We’re looking for engaging art, fiction, nonfiction, and prose poetry. Most of all, we want your work to make us feel something. We want to reach the last word and immediately crave more. We want your work to leave a brilliant bruise.

Pithead Chapel is an independent and volunteer-run literary journal and small press founded in 2012 in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We publish art, fiction, nonfiction, and prose poetry online every month by emerging and established artists.

Prose poetry! Everyone loves it except those who hate it, and if that sounds like you then, hey—hey, what are you doing here? Go iambic pentameter yourself.

Lit Mags That Love Prose Poems

Publications with stories in this respected annual flash fiction showcase. Perhaps the most prestigious flash-specific recognition.

Lit Mags in Wigleaf's Top 50

Basically what it says in the title. Our top most bookmarked fee-free lit mags that nominate for the Pushcart Prize.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize (and Don’t Charge Fees)

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

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

The ultimate ranking of the world's liveliest indie literary magazines, curated by author and editor Charlie Fish. These are the passion projects; the kaleidoscopic cutting edge.

FISH List of Lively Indie Literary Magazines 2025

FISH List of Lively Indie Literary Magazines 2026

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

Looking for balance between prestige and accessibility? These magazines are competitive but attainable for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writers.

Literary Magazines in the Sweet Spot

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

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

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

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

These magazines have the fastest response times, so you won't be left hanging for months. No more endless waiting. Just, you know, regular waiting.

Literary Magazines with the Fastest Response Times

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

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

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

Pithead Chapel

Fiction submissions up to 4,000 words should be submitted here. We only accept one story per submission and this includes flash fiction.  Please adhere to these guidelines when submitting to Pithead Chapel:   		Name, email address, and phone number appears on the first page of the story  		Work is double spaced and has a 12-point font  		Work has page numbers  		Pithead Chapel doesn’t consider previously published work (this includes journals, blogs, etc.)  		Please don’t send us genre fiction; we aren’t the market for it  		Your third-person bio should be included in the cover letter   Please submit one story at a time and wait for a response before sending us another  	If your submission is declined, please wait one month before sending us a new piece

Fiction

Nonfiction submissions less than 4,000 words should be submitted here.	We're interested in personal, memoir, lyric, flash (short-shorts), hybrid, and experimental essays; we aren't interested in critical essays. Please adhere to these guidelines when submitting to Pithead Chapel:   		Name, email address, and phone number appears on the first page of the story  		Work is double spaced and has a 12-point font  		Work has page numbers  		Pithead Chapel doesn’t consider previously published work (this includes journals, blogs, etc.)  		Your third-person bio should be included in the cover letter   Please submit one piece at a time and wait for a response before sending us another  If your submission is declined, please wait one month before sending us a new piece

Nonfiction

Important: We only accept prose poetry; no traditional forms (lineated poems, sonnets, sestinas, villanelles, limericks, etc.). If you send us a traditional, lineated poem, we will automatically decline it.
Please submit 1-3 prose poems within a single Word document and wait for a response before sending us another. If you need to withdraw an individual poem (and not the entire submission of poems) from consideration, please send an email to pitheadchapel@gmail.com and let us know the title(s) that are no longer available.
Here are a few prose poems that we admire: The Fire Cycle by Zachary Schomburg and Two Prose Poems by Nin Andrews.

Please adhere to these guidelines when submitting to Pithead Chapel:

  Name, email address, and phone number appears on the first page of your submission
  Work is double spaced and has a 12-point font
  Document is saved as a rtf, .doc, or .docx file (we will not accept any other file types)
  Pithead Chapel doesn’t consider previously published work (this includes journals, blogs, etc.)
  Your third-person bio should be included in the cover letter
  If your submission is declined, please wait one month before sending us a new poem or poems

Prose Poetry

We’re pleased to announce the ninth annual  Larry Brown Short Story Award. The winners will receive the following prizes: 1st $500 USD, 2nd $50 USD, 3rd $50 USD, and 4th and 5th will receive a copy of the book Tiny Love: The Complete Stories by Larry Brown. Each prize winner will be published in the January 2025 issue of Pithead Chapel. 
2023 Guest Judge: Sequoia Nagamatsu

Contest Guidelines
Please read the guidelines carefully before submitting

  The contest is open from August 1st to October 31st of each year
  The submitted story must be less than 4,000 words
  No previously published work will be considered
  The writer's name and contact information should only appear on the cover letter; submissions will be judged blindly by our guest judge
  Again, no identifying information should appear on the submitted manuscript
  There's a $10 entry fee for each story submission
  Simultaneous submissions are fine, but if your story is accepted elsewhere, immediately withdraw the story from consideration
  Writers can submit multiple entries; however, each entry must be submitted separately and each entry requires an entry fee and cover letter with an address and phone number
  The winner and honorable mentions will be notified by December 15th, 2024
  Those selected as honorable mentions will have the chance to be published alongside the winning selections in the January 2025 issue of Pithead Chapel

The Larry Brown Short Story Award

We’re pleased to announce the ninth annual  Larry Brown Short Story Award. The winners will receive the following prizes: 1st $500 USD, 2nd $50 USD, 3rd $50 USD, and 4th and 5th will receive a copy of the book Tiny Love: The Complete Stories by Larry Brown. Each prize winner will be published in the January 20215issue of Pithead Chapel. 
 2024 Guest Judge: Danielle Lazarin
 
 Contest Guidelines
 Please read the guidelines carefully before submitting
 
This discounted submission category is only open to BIPOC writers.  Please do not submit in this category if you are not a BIPOC writer.

  The contest is open from August 1st to October 31st of each year
  The submitted story must be less than 4,000 words
  No previously published work will be considered
  The writer's name and contact information should only appear on the cover letter; submissions will be judged blindly by our guest judge
  Again, no identifying information should appear on the submitted manuscript
  Simultaneous submissions are fine, but if your story is accepted elsewhere, immediately withdraw the story from consideration
  There's a $5 entry fee for each story submission
  Writers can submit multiple entries; however, each entry must be submitted separately and each entry requires an entry fee and cover letter with an address and phone number
  The winner and honorable mentions will be notified by December 15th, 2024
  Those selected as honorable mentions will have the chance to be published alongside the winning selections in the January 2025 issue of Pithead Chapel

The Larry Brown Short Story Award for BIPOC writers only

We're looking for cover art for our  upcoming online issues. Previous issues have featured paintings and photography--both realistic and abstract. Browse through our archives to get a sense of what we like. 
Images have to be 600x760 (600 pixels wide by 760 pixels tall), and 72 ppi. We can resize images, but we don't pad our images, and the image needs to take up the entirety of the cover. If the image doesn't fit our size, we will need to crop it.
 
 Submit up to three pieces at a time. After we respond, you're welcome to submit again if you have more work that fits. 
 You'll retain the rights to your work, and you may send art that has been featured in other arenas--gallery shows, portfolios--but we ask that you do not submit art that has already appeared in another literary journal. In addition, you must be the copyright owner of your submitted work.
 
Selected art is incorporated into our cover design, which includes our logo. Each cover will be featured the duration of the month, then may be accessed from the "archives" portion of our site.

Pithead Chapel

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The Larry Brown Short Story Award

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