The journal's mission is to present original literary writing of exceptional quality, illuminated by cutting-edge graphic design.

The award-winning literary arts journal edited and produced by the Creative Writing Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. 

Work published in Ninth Letter has been selected for many awards anthologies such as Best American Nonrequired Reading, Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories, Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, Best Creative Nonfiction, Best New Fantasy, Best New Poets, Best of the Net, and New Stories from the Midwest. 

During a decade-plus collaboration with the UIUC School of Art + Design, the journal also received many national and international awards for graphic design, and was featured in the design awards annuals of both STEP Inside Design and HOW Magazine.

 In 2005 Ninth Letter was named Best New Literary Journal by the Council of Learned Journals, an affiliate of the Modern Language Association.

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Ninth Letter

I made a mess of submitting entries to their contest and they were very gracious and patient with me, allowing me to substitute pieces when one of my entries was no longer available. Also, I love the stories they publish - both fiction and CNF.

The theme for this issue is performance. To perform is to, for some audience, create the illusion that reality is this, rather than that. We do this everywhere–our social (and social media) lives, our dress, our relationships, our feelings, our genders, all performed in their ways; all around us there is the low hum of wishful artifice imparting an intended impression onto seen and unseen—perhaps even imaginary--spectators. (Full description on submission portal).

Print Edition Fiction (Performance)

Please submit one piece of short fiction of no more than 3500 words. You may also submit up to three pieces of flash fiction as long as the total word count of the submission is no more than 3500 words. Our website does not have the capability to publish fully justified text, so please do not submit work with that formatting.

 

Please also include a note that briefly explains your work's connection to the theme. Submissions without this note will not be accepted. 

 

Acceptable file formats are .doc, .docx, and .pdf. 

 

Fiction submissions for the web edition are accepted through this link only. Submissions sent via snail mail, email, or our print edition general submissions links will not be considered for this edition.

Web Edition FICTION

Please submit up to 5 poems in a single file of no more than 10 pages.

Ninth Letter Literary Awards

Please submit one piece of no more than 8,000 words. You may also submit up to three pieces of flash-fiction or flash-nonfiction as long as the total word count of the submission is no more than 4,000 words.

Ninth Letter is published semi-annually in print at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work.
We do not accept previously published work, including self-published work on websites, blogs, etc. Simultaneous submissions are welcome! Please send a message withdrawing your poem(s) or flash piece(s) immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Please only send only one submission per genre at a time. We ask that previous contributors wait three years from your publication date before submitting again.
We accept electronic submissions via Submittable. We do not accept submissions by email attachment. Email submissions will not be read.
To see what we publish, you can purchase our current issue or a subscription via Submittable. All issues (including back issues) can be purchased here.
Poetry Guidelines:
Please submit 3-5 poems (max. 8 pages) at a time.
If you classify your work as "hybrid," please submit to the genre category you feel your submission most closely applies. You are welcome to leave a note in the cover letter field with any details you think our reading team would find helpful. We will make sure your submission gets to the right team and receives the attention and consideration it deserves.
Submission Fee:
We charge a $3 reading fee. Fees are waived from December 1-31 or until we hit our cap of 300 submissions per genre.
Fee Waivers:
A limited number of fee waivers are available for writers for whom the submission fee would present undue financial hardship. Please send a short email to ninthletter9@gmail.com to request a fee waiver. No proof of income or other sensitive information is required.
Publication Terms & Payment:
Ninth Letter pays $25 per poem and $100 for prose upon publication and two complementary copies of the issue in which the work appears. Contributors also receive an exclusive subscription discount offer at the time of acceptance. Ninth Letter acquires First North American Serial Rights (FNASR). We ask that you acknowledge Ninth Letter upon reprint of your work.
Response Time:
We strive to respond to your submission within six months. Please wait until that time has elapsed before querying about the status of your submission.

Print Edition Poetry Submissions 

Ninth Letter Print Edition Submissions
Ninth Letter is published semi-annually in print at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work. 
We do not accept previously published work, including self-published work on websites, blogs, etc. Simultaneous submissions are welcome! Please send a message withdrawing your poem(s) or flash piece(s) immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Please only send only one submission per genre at a time. We ask that previous contributors wait three years from your publication date before submitting again. 
We accept electronic submissions via Submittable. We do not accept submissions by email attachment. Email submissions will not be read.
To see what we publish, you can purchase our current issue or a subscription via Submittable. All issues (including back issues) can be purchased here. 
 
Print Submission Guidelines
Creative Nonfiction Guidelines:  
For creative nonfiction, submit one essay up to 8,000 words at a time. For flash, you may submit up to 3 pieces with a total word count totaling no more than 4,000 words.
If you classify your work as "hybrid," please submit to the genre category you feel your submission most closely applies. You are welcome to leave a note in the cover letter field with any details you think our reading team would find helpful. We will make sure your submission gets to the right team and receives the attention and consideration it deserves. 
Submission Fee:
We charge a $3 reading fee. Fees are waived from December 1-31 or until we hit our cap of 300 submissions per genre.
Fee Waivers:
A limited number of fee waivers are available for writers for whom the submission fee would present undue financial hardship. Please send a short email to ninthletter9@gmail.com to request a fee waiver. No proof of income or other sensitive information is required.
Publication Terms & Payment:
Ninth Letter pays $25 per poem and $100 for prose upon publication and two complementary copies of the issue in which the work appears. Contributors also receive an exclusive subscription discount offer at the time of acceptance. Ninth Letter acquires First North American Serial Rights (FNASR). We ask that you acknowledge Ninth Letter upon reprint of your work.
Response Time:
We strive to respond to your submission within six months. Please wait until that time has elapsed before querying about the status of your submission.

Print Edition Creative Nonfiction Submissions

Please submit one essay of no more than 3500 words. You may also submit up to three pieces of flash nonfiction as long as the total word count of the submission is no more than 3500 words. 

 

Please also include a note that briefly explains your work's connection to the theme. Submissions without this note will not be accepted. 

 

Acceptable file formats are .doc, .docx, and .pdf.

 

Creative nonfiction submissions for the web edition are accepted through this link only. Submissions sent via snail mail, email, or our print edition general submissions links will not be considered for this edition.

Ninth Letter

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Web Edition FICTION

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