Submissions

Poor Yorick Literary Journal publishes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and photographs/media centered around the theme of “rediscovery.”

What we look for in our submissions

Poor Yorick is a journal about rediscovering the past. Historically, this has meant the stories tied to lost objects. However, it can also mean memories, relationships, traumas, cultures, and ghosts (both literal and figurative). Finding the lost, rekindling old sparks, illuminating the shadows—Poor Yorick celebrates the joy, fear, hardship, and wonder of being human. 

We encourage writers to read our archives to better understand our selection criteria.

Submission guidelines

• Submit all work through Submittable. We do not accept emailed or mailed submissions
• We do not accept previously published material
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please withdraw your submission
• Attach each individual submission as a single .doc, .docx, or .pdf document
• Include a brief cover letter and three- to five-sentence bio with your submission
• We respond to submissions in 1-3 months. If you receive no response by then, you may email editor@pooryorickjournal.com and inquire about your status
• Unfortunately we cannot pay contributors at this time

Genre-specific submission guidelines

• Poetry: Submit each poem as a separate file. If multiple poems are submitted in a single file and one is accepted elsewhere, we will consider the entire submission withdrawn
• Fiction/Nonfiction: Submit prose manuscripts double-spaced. Do not exceed 5,000 words in length
• Artwork/Photography: Submit up to 5 high-resolution images (at least 300 dpi) in .jpg or .png format. Provide a description of each image
• Digital Video Shorts/Photoessays: Submit a link to your work on either YouTube or Vimeo. Set the permissions on both video sites so that we can view it. Your work should not contain unlicensed music. You must own the rights to your video. Do not submit works that are pending distribution or under ownership of a studio
• Songs: We accept previously recorded and released songs provided the submitted recording has not been released by a major record label.

Authors’ rights

If your work is accepted and you consent to its publication, you grant Poor Yorick Exclusive Internet Rights to publish the work. Accepted work will be featured on Poor Yorick‘s website for at least eight weeks and will be archived on the website thereafter. Poor Yorick retains the right to archive accepted work indefinitely and to promote it electronically.

You retain all print rights and other electronic rights. If you do reprint all or a portion of the work, we appreciate the acknowledgment of first publication.

Submission forms