Submit to The Lit 2024
General submissions for the 2024 edition of The Lit are open through Friday, April 12, 11:59pm.
Submissions for the LGBTQIA will remain open until Wednesday, May 1, 11:59pm. You can submit to both—in any genre—using the submissions links below.
Call for Submissions — Spring 2024 Issue.
We can’t wait to see your work. We’re looking for writing & art from current LaGuardia Community College students and alums.
The deadline to submit is Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
What we’re looking for
You can submit to only one genre —
Flash Fiction* -1 piece, 1,000 words max.
Flash Creative Nonfiction** – 1 piece, 1,000 words max.
Both flash fiction & flash creative nonfiction pieces should be complete stories/narratives that can stand on their own — no excerpts from longer stories, novels, nonfiction narratives, or memoirs, please, unless you’ve somehow re-shaped them to work as solo pieces.
Poetry – up to 3 poems max, 5 pages total max. We’re also open to hybrid forms that incorporate art and/or digital media, and experimental work.
Visual or Digital Art – photo, design, painting, drawing, graphic narratives – 2 works max.
Other Media – stand-alone playlets or stand-alone scenes from a screenplay (5 pages max); comics or graphic narratives (10 pages max); visual or video poetries (3 pages max). Please contact us at submissions.thelit@gmail.com about video or other media submissions.
* “Flash” refers to the shortened length of the piece—here 1,000 words.
**”Creative nonfiction” includes many genres but especially memoir, autobiography, and personal essays. These nonfiction pieces should be 1,000 words or less.
What we’re not into
Bigotry of any kind. We don’t dig racism, transphobia, homophobia, misogyny, graphic violence or sex (the kind that’s only done for shock value), or xenophobia.
Representation matters. Think about whose story you are trying to tell, and if you are the best one to tell it. Think about whose voices have been marginalized. Consider if you are trying to tell a story, or write a character, that another creator — whose own voice has been marginalized — could tell or know better.
LGBTQIA Writing + Art Contest
This spring, The Lit is partnering with Casa de las Américas to award the best LGBTQIA writing and art from students and alums! We are accepting art in the same categories as regular submissions. If you are a LGBTQIA-identifying student or alum, use this link if you wish to be considered for the contest. Winners will be published in The Lit.
There will be 2 winners per category. All winners will receive a $50 gift card. Winners will be announced in June.
More info…
The Lit publishes an issue once a year, during the spring semester.
We only consider previously unpublished materials (this includes blogs, personal websites, other publications, social media — you get the drift). The Lit asks for first-time electronic publication rights, and we ask that you acknowledge a piece was published here first if your work is re-printed/published elsewhere; by submitting to us you are agreeing to these terms.
Contact us at submissions.thelit@gmail.com with any questions.