Raising Mothers

We seek fiction with a strong narrative arc and a distinctive voice. Word count is between 1,500-4,000 words.

We publish first-person narrative essays that use the personal as an entry point to larger themes, questions, and conversations. Unless otherwise discussed, published pieces can run to a maximum of 4,000 words.

Editors: Sherisa de Groot and Danielle Jernigan We're interested in essays that focus on the writing life, craft, criticism, and advice. Where applicable, essays should include a prompt. We’re open to everything, but keenly interested in the process of revision, getting started, pep talks, and writing at the intersection of identity, culture or place. Some examples: Writing Nonbinary Characters, How to Write a Novel, How to Schedule Time, What to do When You Can't Write, Submitting for Residencies, Finding an Agent, etc.

Submit a book excerpt for a recently published (within the last 12 months) or upcoming title. Also include a color press photo and an image of the cover art. We strongly prefer authors submit their work to us directly. No self-published works, please.

We’re interested in personal essays and other forms of creative nonfiction that explore the intersection of joy and motherhood/parenthood. Specifically, essays that require the reader to sit with the way our desires and longings for pleasure and joy are impacted by both the practicalities of parenting as well as the often-unspoken emotional and psychological conflicts that can arise from mothering while Black/Brown. That said, the center of any piece should be joy and not necessarily trauma or pain.

We’re interested in essays, book lists/roundups, reviews, and interviews for adult titles. Each are detailed below. REFLECTIONS (always open) Word count 100-150 words Quick bite reviews that will be highlighted in the quarterly editor’s picks posts. These reviews are brief reflections on why/how the recommended book aligns to parenting/motherhood. CONNECTIONS (always open) Word count 800-2000 words Thought-provoking essays that tie in the personal with the storyline or subject matter of the book. These can be personal essays, humorous, lyrical, or experimental essays that highlight a specific connection between what’s been read and the writer’s personal experience. TRADITIONAL BOOK REVIEWS (always open) Word count 250-500 words Summarize the premise of the book and tell the reader what they can expect or take away from the reading. • Authors cannot write traditional reviews for their own work. • Traditional reviews are published anonymously. Readers will not know who reviewed books in this category. 🌺 FLOWERS (always open) Word count 250-500 words Reviews of forthcoming titles only that are exceptional and receive a “flowers” emoji mean that the book is highly recommended. We are giving books and authors their flowers! • Authors cannot write flower reviews for their own work. • Flowers reviews are published anonymously. Readers will not know who reviewed books in this category. BOOK LISTS / ROUNDUPS (always open) Word count 700-1000 words We’re interested in themed book lists on topics that intersect craft, social justice, reproductive justice, identity, food culture, and other similarly related subjects by and about the Global Majority.

We’re interested in essays, book lists/roundups, reviews, and interviews for adult and children’s titles. There's a lot here, so keep reading for a full breakdown of what you can submit. REFLECTIONS Word count 100-150 words Quick bite reviews that will be highlighted in the quarterly editor’s picks posts. These reviews are brief reflections on why/how the recommended book aligns to parenting/motherhood. CONNECTIONS Word count 800-2000 words Thought-provoking essays that tie in the personal with the storyline or subject matter of the book. These can be personal essays, humorous, lyrical, or experimental essays that highlight a specific connection between what’s been read and the writer’s personal experience. TRADITIONAL BOOK REVIEWS Word count 250-500 words Summarize the premise of the book and tell the reader what they can expect or take away from the reading. • Authors cannot write traditional reviews for their own work. • Traditional reviews are published anonymously. Readers will not know who reviewed books in this category. 🌺 FLOWERS Word count 250-500 words Reviews of forthcoming titles only that are exceptional and receive a “flowers” emoji mean that the book is highly recommended. We are giving books and authors their flowers! • Authors cannot write flower reviews for their own work. • Flowers reviews are published anonymously. Readers will not know who reviewed books in this category. BOOK LISTS / ROUNDUPS Word count 700-1000 words We’re interested in themed book lists on topics that intersect craft, social justice, reproductive justice, identity, food culture, and other similarly related subjects by and about the Global Majority. For children’s titles, think of ways to address an issue, or answer big and small questions a child might ask. Each book should include a brief intro, and a small paragraph per selection detailing how it relates to the theme (around 100 words each).

We’re interested in essays and interviews that continue the tradition of deeply exploring the work and lives behind the writers of that work. Explore your favorite author and/or texts. Share how they have impacted you and your writing. We accept essays and completed interviews for this column.

We are interested in both traditional and non-traditional forms of visual storytelling. Submit up to 3 pieces of narrative illustration, comics, mixed media narrative, or genre-negative oddments. For comics, each piece should contain a minimum of 3 panels. There is no page limit for this category. Title image must be at least 1200px wide.