Washington University in St. Louis

We aim for content that reminds us that our lenses matter—they focus, distort, clarify, conceal. 

The first issue of The Spectacle was launched in the fall of 2015, with Kelly Caldwell, Cassie Donish, and Jonathan McGregor at the helm. Twice a year, the magazine publishes issues that include poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and visual art. 

Based out of the English, Creative Writing, and Visual Art departments at Washington University in St. Louis, The Spectacle is committed to publishing work from under-represented voices, including BIPOC, women, people from LGBTQIA+ communities, and people who have disabilities.

Literary magazines recently opened for submissions that don't charge fees and pay for acceptances. Fresh opportunities.

Recently Opened Fee-Free Paying Magazines

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

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

Most Competitive Literary Magazines of All Time

THE SPECTACLE

Art Submission Guidelines:
We are seeking one piece of visual art to serve as the cover issue for our upcoming issue.
Please send us up to five images of your artwork. We welcome all mediums, as long as they're rendered in 2D (i.e. photographs of sculptures).  Make sure your attachments are high resolution .jpgs (300-600dpi).
Please note that current students of Washington University in St. Louis, or alumni who have graduated three or fewer years ago, are not eligible for publication in The Spectacle.
Please note, too, that we do not accept any AI-generated or AI-assisted work.

General call

THE REVUE Submission Guidelines:
(Please ONLY send us one submission at a time. Do not submit to multiple categories at once.) In the "Title" field provided, indicate to which category you're submitting, and include a brief cover note in the "Cover Letter" field. Only submit one document per submission. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please withdraw your submission immediately via Submittable. If you need to partially withdraw a submission, please do not email us; simply add a note to your submission.
ENCOUNTER: Open to encounters with books, visual art, film, music, theater, dance, clothing, furniture, buildings, etc. Also, reviews of those encounters.
EPHEMERA: Flash fiction. Clusters of mini-stories. Hybrid essays. Notes that don't fall squarely in either the creative or the critical. Strange juxtapositions, historical coincidences, etymologies, recipes, witchery. Get weird with it. Send us the writing you can't find a place for anywhere else. Maybe we'll take it off your hands.

THE REVUE — Fiction

THE REVUE — Multimedia

THE REVUE — Hybrid

Nonfiction Submission Guidelines:
We accept memoir, personal essay, literary journalism, flash nonfiction, and other forms of creative nonfiction. All genres and approaches welcome. Maybe send us something freaky.
Please submit your previously unpublished work as a doc or docx file, and include a brief cover note in the cover letter field. We generally publish nonfiction of 5,000 words or fewer. All pieces submitted through our manager should follow this length requirement.
We're happy to accept simultaneous submissions, but if your work is accepted elsewhere, please withdraw your submission immediately via Submittable. (Please do not email us! We won't see it!)
Publication in an issue includes a $50 honorarium.
Please note that current students of Washington University in St. Louis, or alumni who have graduated three or fewer years ago, are not eligible for publication in The Spectacle.
Please note, too, that we do not accept any AI-generated or AI-assisted work.
Submissions close on November 1 or when we've met our cap, whichever comes first.

Nonfiction

Poetry Submission Guidelines:
Please submit up to 3 previously unpublished poems, totaling up to 8 pages, as one file (doc or docx), and include a brief cover note in the cover letter field. We welcome all genres and approaches. Maybe send us something freaky.
We accept simultaneous submissions, but if your work is accepted elsewhere, please withdraw your submission immediately via Submittable. If you need to withdraw individual poems from a submission, add a note to your submission. (Please do not email us! We won't see it!)
Publication in an issue includes a $50 honorarium.
Please note that current students of Washington University in St. Louis, or alumni who have graduated three or fewer years ago, are not eligible for publication in The Spectacle.
Please note, too, that we do not accept any AI-generated or AI-assisted work.
Submissions close on November 1 or when we've met our cap, whichever comes first.

THE SPECTACLE

Highlights

About

Featured Call

Art

Appears in collections