A semi-annual, international literary journal edited by the MFA students at Arizona State University under the guidance of a full-time editor in chief.

HFR is located in Tempe, AZ, on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including Akimel O'odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities. The journal’s namesake is Tempe’s prior name, Hayden’s Ferry, which was named after a ferry service that operated on the Salt River by Charles Trumbull Hayden. Hayden’s Ferry was renamed Tempe, in part, to save the postmaster space and ink needed to mark Hayden’s Ferry on mail. Since 2023, the journal has been produced by graduate and undergraduate students in the HFR literary editing and publishing course and in the HFR internship program. 

HFR publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translation, and art. We look for well-crafted work that takes risks, challenges readers, and engages us emotionally and artistically. The makeup of our editorial team changes every year, and we pride ourselves on our values of inclusivity and multiplicity, seeking to uplift emerging writers and artists. We are interested in creative work that takes risks with language and form, work that challenges boundaries/borders and systems of power, work that examines historically marginalized experiences, as well as work that identifies as hybrid or genre-nonconforming. As a diverse team of editors, we are invested in highlighting voices traditionally underrepresented in the literary landscape, including writers and artists in BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, TGNC, disabled, and economically marginalized communities. Through our publications and events, we aim to showcase a variety of stylistic and artistic modes.

In addition to two yearly print issues, HFR publishes online-exclusive web content on The Dock and on the HFR Blog, including web issues, interviews, book reviews, and more. Our sister project, the Thousand Languages Project, is an ever-developing database featuring translations of the work originally appearing in HFR transformed from its original English into manifold world languages. Subscribe to our Substack (https://haydensferryreview.substack.com/) to stay in the know about our calls for submissions, events, and more!

The mags in this list are competitive and publish physical print editions, so you get the satisfaction of seeing your work in print: pocket-sized, book-like, tangible. Way cooler than you'd expect.

Reputable Lit Mags with Print Issues

The top nonfiction lit mags in our database, ranked by how many users have bookmarked them.

The Ultimate List of Places to Submit Your Nonfiction

Digital publications chosen for Best of the Net. These journals demonstrate consistent excellence in identifying digital fiction that deserves wider recognition and readership.

Fiction Magazines Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Story-focused publications with works chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Less than 5% of nominated fiction typically makes the anthology.

Fiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Online publications putting forward exceptional short stories for Best of the Net.

Fiction Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

A targeted resource for short story placements with potential for Pushcart recognition.

Fiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Specialized publications that recognize exceptional brief fiction through Pushcart nominations.

Digital publications advancing very short fiction for Best of the Net consideration.

Flash Fiction Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Publications with nonfiction in BAE, the premier American essay anthology. These journals consistently publish thought-provoking, beautifully crafted nonfiction defining contemporary essay excellence.

Lit Mags Featured in Best American Essay Anthologies

Publications with ultra-short stories under 400 words selected for this anthology series. The definitive collection for the microfiction form.

Lit Mags Featured in Best Microfiction Anthologies

Digital publications with work selected for inclusion across genres. These journals consistently publish online work of exceptional quality that stands out in the digital literary landscape.

Lit Mags Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Publications with narratives under 1,000 words selected for this anthology series. These journals consistently identify short-short fiction, exemplifying the artistry possible in compact narratives.

Lit Mags Featured in Best Small Fictions Anthologies

Publications with pieces chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Recognition of exceptional quality across poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Lit Mags Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Best Microfiction, edited by Meg Pokrass and Gary Fincke, celebrates the art of the extremely brief narrative. These publications have editorial teams with particular sensitivity to the craft.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best Microfiction

A curated selection of publications that regularly submit work to this prestigious annual anthology showcasing 50 poems from emerging writers.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best New Poets

Identifies publications that put forward outstanding online work for this respected digital anthology established in 2006.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Publications that nominate work for this respected anthology series founded in 2015 by Tara Masih to celebrate fiction under 1,000 words.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best Small Fictions

Essential publications that nominate short fiction for the O'Henry Prize anthology, one of America's most venerable literary awards. Established in 1919.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the O'Henry Prize

A comprehensive guide to journals that regularly nominate work for the Pushcart Prize.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

All-time most competitive literary magazines. Getting published in these is a significant achievement for any writer.

Most Competitive Literary Magazines of All Time

Explore the most popular literary magazines of all time. These long-established publications are a staple in the literary world for writers of all genres.

Most Popular Literary Magazines of All Time

Digital publications chosen for Best of the Net. These journals consistently publish digital essays and memoirs that exemplify the best of what's possible in online creative nonfiction.

Nonfiction Magazines Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Essay-focused publications with works selected for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have repeatedly identified nonfiction that resonates with Pushcart editors and readers.

Nonfiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Digital publications nominating outstanding essays and creative nonfiction for Best of the Net.

Nonfiction Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Highlights publications that regularly put forward essays, memoirs, and other creative nonfiction for Pushcart consideration.

Nonfiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Verse-centered publications with poems chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have consistently identified poems that stand out in this intensely competitive field.

Poetry Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Online journals that specifically champion poetry for Best of the Net consideration.

Poetry Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Focuses specifically on poetry journals with established histories of Pushcart nominations.

Poetry Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Digital publications with poems chosen for Best of the Net. These journals consistently identify exceptional verse that represents the highest quality of poetry published online.

