
What beasts do you praise? What monsters do you pay tribute to? How sharp are the objects of your veneration? We seek the flashlight pushing its beam through darkness; we seek the grin that bears the weight. Show us the reverence that glows like an ember in the ash. Show us your demons, and share with us the odes and hymns, the lullabies and incantations you sing to earn their peace. Show us your beasts, and give your beasts praise.
You may submit up to three poems, or one piece of short prose (fiction or nonfiction) of up to 3500 words; please also include a cover letter that briefly explains how you see your work connecting to the theme. Note: work submitted without this information may be withdrawn. Acceptable file formats are .doc, .docx, .rtf, and .pdf.
Submissions sent via snail mail or submitted through our general submissions at ninthletter.com will not be considered for this issue.
Unless otherwise requested, please submit only once per reading period. Please do not send multiple submissions or previously published work.
Authors whose work is selected for this issue will receive a small honorarium ($25 per poem, $75 per story or essay), as well as a discounted subscription offer for the print edition of Ninth Letter.
