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Guidelines
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Closed for submissions

Guidelines

"The award-winning literary arts journal edited and produced by the Creative Writing Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. 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. The journal's mission is to present original literary writing of exceptional quality, illuminated by cutting-edge graphic design."

Vibe

Top-tier stuff. Not Paris Review, but ok

Response Time

4 months / 103 days

Acceptance Rate

2.61%

  • Payment

    Yes: $25-$125

  • Fee

    Yes: $3

  • Simultaneous submissions

    Yes

  • Previously published

    No

  • Expedited response

    No

  • Available in print

    Yes

  • Provides contributor copies

    Yes: yes, for all entrants

  • Examples online

    Yes

  • Active on social media

    Yes

Accepted genres

5 genres

Fiction

Max words: 8000

Max pieces: 1

One longer piece or up to 3 pieces of flash prose

Flash Fiction

Max words: 1000

Max pieces: 3

Nonfiction

Max words: 8000

Max pieces: 1

One longer piece or up to 3 pieces of flash prose

Flash Nonfiction

Max words: 1000

Max pieces: 3

Poetry

Min pieces: 3

Max pieces: 3

6 pages max

Fiction

Max words: 8000

Max pieces: 1

One longer piece or up to 3 pieces of flash prose

Flash Fiction

Max words: 1000

Max pieces: 3

Nonfiction

Max words: 8000

Max pieces: 1

One longer piece or up to 3 pieces of flash prose

Flash Nonfiction

Max words: 1000

Max pieces: 3

Poetry

Min pieces: 3

Max pieces: 3

6 pages max

Statistics

We're able to provide them because you use our tracker!
You're the best!

Track submission

177

Total submissions tracked

103 days

Average response time

2.61%

Average acceptance rate

17 days

Fastest response time

240 days

Slowest response time

*Weird response times we excluded from calculations: 633 days, 806 days, 1667 days, 1793 days, 2002 days

How to submit

Process

-

Cover letters

Coming soon! Advice from editors on what your cover letter and bio should look like!

Eligibility

No specific eligibility requirements

Formatting

Coming soon! All the Times New Romans and double spaces!

Rights for published work

Coming soon! First, third, none, all the rights!

Additional info

Pays! $25 per printed page, with a maximum payment of $150. Submission fee for print submissions All U.S. entrants will receive a one-year subscription to Ninth Letter. All international entrants will receive a copy of our Fall/Winter 2023-24 print issue. $1000 prize for contests! The print copies look amazing!

About the Magazine

Founded in 2004 | United States

Masthead

We currently list only main editors, more will be added later! If you are an editor, you can edit your masthead in our admin panel :)

Liz Harms

Editor-in-Chief

Michael Hurley

Editor-in-Chief

Amy Hassinger

Fiction Editor

Christopher Kempf

Creative Nonfiction Editor

Ángel García

Poetry Editor