Poetry Mags Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Hayden's Ferry Review

Hayden's Ferry Review will accept fiction and poetry contest submissions between February 1-28, 2025. There will be two prizes of $1000 each and publication in HFR (online in summer 2025 and in the fall/winter 2025 print issue) for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in each category will receive $250 and publication. All entries are considered for publication.

This year’s fiction judge is Gwen Kirby, author of Shit Cassandra Saw. Our poetry judge is Hieu Minh Nguyen, author of Not Here. 

Submit 1-3 poems totaling up to 10 pages or a short story or novel excerpt of up to 20 pages with a contest entry fee. 

You can choose between a $15 entry fee, which comes with a 1-year digital subscription or a $23 entry fee, which comes with a 1-year print subscription. 

We will accept free submissions during a short free submissions window or until we hit our cap of 50 in each genre. Please subscribe to our free newsletter by February 3rd to find out our free sub day.

Hayden's Ferry Review Fiction & Poetry Contest

Hayden's Ferry Review Fiction Contest

Issue 77

Translation

“In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it”  
— Oscar Wilde




On Desire

Call for Submissions: Hayden Ferry Review 2026 Spring Web Issue  
Aftercare turns its attention to what comes after intensity, crisis, or rupture, those moments when care, attention, and repair are needed most. 
Borrowing its name from the language of kink, the folio asks what it means to stay, to tend, to rebuild. We gather work that lingers in aftermath: the slow recalibration of breath, the tenderness of rebandaging a wound, the exhaustion and beauty of maintenance.
We invite submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and hybrid forms that explore the politics of gentleness and repair, emotional, ecological, or communal, and the forms of attention that emerge once moments of intensity have passed.
How can slowness, reciprocity, and rest operate as radical acts of survival?
Works we are inspired by include From “The World After Rain,” II: Twice Awake by Canisia Lubrin, Self-Compassion by James Crews, When Eddie Levert Comes by Deesha Philyaw, and "Milk Blood Heat" by Dantiel W. Moniz. 
We highly encourage submissions from BIPOC, queer, and disabled writers and visual artists, as well as collaborative works.
Submission Guidelines:  
• Poems: Submit up to 6 pages of poems in one document. Each poem should be on a separate page.  
• Prose (fiction/nonfiction): Submit up to 10 pages, double-spaced, in one document. Please check whether the piece is fiction or nonfiction.
• Translation: The original piece must be provided along with your English translation. Both the  original and its translation will be published. Please confirm you have the rights to publish the original work (we will request proof if your translation is accepted).  
• Art: Submit up to 6 pieces. We encourage video work to be submitted (video work not to exceed 5 minutes).  
• Hybrid: Submit following the guidelines for the genre it most closely resembles/is in conversation with.  
Please include a brief bio (150 words max) with your submission and briefly explain how your piece connects to the theme of “Aftercare."
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.  
All submissions must be previously unpublished. We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
Please only submit to one call for submissions at a time.
Anonymous Demographic Survey
After submitting your work, we'd appreciate it if you'd consider filling out our optional and anonymous Spring 2026 Web Issue Demographics Survey. Your responses to this survey will help us better understand who our calls for submissions are reaching and better fulfill our mission!

SPRING 2026 WEB ISSUE: Aftercare

Issue 79 General Submissions: POETRY

Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers
At HFR, we believe that as a literary journal we have the responsibility to publish creative work that reflects diverse experiences, identities, and cultures on both a national and global scale. We are especially committed to uplifting the voices of those who have long been marginalized and underrepresented. 
Towards this cause, we will have 100 free submissions in each genre for underrepresented voices. If you consider yourself to fit into this category, please submit for free to “Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers.” Among the many types of underrepresentation that exist in literature, we particularly encourage Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and those who belong to the LGBTQIA+ and disability communities to submit to HFR. 
We do not discriminate on any impermissible basis, including race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, or disability. Anyone without regard to these categories is welcome to submit as an underrepresented writer if they consider their experiences or identities to be underrepresented in the literary industry. If you have any questions please email us (haydensferryreview at gmail dot com).
A Note on Hybrid Work:
If you’re unsure what genre to submit your hybrid work in, please select the genre that feels most fitting.
A Note on Content Warnings:
If you are submitting work that you feel would be appropriately accompanied by a content warning, please feel free to include such content warning at the bottom of your cover letter, and/or at the very top of your submission file.
Submission Guidelines

  Please only submit to one call for submissions at a time.
  Submissions are open November 1 - November 30 or until we hit our cap of 100 poetry submissions in this free category. Note that we do not have a cap on submissions in our regular poetry category.
  Submit up to 3 poems totaling up to 8 pages. Please include your entire submission in one file.
  All work should be uploaded through our submission manager. Acceptable file formats include .doc, .docx, and .pdf.
  Please send one submission per genre at a time, and wait for a response before you submit additional work.
  Simultaneous submissions are welcome. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify the editors immediately by adding a message to your submission in Submittable.
  Withdraw your submission using Submittable. If you are only withdrawing a section of your work (for example: 1/3 poems), add a message to your submission in Submittable.
  We do not accept previously published material.
  We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
  We do not consider book-length works. Submitters are strongly encouraged to read the journal before submitting. Sample work from current and past issues is available on our website.
  Anyone affiliated with ASU (staff, faculty, and graduate/undergraduate students) should refrain from submitting to HFR until they have been unaffiliated for three years.
  If you have previously been published in HFR's print journal or a web issue, please wait 2 years from your publication date before submitting again.
  By submitting, you are agreeing to receive occasional newsletter emails from us. You are welcome to opt out at any time and a link to do so will be included in each newsletter.

