Independent online & print journal based in Pittsburgh, PA (USA) that publishes writing & art from anywhere in the world, in all genres (& blends, blurs, or hybrids thereof). Run by a workshop group, the editors often work with authors to polish work they love into its best form. 

The Hour After Happy Hour workshop was founded in October 2013 by a group of creative writers who met in the basement of the Big Idea Bookstore every other week to encourage each other’s craft. As the group grew, they had the thought to publish some pieces from the workshop alongside local and national writers, and the After Happy Hour Review was born.

In the summer of 2019,  after four years and 11 issues, the journal separated from the Hour After Happy Hour workshop and was adopted by a different workshop group, the Rahnd Table, which has been meeting for many years in the same Pittsburgh neighborhood as the Hour After Happy Hour.

Today, every piece published in After Happy Hour comes from our open submission calls, and includes work sent our way from all over the world. We publish 2 unthemed online issues a year, along with a print issue that includes work from our annual themed contests. 

Pay writers. Accept simultaneous submissions and reprints. Nominate for prizes. Active on socials. Free to read. No fee. No notes.

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After Happy Hour Review

For suites of up to 5 linked individual works to be considered as a set. These works can be poems, flash fiction or creative nonfiction (under 1,000 words per piece), graphic narratives, art, or any combination of the above.

Formatting notes: We read anonymously so please remove your name from the document before sending. Use standard manuscript formatting generally--editors prefer Times New Roman or equivalent serif fonts. Spacing of prose segments can be single- or double-spaced at your discretion. We tend to prefer poetry that's single-spaced and non-centered.<br>

Suites

For fiction of all lengths, with no upper word count limit. Send a single work of 1,000 words or longer, or up to 3 works of under 1,000 words in a single file. All genres and blends/blurs/hybrids thereof are welcome and encouraged! 

Formatting notes: We read anonymously so please remove your name from the document before sending. Use standard manuscript formatting generally--editors generally prefer Times New Roman or equivalent serif fonts. Please double-space all submissions 1,000 words and longer (unless you're doing something weird with form like a story told in emails or blog comments or whatnot, in which case do whatever fits the work). Flash and micro can be single- or double-spaced at your discretion.

Fiction

Expedited submissions get a guaranteed response within 14 days (more details on the submission form on our website). We consider visual art of all forms and formats, as well as comics and graphic narratives ranging from single-panel to multi-page stories. For graphic narratives, you can send up to 5 works of 3 pages or fewer each, or a single work of 4 or more pages. Visual art is considered both for the cover and interior art. 

Formatting info: Send files that are ready for publication (sufficiently high resolution for online publication, no watermarks). While we consider work anonymously, we know that signatures are a key part of artists' work, and will consider art works that include them. However, please don't put your name in the title of the submission.

Visual Art & Graphic Narratives

Expedited submissions get a guaranteed response within 14 days (more details on the submission form on our website). For poetry of all lengths, with no upper line count limit. Send 1-3 poems in a single document to be considered individually. We also accept suites of up to 5 linked poems in the "suites" category.

Formatting notes: We read anonymously so please remove your name from the document before sending. We prefer reading poems that are single-spaced and non-centered, unless the centering/double-spacing are an intentional part of the form, in which case go wild.<br>

Poetry

For creative nonfiction of all lengths, with no upper word count limit. Send a single work of 1,000-6,000, or up to 3 works of under 1,000 words in a single file. Narrative essays that incorporate elements of journalistic reporting or research writing are welcome, but we're only looking for work with a story--no criticism, research papers, or reported articles, please.

Formatting notes: We read anonymously so please remove your name from the document before sending. Use standard manuscript formatting generally--editors generally prefer Times New Roman or equivalent serif fonts. Please double-space all submissions 1,000 words and longer (unless you're doing something weird with form like personal essay told in letters or Twitter posts or whatnot, in which case do whatever fits the work). Flash and micro can be single- or double-spaced at your discretion.

Creative Nonfiction

Feedback submissions are considered for publication like a normal submission, but get at least 250 words of guaranteed critical feedback from the editors if their work is rejected. The cost is a donation of any amount to our current target charity. For fiction of all lengths, with no upper word count limit. Send a single work of 1,000 words or longer, or up to 3 works of under 1,000 words in a single file. All genres and blends/blurs/hybrids thereof are welcome and encouraged! 

Formatting notes: We read anonymously so please remove your name from the document before sending. Use standard manuscript formatting generally--editors generally prefer Times New Roman or equivalent serif fonts. Please double-space all submissions 1,000 words and longer (unless you're doing something weird with form like a story told in emails or blog comments or whatnot, in which case do whatever fits the work). Flash and micro can be single- or double-spaced at your discretion.

Feedback Submissions - Fiction

Feedback submissions are considered for publication like a normal submission, but get at least 250 words of guaranteed critical feedback from the editors if their work is rejected. The cost is a donation of any amount to our current target charity. For creative nonfiction of all lengths, with no upper word count limit. Send a single work of 1,000-6,000, or up to 3 works of under 1,000 words in a single file. Narrative essays that incorporate elements of journalistic reporting or research writing are welcome, but we're only looking for work with a story--no criticism, research papers, or reported articles, please.

Formatting notes: We read anonymously so please remove your name from the document before sending. Use standard manuscript formatting generally--editors prefer Times New Roman or equivalent serif fonts. Please double-space all submissions 1,000 words and longer. Flash and micro can be single- or double-spaced at your discretion.

Feedback Submissions - Creative Nonfiction

Feedback submissions are considered for publication like a normal submission, but get at least 250 words of guaranteed critical feedback from the editors if their work is rejected. The cost is a donation of any amount to our current target charity. For suites of up to 5 linked individual works to be considered as a set. These works can be poems, flash fiction or creative nonfiction (under 1,000 words per piece), graphic narratives, art, or any combination of the above.

Formatting notes: We read anonymously so please remove your name from the document before sending. Use standard manuscript formatting generally--editors prefer Times New Roman or equivalent serif fonts. Spacing of prose segments can be single- or double-spaced at your discretion. We tend to prefer poetry that's single-spaced and non-centered.<br>

Feedback Submissions - Suite

Feedback submissions are considered for publication like a normal submission, but get at least 250 words of guaranteed critical feedback from the editors if their work is rejected. The cost is a donation of any amount to our current target charity. For poetry of all lengths, with no upper line count limit. Send 1-3 poems in a single document to be considered individually. We also accept suites of up to 5 linked poems in the "suites" category.

Formatting notes: We read anonymously so please remove your name from the document before sending. We prefer reading poems that are single-spaced and non-centered, unless the centering/double-spacing are an intentional part of the form, in which case go wild.<br>

After Happy Hour Review

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