Our next submission period will be open from October 1, 2023 to October 31, 2023.
NOTE: We may close the reading period early by genre if volume demands. We want to be sure to give your work the attention it deserves! Please keep this in mind as you consider submitting your work.
General guidelines:
We seek deeply human work that will teach us something about life, but also about the craft of writing or visual art, and work that is original in its approach and that in some way moves us. Publishing and celebrating a diverse range of voices is important to us, so please include in your cover letter a brief biographical statement (50 words or less) as you would like it to appear with your published work. For more on what we look for in submissions, read an interview with our founding editor.
We accept simultaneous submissions. However, please withdraw your work immediately should a piece you’ve submitted be accepted elsewhere. If you are withdrawing your entire submission, please log in to your Submittable account and click “withdraw.” If you are withdrawing only a part of your poetry or art submission, please add a note to your submission advising which piece(s) you are withdrawing. We strive to respond to all submissions within 2 months. You can track your submission with Duotrope.
We also offer a feedback request service, which features written feedback from our highly qualified reviewer team. Please submit under the appropriate category. Work submitted to this service is not considered for publication. Writers and artists are welcome to submit to Mud Season Review for publication during reading periods.
We do not accept mailed submissions, emailed submissions, multiple submissions (submitting again to the same or another category before getting a response), or anything that has previously appeared in print or online (including on your personal blog or website, artwork excepted). We accept flash fiction; please include two to three pieces in your submission. We do not accept translations at this time. If you have already been published in Mud Season Review, please refrain from submitting for one year after the date of the issue in which you were published. Please send submissions through Submittable only; submissions sent via email will not be considered. Please use a standard 12-point font. For fiction and nonfiction, please double space.
We acquire First North American Serial Rights (FNASR) upon acceptance and retain exclusive rights to your accepted piece for 90 days after publication. After that, we will archive your piece online and may include it in one of our print editions. Should you choose to reprint the piece in the future, please mention that your piece was originally published in Mud Season Review.
We pay authors and featured artists $50 for work that appears in our issues. For artists whose images are paired with writing, and for poets whose work appears in The Take: Mud Season Review, we offer payment of $15.