 
Anonymous Demographic Survey
After submitting your work, we'd appreciate it if you'd consider filling out our optional and anonymous Issue 78 Demographic Survey. Your responses to this survey will help us better understand who our calls for submissions are reaching and better fulfill our mission!

POETRY: Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers - Issue 78

Issue 79 General Submissions: FICTION

Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers
At HFR, we believe that as a literary journal we have the responsibility to publish creative work that reflects diverse experiences, identities, and cultures on both a national and global scale. We are especially committed to uplifting the voices of those who have long been marginalized and underrepresented. 
Towards this cause, we will have 100 free submissions in each genre for underrepresented voices. If you consider yourself to fit into this category, please submit for free to “Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers.” Among the many types of underrepresentation that exist in literature, we particularly encourage Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and those who belong to the LGBTQIA+ and disability communities to submit to HFR. 
We do not discriminate on any impermissible basis, including race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, or disability. Anyone without regard to these categories is welcome to submit as an underrepresented writer if they consider their experiences or identities to be underrepresented in the literary industry. If you have any questions please email us (haydensferryreview at gmail dot com).
A Note on Hybrid Work:
If you’re unsure what genre to submit your hybrid work in, please select the genre that feels most fitting.
A Note on Content Warnings:
If you are submitting work that you feel would be appropriately accompanied by a content warning, please feel free to include such content warning at the bottom of your cover letter, and/or at the very top of your submission file.
Submission Guidelines

  Please only submit to one call for submissions at a time.
  Submissions are open November 1 - November 30 or until we hit our cap of 100 fiction submissions in this free category. Note that we do not have a cap on submissions in our regular fiction category.
  We accept one story or novel excerpt per author at any given time.
  Prose should be double-spaced. Submit a maximum of one piece totaling up to 20 pages (though we favor pieces under 17 pages).
  Please include your entire submission in one file.
  All work should be uploaded through our submission manager. Acceptable file formats include .doc, .docx, and .pdf.
  Please send one submission per genre at a time and wait for a response before you submit additional work.
  Simultaneous submissions are welcome. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify the editors immediately by adding a message to your submission in Submittable.
  Withdraw your submission using Submittable. If you are only withdrawing a section of your work, add a message to your submission in Submittable.
  We do not accept previously published material.
  We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
  We do not consider book-length works. Submitters are strongly encouraged to read the journal before submitting. Sample work from current and past issues is available on our website.
  Anyone affiliated with ASU (staff, faculty, and graduate/undergraduate students) should refrain from submitting to HFR until they have been unaffiliated for three years.
  If you have previously been published in HFR's print journal or a web issue, please wait 2 years from your publication date before submitting again.
  By submitting, you are agreeing to receive occasional newsletter emails from us. You are welcome to opt out at any time and a link to do so will be included in each newsletter.

 
Anonymous Demographic Survey
After submitting your work, we'd appreciate it if you'd consider filling out our optional and anonymous Issue 78 Demographic Survey. Your responses to this survey will help us better understand who our calls for submissions are reaching and better fulfill our mission!

FICTION: Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers - Issue 78

Issue 79 General Submissions: NONFICTION

Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers - Issue 78 NONFICTION

Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers
At HFR, we believe that as a literary journal we have the responsibility to publish creative work that reflects diverse experiences, identities, and cultures on both a national and global scale. We are especially committed to uplifting the voices of those who have long been marginalized and underrepresented. 
Towards this cause, we will have 100 free submissions in each genre for underrepresented voices. If you consider yourself to fit into this category, please submit for free to “Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers.” Among the many types of underrepresentation that exist in literature, we particularly encourage Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and those who belong to the LGBTQIA+ and disability communities to submit to HFR. 
We do not discriminate on any impermissible basis, including race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, or disability. Anyone without regard to these categories is welcome to submit as an underrepresented writer if they consider their experiences or identities to be underrepresented in the literary industry. If you have any questions please email us (haydensferryreview at gmail dot com).
A Note on Hybrid Work:
If you’re unsure what genre to submit your hybrid work in, please select the genre that feels most fitting.
A Note on Content Warnings:
If you are submitting work that you feel would be appropriately accompanied by a content warning, please feel free to include such content warning at the bottom of your cover letter, and/or at the very top of your submission file.
Submission Guidelines
Please submit your translation pieces here. If you have questions concerning this policy, please email us.

  Please only submit to one call for submissions at a time.
  Submissions open November 1 - November 30 or until we hit our cap of 100 translation submissions in this free category. Note that we do not have a cap on submissions in our regular translations category, which is open year-round.
  Translations submissions should be works translated into English from any other non-English language, and must include the original text along with the translated text.
  Translators should secure rights to translate the work they are submitting.
  Submit up to 6 poems/micro-fictions, or one essay/story.
  Prose should be double-spaced. We do not have a strict word count, though we favor pieces under 17 pages, and rarely accept work that is over 20. Please do not submit pieces that are over 25 pages.
  Please include your entire submission in one file.
  All work should be uploaded through our submissions manager. Acceptable file formats include .doc, .docx, and .pdf.
  Please send one submission per genre at a time, and wait for a response before you submit additional work.
  Simultaneous submissions are welcome. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify the editors immediately by adding a message to your submission in Submittable.
  Withdraw your submission using Submittable. If you are only withdrawing a section of your work (for example: 2/5 poems), add a message to your submission in Submittable.
  We do not accept previously published material.
  We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
  We do not consider book-length works. Submitters are strongly encouraged to read the journal before submitting. Sample work from current and past issues is available on our website.
  Upon acceptance, we will request a translator's note on your translation process (similar to an artist statement).

