SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

 

MAYDAY Magazine accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translations, and visual art for our semiannual online issues and our annual print edition. We read submissions year-round. Beginning in 2010, we'll do one print edition per year that features the best of the previous year's submissions as well as never before seen work, especially work that is longer than is convenient to read in an online format.

We will pay as funds allow, but we are committed to paying writers for their work, in both our online issues and our annual print edition.

Only electronic submissions are accepted. Please send all submissions to maydaysubmissions@gmail.com.

The subject heading of your email should read: “MAYDAY Genre YOURLASTNAME”

All attachments should be named: “MAYDAY Abbreviated Title YOURLASTNAME”

For example, a lyric essay masquerading as music criticism called “Gutter Rock Beating the Beats of My Heart” sent by John Smith would arrive with the email subject heading “MAYDAY Nonfiction SMITH,” and the attached Word document would be named “MAYDAY Gutter Rock SMITH.”

We encourage submissions that test the boundaries between genres—if you’re not sure how to categorize what you’re sending us, label it with whatever genre seems closest. The label you provide is for initial filing purposes only, and will not impact in any way whether or not your work is accepted for publication.   

Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. Please submit in only one of the following genres at a time, and include a brief cover letter in the body of your email.

Visual Art

Each issue of MAYDAY will feature a single visual artist. Please include a website address where we can view your work, or send 3-5 high-resolution .tiff or .jpg files (zipped to reduce file size, if necessary).

Poetry

Please include 3-5 poems saved in a single Word document.

Microprose

MAYDAY showcases fiction and nonfiction of unusual color and density, prose powerful enough to establish and resolve its effect in 500-1500 words. Please send submissions via Word file.

Translations

Please include the work in its original language along with your translation(s), and assure us in your cover letter that you’ve secured the proper permissions to publish the original author’s work in translation. Submit Word files (.pdf files of scanned originals, if necessary).

Reviews

MAYDAY is interested in broad and deep cultural commentary. If you’re interested in reviewing a new book, regional music scene, tattoo novelist, or mime boxing circuit, please query with details.

Interviews

Most interviews will be conducted by our staff, but if you’re working on something that feels like it belongs at MAYDAY, please query with details.

 

See current table of contents here.