Grande Dame Literary & Art Journal (Moth&Thistle) is dedicated to supporting women writers. Writers range from emerging voices to self-published novelists to award-winning, traditionally published authors. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art.

We Are Dedicated to Supporting Women Writers. Founded in 2021, Grande Dame Literary & Art Journal grew out of writing groups where women gathered on Zoom several times a day for write-ins.

We look for characters with agency. Stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Memoirs that read like stories. Poets and essayists find a home in our journal. 

GDL has burst at the seams, and in 2026 we moved to a new hosting platform and expanded to include flash fiction, flash nonfiction, writing events, and interviews with authors. 

We are proud to be a journal where the door is genuinely open. Every submission is evaluated on the strength of the work and its potential to resonate with our readers. A first-time writer has as much chance of appearing in our pages as a seasoned professional, because what we are looking for is a confident voice and a good story.

Grande Dame Literary & Art Journal

We do our events to show our support for fellow women writers. 50% of the fees will go towards to two organizations that have missions similar to GDL. Please visit our website to learn more about Girls Write Now and Poetic Injustice.

IN 500 WORDS OR LESS
TELL A TALE OR SHARE A MEMORY OF A DAY THAT NATURE PLAYED A PART IN YOUR LIFE OR YOUR CHARACTER'S LIFE
FICTION / MEMOIR / ESSAY / POETRY
Poetry should be no more than 52 lines
A 50 WORD THIRD PERSON BIO AND URL LINKS ARE ENCOURAGED

Celebrate Mother Earth

literary chick-lit, upmarket women's contemporary, comedy, dramedy, rom-com, romance, drama, magical realism, humorous scary stuff like mystery, suspense, thriller, murder, we relish a good twist

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK IS ACCEPTED, please note at the end of the piece that it has been published elsewhere, and when.
Title formatting only allows for five words. It cuts automatically. 
Make your first sentence attention grabbing. It is what shows on the post listing and will get readers to view your work. Avoid placing quotes at the beginning of your work, in the middle or at the end is best. Readers want to read your words. 
Please allow up to 90+ days for review. We get a lot of submissions.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted.

 WORD COUNT BRACKETS for stories, memoir, and essay:

Fast Read All Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Art Fee: usd $35.00
Fiction & Nonfiction <2000 Words Fee: usd $8.00
Fiction & Nonfiction <4000 Words  Fee: usd $10.00
Fiction & Nonfiction <6000 Words  Fee: usd $12.00
FLASH Fiction & FLASH Nonfiction <500 Words Free

the author must be the central 'character' in the memoir, must read like a story, no graphic description of abusive or sexual situations. Must read like a story. No academic pieces. Book excerpts are permitted, but must be able to act as standalone pieces. 

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK IS ACCEPTED, please note at the end of the piece that it has been published elsewhere, and when.
Title formatting only allows for five words. It cuts automatically. 
Make your first sentence attention grabbing. It is what shows on the post listing and will get readers to view your work. Avoid placing quotes at the beginning of your work, in the middle or at the end is best. Readers want to read your words. 
Please allow up to 90+ days for review. We get a lot of submissions.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted.
Once your work has been accepted, changes are not allowed. If you need to make a change, you will need to resubmit. Please review your work carefully before sending. We have a no refund policy. 

 WORD COUNT BRACKETS for stories, memoir, and essay:

Fast Read All Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Art Fee: usd $35.00
Fiction & Nonfiction <2000 Words Fee: usd $8.00
Fiction & Nonfiction <4000 Words  Fee: usd $10.00
Fiction & Nonfiction <6000 Words  Fee: usd $12.00
FLASH Fiction & FLASH Nonfiction <500 Words Free



PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK IS ACCEPTED, please note at the end of the piece that it has been published elsewhere, and when.
Title formatting only allows for five words. It cuts automatically. 
Make your first sentence attention grabbing. It is what shows on the post listing and will get readers to view your work. Avoid placing quotes at the beginning of your work, in the middle or at the end is best. Readers want to read your words. 
Please allow up to 90+ days for review. We get a lot of submissions.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted.
Once your work has been accepted, changes are not allowed. If you need to make a change, you will need to resubmit. Please review your work carefully before sending. We have a no refund policy. 

 WORD COUNT BRACKETS for stories, memoir, and essay:

1500-3500 WORDS
3501-5000 WORDS
5001-7500 WORDS


Grande Dame Literary & Art Journal

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