Anonymous Demographic Survey
After submitting your work, we'd appreciate it if you'd consider filling out our optional and anonymous Issue 78 Demographic Survey. Your responses to this survey will help us better understand who our calls for submissions are reaching and better fulfill our mission!

TRANSLATIONS: Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers - Issue 78

Make your holidays magical by purchasing an HFR tote bag for yourself or a friend!

Each "Manifesting a Better Poem" tote bag comes with  

  a free mystery back issue wrapped in an old map
  a handwritten fortune crafted by one of our editors
  an HFR bookmark
  and sticker


This can all be yours for $25! (Originally valued at $35). This price includes shipping and this deal is good until the end of the year OR until we run out.
Orders purchased after December 10 will be sent in January 2026 (because we'll be on winter break!), so order soon.
Due to shipping costs, we regret that we can only send these holiday bundles to US addresses.

Holiday Bundle: Manifesting a Better Poem Tote Bag

Make your holidays magical by purchasing an HFR tote bag for yourself or a friend!

Each "I Got Rejected from HFR" tote bag comes with
 

  a free mystery back issue wrapped in an old map
  a handwritten writing prompt crafted by one of our editors
  an HFR bookmark
  and sticker


This can all be yours for $25! (Originally valued at $35). This price includes shipping and this deal is good until the end of the year OR until we run out.
Orders purchased after December 10 will be sent in January 2026 (because we'll be on winter break!), so order soon.
Due to shipping costs, we regret that we can only send these holiday bundles to US addresses.

Holiday Bundle: I Got Rejected From HFR Tote Bag

Aftercare turns its attention to what comes after intensity, crisis, or rupture, those moments when care, attention, and repair are needed most.

Borrowing its name from the language of kink, the folio asks what it means to stay, to tend, to rebuild. We gather work that lingers in aftermath: the slow recalibration of breath, the tenderness of rebandaging a wound, the exhaustion and beauty of maintenance.

We invite submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and hybrid forms that explore the politics of gentleness and repair, emotional, ecological, or communal, and the forms of attention that emerge once moments of intensity have passed.

How can slowness, reciprocity, and rest operate as radical acts of survival?
Works we are inspired by include From “The World After Rain,” II: Twice Awake by Canisia Lubrin, Self-Compassion by James Crews, When Eddie Levert Comes by Deesha Philyaw, and "Milk Blood Heat" by Dantiel W. Moniz.

We highly encourage submissions from BIPOC, queer, and disabled writers and visual artists, as well as collaborative works.
Submission Guidelines:

• Poems: Submit up to 6 pages of poems in one document. Each poem should be on a separate page.
• Prose (fiction/nonfiction): Submit up to 10 pages, double-spaced, in one document. Please check whether the piece is fiction or nonfiction.
• Translation: The original piece must be provided along with your English translation. Both the  original and its translation will be published. Please confirm you have the rights to publish the original work (we will request proof if your translation is accepted).
• Art: Submit up to 6 pieces. We encourage video work to be submitted (video work not to exceed 5 minutes).
• Hybrid: Submit following the guidelines for the genre it most closely resembles/is in conversation with.
Please include a brief bio (150 words max) with your submission and briefly explain how your piece connects to the theme of “Aftercare."
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
All submissions must be previously unpublished. We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
Please only submit to one call for submissions at a time.
Anonymous Demographic Survey
After submitting your work, we'd appreciate it if you'd consider filling out our optional and anonymous Spring 2026 Web Issue Demographics Survey. Your responses to this survey will help us better understand who our calls for submissions are reaching and better fulfill our mission!

Spring 2026 web issue: AFTERCARE 

Aftercare turns its attention to what comes after intensity, crisis, or rupture, those moments when care, attention, and repair are needed most.

Borrowing its name from the language of kink, the folio asks what it means to stay, to tend, to rebuild. We gather work that lingers in aftermath: the slow recalibration of breath, the tenderness of rebandaging a wound, the exhaustion and beauty of maintenance.

We invite submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and hybrid forms that explore the politics of gentleness and repair, emotional, ecological, or communal, and the forms of attention that emerge once moments of intensity have passed.

How can slowness, reciprocity, and rest operate as radical acts of survival?
Works we are inspired by include From “The World After Rain,” II: Twice Awake by Canisia Lubrin, Self-Compassion by James Crews, When Eddie Levert Comes by Deesha Philyaw, and "Milk Blood Heat" by Dantiel W. Moniz.

We highly encourage submissions from BIPOC, queer, and disabled writers and visual artists, as well as collaborative works.

Submission Guidelines:
• Poems: Submit up to 6 pages of poems in one document. Each poem should be on a separate page.
• Prose (fiction/nonfiction): Submit up to 10 pages, double-spaced, in one document. Please check whether the piece is fiction or nonfiction.
• Translation: The original piece must be provided along with your English translation. Both the  original and its translation will be published. Please confirm you have the rights to publish the original work (we will request proof if your translation is accepted).
• Art: Submit up to 6 pieces. We encourage video work to be submitted (video work not to exceed 5 minutes).
• Hybrid: Submit following the guidelines for the genre it most closely resembles/is in conversation with.
Please include a brief bio (150 words max) with your submission and briefly explain how your piece connects to the theme of “Aftercare."
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
All submissions must be previously unpublished. We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
Please only submit to one call for submissions at a time.
Anonymous Demographic Survey
After submitting your work, we'd appreciate it if you'd consider filling out our optional and anonymous Spring 2026 Web Issue Demographics Survey. Your responses to this survey will help us better understand who our calls for submissions are reaching and better fulfill our mission!

Spring 2026 web issue: AFTERCARE

Aftercare turns its attention to what comes after intensity, crisis, or rupture, those moments when care, attention, and repair are needed most.
Borrowing its name from the language of kink, the folio asks what it means to stay, to tend, to rebuild. We gather work that lingers in aftermath: the slow recalibration of breath, the tenderness of rebandaging a wound, the exhaustion and beauty of maintenance.
We invite submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and hybrid forms that explore the politics of gentleness and repair, emotional, ecological, or communal, and the forms of attention that emerge once moments of intensity have passed.
How can slowness, reciprocity, and rest operate as radical acts of survival?
Works we are inspired by include From “The World After Rain,” II: Twice Awake by Canisia Lubrin, Self-Compassion by James Crews, When Eddie Levert Comes by Deesha Philyaw, and "Milk Blood Heat" by Dantiel W. Moniz.
We highly encourage submissions from BIPOC, queer, and disabled writers and visual artists, as well as collaborative works.
Submission Guidelines:
• Poems: Submit up to 6 pages of poems in one document. Each poem should be on a separate page.
• Prose (fiction/nonfiction): Submit up to 10 pages, double-spaced, in one document. Please check whether the piece is fiction or nonfiction.
• Translation: The original piece must be provided along with your English translation. Both the  original and its translation will be published. Please confirm you have the rights to publish the original work (we will request proof if your translation is accepted).
• Art: Submit up to 6 pieces. We encourage video work to be submitted (video work not to exceed 5 minutes).
• Hybrid: Submit following the guidelines for the genre it most closely resembles/is in conversation with.
Please include a brief bio (150 words max) with your submission and briefly explain how your piece connects to the theme of “Aftercare."
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
All submissions must be previously unpublished. We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
Please only submit to one call for submissions at a time.
Anonymous Demographic Survey
After submitting your work, we'd appreciate it if you'd consider filling out our optional and anonymous Spring 2026 Web Issue Demographics Survey. Your responses to this survey will help us better understand who our calls for submissions are reaching and better fulfill our mission!

The Hayden’s Ferry Review Fiction & Poetry Contest will accept fiction and poetry submissions between February 1-28, 2026. There will be two prizes of $1000 each and publication in HFR (online in summer 2026 and in the fall/winter 2026 print issue) for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in each category will receive $250 and publication. All entries are considered for publication.

You can choose between a $15 entry fee, which comes with a 1-year digital subscription or a $23 entry fee, which comes with a 1-year print subscription. For international addresses outside of the US, please select a digital subscription. Your 1-year subscription will begin with our spring/summer 2026 issue. Current subscribers will receive a 1-year renewal. Writers may submit multiple entries, but each entry must include its own entry fee.

This year’s fiction judge is Gina Chung, author of Sea Change and Green Frog. Our poetry judge is Sarah Ghazal Ali, author of Theophanies.

Visit https://haydensferryreview.com/hfrcontest for more details.

Submission Guidelines
 We are looking for visual art in all categories. 
 Please submit 5-8 pieces at a time. We may ask for additional art based on this submission. We accept work that has been previously published on the artist's social media or personal website but we do not accept work that has been previously published in other journals.
 Upon acceptance, we will request high res files, an author's bio, and an artist's statement. We publish art in full color, often selecting between 2 and 4 artists for each issue. One of these will receive cover credit and bookmark credit. 


Anonymous Demographic Survey
After submitting your work, we'd appreciate it if you'd consider filling out our optional and anonymous Issue 77 Demographic Survey. Your responses to this survey will help us better understand who our calls for submissions are reaching and better fulfill our mission!

General Submissions: Art

Translation submissions are open year-round and during the months we open for submissions in other genres for a forthcoming issue, we’ll also open submissions for 100 free translation submissions under the Submittable category “TRANSLATION: Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers - Issue X.”
Submission Guidelines
       Translations submissions should be works translated into English from any other non-English language, and must include the original text along with the translated text.
 

  Translators should secure rights to translate the work they are submitting. Please confirm in your cover letter that you have the rights. 
  Please only submit to one call for submissions at a time.
  Submit up to 6 poems/micro-fictions, or one essay/story.
  Prose should be double-spaced. We do not have a strict word count, though we favor pieces under 17 pages, and rarely accept work that is over 20. Please do not submit pieces that are over 25 pages.
  Please include your entire submission in one file, and be sure your name and contact information are included on the first page of the file.
  All work should be uploaded through our submissions manager. Acceptable file formats include .doc, .docx, and .pdf.
  Please send one submission per genre at a time, and wait for a response before you submit additional work.
  Simultaneous submissions are welcome. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify the editors immediately by adding a message to your submission in Submittable.
  Withdraw your submission using Submittable. If you are only withdrawing a section of your work (for example: 2/5 poems), add a message to your submission.
  We do not accept previously published material.
  We do not consider book-length works. Submitters are strongly encouraged to read the journal before submitting. Sample work from current and past issues is available on our website.
  Upon acceptance, we will request a translator's note on your translation process (similar to an artist statement).

Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers
At HFR, we believe that as a literary journal we have the responsibility to publish creative work that reflects diverse experiences, identities, and cultures on both a national and global scale. We are especially committed to uplifting the voices of those who have long been marginalized and underrepresented. 
Towards this cause, we will have 100 free submissions in each genre for underrepresented voices. If you consider yourself to fit into this category, please submit for free to “Free Submissions for Underrepresented Writers.” Among the many types of underrepresentation that exist in literature, we particularly encourage Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and those who belong to the LGBTQIA+ and disability communities to submit to HFR. 
We do not discriminate on any impermissible basis, including race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, or disability. Anyone without regard to these categories is welcome to submit as an underrepresented writer if they consider their experiences or identities to be underrepresented in the literary industry. If you have any questions please email us (haydensferryreview at gmail dot com).
Anonymous Demographic Survey
After submitting your work, we'd appreciate it if you'd consider filling out our optional and anonymous Issue 77 Demographic Survey. Your responses to this survey will help us better understand who our calls for submissions are reaching and better fulfill our mission!

General Submissions: Translations

About the Contest 
HFR will accept contest submissions in poetry and fiction between Feb 1-28, 2026. This year's poetry judge is Sarah Ghazal Ali, author of Theophanies. This year’s fiction judge is Gina Chung, author of Sea Change.
There will be two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Hayden’s Ferry Review (online in summer 2026 and in the fall/winter 2026 print issue) for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in each category will receive $250 and publication. All entries are considered for publication.
Judges will pick the winners and runners-up from a list of finalists chosen by HFR editors. All entries are considered for publication in the fall/winter 2026 print issue. We do not read submissions anonymously. 
Fiction Judge: Gina Chung
Gina Chung is a Korean American writer from New Jersey currently living in New York City. She is the author of the novel Sea Change, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and a B&N Discover Pick, and the short story collection Green Frog, which was a Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick, an NPR Best Book of the Year, and longlisted for the New American Voices Award. She has received the O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction, a Pushcart Prize, two APALA Adult Fiction Honors, and a Center for Fiction / Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowship. She is a faculty member of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program at Lasell University.
Guidelines & entry fee 
Submit a short story or novel excerpt of up to 20 pages.
The $15 entry fee includes a 1-year digital subscription. Your 1-year subscription will begin with our spring/summer 2026 issue 78. Current subscribers will receive a 1-year renewal. Writers may submit multiple entries, but each entry must include its own $15 fee.
*If you have an international shipping address and are interested in a 1-year print subscription, we are happy to accommodate this with an additional shipping fee. Please get in touch before submitting and no later than February 25th to discuss details at haydensferryreview (at) gmail (dot) com.*
Free Submissions Period
We will accept free submissions during a short free submissions window or until we hit our cap of 50 in each genre. *Please subscribe to our free newsletter by February 3rd. We’ll let our subscribers know via newsletter when our free submissions period will take place.* All will be able to submit for free during the free submission period or until we hit our cap; however, only newsletter subscribers will know in advance exactly when the free submission period will take place. Free submissions do not come with a 1-year subscription.
The name for the free submission queues on Submittable will be “HFR CONTEST 2026: FICTION (Free Submission)” and “HFR CONTEST 2026: POETRY (Free Submission).” If you no longer see these queues listed in HFR’s submittable during the time period that we accept free submissions, that means our cap for free submissions has been reached.
How to submit 
Between Feb 1-28, submit your work to the appropriate genre at https://hfr.submittable.com/ 
Submitted work must be original work by the writer and unpublished. If your work is accepted elsewhere for publication, please withdraw your submission. If only a part of your poetry submission has been accepted elsewhere, please leave a note in Submittable.
Eligibility 
Close friends, family, or former and current students of the judges should refrain from submitting. We define a "former or current student" as someone who has done a semester-length course with the judge or who the judge has served as a thesis advisor. If you attended a one- or two-week-long workshop or similar with the judge, you are still eligible.
If you were published in one of HFR's print journals or web issues in the past two years, you CAN submit to this contest. (See our "general notes on submission" for specific guidelines for our print and web issues, which may differ from contest guidelines.)
Anyone affiliated with ASU (staff, faculty, and graduate/undergraduate students) is not eligible to submit to this contest and should refrain from submitting to HFR until they have been unaffiliated from ASU for three years.
We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
All individuals are able to submit without regard to sex, race, national origin, religion, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.

HFR CONTEST 2026: FICTION ($15 Entry Fee)

About the Contest 
HFR will accept contest submissions in poetry and fiction between Feb 1-28, 2026. This year's poetry judge is Sarah Ghazal Ali, author of Theophanies. This year’s fiction judge is Gina Chung, author of Sea Change.
There will be two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Hayden’s Ferry Review (online in summer 2026 and in the fall/winter 2026 print issue) for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in each category will receive $250 and publication. All entries are considered for publication.
Judges will pick the winners and runners-up from a list of finalists chosen by HFR editors. All entries are considered for publication in the fall/winter 2026 print issue. We do not read submissions anonymously. 
Fiction Judge: Gina Chung
Gina Chung is a Korean American writer from New Jersey currently living in New York City. She is the author of the novel Sea Change, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and a B&N Discover Pick, and the short story collection Green Frog, which was a Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick, an NPR Best Book of the Year, and longlisted for the New American Voices Award. She has received the O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction, a Pushcart Prize, two APALA Adult Fiction Honors, and a Center for Fiction / Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowship. She is a faculty member of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program at Lasell University.
Guidelines & entry fee 
Submit a short story or novel excerpt of up to 20 pages.
The $23 entry fee includes a 1-year print subscription (US addresses). Your 1-year subscription will begin with our spring/summer 2026 issue 78. Current subscribers will receive a 1-year renewal. Writers may submit multiple entries, but each entry must include its own $23 fee.
*For international addresses outside of the US, please submit to the "HFR CONTEST 2025: FICTION ($15 submission)" queue, which comes with a 1-year digital subscription. If you have an international shipping address and are interested in a 1-year print subscription, we are happy to accommodate this with an additional shipping fee. Please get in touch before submitting and no later than February 20th to discuss details at haydensferryreview (at) gmail (dot) com.*
Free Submissions Period
We will accept free submissions during a short free submissions window or until we hit our cap of 50 in each genre. *Please subscribe to our free newsletter by February 3rd. We’ll let our subscribers know via newsletter when our free submissions period will take place.* All will be able to submit for free during the free submission period or until we hit our cap; however, only newsletter subscribers will know in advance exactly when the free submission period will take place. Free submissions do not come with a 1-year subscription.
The name for the free submission queues on Submittable will be “HFR CONTEST 2026: FICTION (Free Submission)” and “HFR CONTEST 2026: POETRY (Free Submission).” If you no longer see these queues listed in HFR’s submittable during the time period that we accept free submissions, that means our cap for free submissions has been reached.
How to submit 
Between Feb 1-28, submit your work to the appropriate genre at https://hfr.submittable.com/ 
Submitted work must be original work by the writer and unpublished. If your work is accepted elsewhere for publication, please withdraw your submission. If only a part of your poetry submission has been accepted elsewhere, please leave a note in Submittable.
Eligibility 
Close friends, family, or former and current students of the judges should refrain from submitting. We define a "former or current student" as someone who has done a semester-length course with the judge or who the judge has served as a thesis advisor. If you attended a one- or two-week-long workshop or similar with the judge, you are still eligible.
If you were published in one of HFR's print journals or web issues in the past two years, you CAN submit to this contest. (See our "general notes on submission" for specific guidelines for our print and web issues, which may differ from contest guidelines.)
Anyone affiliated with ASU (staff, faculty, and graduate/undergraduate students) is not eligible to submit to this contest and should refrain from submitting to HFR until they have been unaffiliated from ASU for three years.
We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
All individuals are able to submit without regard to sex, race, national origin, religion, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.

HFR CONTEST 2026: FICTION ($23 Entry Fee) - Fiction

About the Contest 
HFR will accept contest submissions in poetry and fiction between Feb 1-28, 2026. This year's poetry judge is Sarah Ghazal Ali, author of Theophanies. This year’s fiction judge is Gina Chung, author of Sea Change.
There will be two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Hayden’s Ferry Review (online in summer 2026 and in the fall/winter 2026 print issue) for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in each category will receive $250 and publication. All entries are considered for publication.
Judges will pick the winners and runners-up from a list of finalists chosen by HFR editors. All entries are considered for publication in the fall/winter 2026 print issue. We do not read submissions anonymously. 
Poetry Judge: Sarah Ghazal Ali
Sarah Ghazal Ali is the author of Theophanies (Alice James Books, 2024), winner of the GLCA New Writers Award and California Book Award and a finalist for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Her work has appeared in The American Poetry Review, The Kenyon Review, the Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day series, and elsewhere. Sarah is the poetry editor for West Branch and an Assistant Professor of English at Macalester College. 
Guidelines & entry fee 
Submit 1-3 poems, totaling up to 10 pages.
The $15 entry fee includes a 1-year digital subscription. Your 1-year subscription will begin with our spring/summer 2026 issue 78. Current subscribers will receive a 1-year renewal. Writers may submit multiple entries, but each entry must include its own $15 fee.
*If you have an international shipping address and are interested in a 1-year print subscription, we are happy to accommodate this with an additional shipping fee. Please get in touch before submitting and no later than February 25th to discuss details at haydensferryreview (at) gmail (dot) com.*
Free Submissions Period
We will accept free submissions during a short free submissions window or until we hit our cap of 50 in each genre. *Please subscribe to our free newsletter by February 3rd. We’ll let our subscribers know via newsletter when our free submissions period will take place.* All will be able to submit for free during the free submission period or until we hit our cap; however, only newsletter subscribers will know in advance exactly when the free submission period will take place. Free submissions do not come with a 1-year subscription.
The name for the free submission queues on Submittable will be “HFR CONTEST 2026: FICTION (Free Submission)” and “HFR CONTEST 2026: POETRY (Free Submission).” If you no longer see these queues listed in HFR’s submittable during the time period that we accept free submissions, that means our cap for free submissions has been reached.
How to submit 
Between Feb 1-28, submit your work to the appropriate genre at https://hfr.submittable.com/ 
Submitted work must be original work by the writer and unpublished. If your work is accepted elsewhere for publication, please withdraw your submission. If only a part of your poetry submission has been accepted elsewhere, please leave a note in Submittable.
Eligibility 
Close friends, family, or former and current students of the judges should refrain from submitting. We define a "former or current student" as someone who has done a semester-length course with the judge or who the judge has served as a thesis advisor. If you attended a one- or two-week-long workshop or similar with the judge, you are still eligible.
If you were published in one of HFR's print journals or web issues in the past two years, you CAN submit to this contest. (See our "general notes on submission" for specific guidelines for our print and web issues, which may differ from contest guidelines.)
Anyone affiliated with ASU (staff, faculty, and graduate/undergraduate students) is not eligible to submit to this contest and should refrain from submitting to HFR until they have been unaffiliated from ASU for three years.
We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
All individuals are able to submit without regard to sex, race, national origin, religion, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.

HFR CONTEST 2026: POETRY ($15 Entry Fee) - Poetry

About the Contest 
HFR will accept contest submissions in poetry and fiction between Feb 1-28, 2026. This year's poetry judge is Sarah Ghazal Ali, author of Theophanies. This year’s fiction judge is Gina Chung, author of Sea Change.
There will be two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Hayden’s Ferry Review (online in summer 2026 and in the fall/winter 2026 print issue) for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in each category will receive $250 and publication. All entries are considered for publication.
Judges will pick the winners and runners-up from a list of finalists chosen by HFR editors. All entries are considered for publication in the fall/winter 2026 print issue. We do not read submissions anonymously. 
Poetry Judge: Sarah Ghazal Ali
Sarah Ghazal Ali is the author of Theophanies (Alice James Books, 2024), winner of the GLCA New Writers Award and California Book Award and a finalist for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Her work has appeared in The American Poetry Review, The Kenyon Review, the Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day series, and elsewhere. Sarah is the poetry editor for West Branch and an Assistant Professor of English at Macalester College. 
Guidelines & Entry Fee 
Submit 1-3 poems, totaling up to 10 pages. The $23 entry fee includes a 1-year print subscription (US addresses)  Your 1-year subscription will begin with our spring/summer 2026 issue 78. Current subscribers will receive a 1-year renewal. Writers may submit multiple entries, but each entry must include its own $23 fee.
*For international addresses outside of the US, please submit to the "HFR CONTEST 2026: POETRY ($15 submission)" queue, which comes with a 1-year digital subscription. If you have an international shipping address and are interested in a 1-year print subscription, we are happy to accommodate this with an additional shipping fee. Please get in touch before submitting and no later than February 20th to discuss details at haydensferryreview (at) gmail (dot) com.*
Free Submissions Period
We will accept free submissions during a short free submissions window or until we hit our cap of 50 in each genre. *Please subscribe to our free newsletter by February 3rd. We’ll let our subscribers know via newsletter when our free submissions period will take place.* All will be able to submit for free during the free submission period or until we hit our cap; however, only newsletter subscribers will know in advance exactly when the free submission period will take place. Free submissions do not come with a 1-year subscription.
The name for the free submission queues on Submittable will be “HFR CONTEST 2026: FICTION (Free Submission)” and “HFR CONTEST 2026: POETRY (Free Submission).” If you no longer see these queues listed in HFR’s submittable during the time period that we accept free submissions, that means our cap for free submissions has been reached.
How to Submit 
Between Feb 1-28, submit your work to the appropriate genre at https://hfr.submittable.com/ 
Submitted work must be original work by the writer and unpublished. If your work is accepted elsewhere for publication, please withdraw your submission. If only a part of your poetry submission has been accepted elsewhere, please leave a note in Submittable.
Eligibility 
Close friends, family, or former and current students of the judges should refrain from submitting. We define a "former or current student" as someone who has done a semester-length course with the judge or who the judge has served as a thesis advisor. If you attended a one- or two-week-long workshop or similar with the judge, you are still eligible.
If you were published in one of HFR's print journals or web issues in the past two years, you CAN submit to this contest. (See our "general notes on submission" for specific guidelines for our print and web issues, which may differ from contest guidelines.)
Anyone affiliated with ASU (staff, faculty, and graduate/undergraduate students) is not eligible to submit to this contest and should refrain from submitting to HFR until they have been unaffiliated from ASU for three years.
We do not accept work that was produced wholly or in part by AI.
All individuals are able to submit without regard to sex, race, national origin, religion, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.

HFR CONTEST 2026: POETRY ($23 Entry Fee) - Poetry

Translations submissions should be works translated into English from any other non-English language, and must include the original text along with the translated text.  <div><br></div><div>Translators should secure rights to translate the work they are submitting. Please confirm in your cover letter that you have the rights. (If your translation is accepted, you will be asked to share this.)</div><div>Please only submit to one call for submissions at a time.</div><div>Submit up to 6 poems/micro-fictions, or one essay/story.</div><div>Prose should be double-spaced. We do not have a strict word count, though we favor pieces under 17 pages, and rarely accept work that is over 20. Please do not submit pieces that are over 25 pages.</div><div>Please include your entire submission in one file, and be sure your name and contact information are included on the first page of the file.</div><div>All work should be uploaded through our submissions manager. Acceptable file formats include .doc, .docx, and .pdf.</div><div>Please send one submission per genre at a time, and wait for a response before you submit additional work.</div><div>Simultaneous submissions are welcome. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify the editors immediately by adding a message to your submission in Submittable.</div><div>Withdraw your submission using Submittable. If you are only withdrawing a section of your work (for example: 2/5 poems), add a message to your submission.</div><div>We do not accept previously published material.</div><div>We do not consider book-length works. Submitters are strongly encouraged to read the journal before submitting. Sample work from current and past issues is available on our website.</div><div>Upon acceptance, we will request a translator's note on your translation process (similar to an artist statement).</div>

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General Submissions: Art

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