From June 1st to July 31st, The Gravity of the Thing welcomes submissions for its first New Writers Issue. As it is our goal to support emerging writers, this is our way of creating a welcoming space for writers and artists who are new to publishing. If you like to experiment with language and discover through writing, we encourage you to share your work with us! To be eligible, your submission must be your first creative publication, not including blog posts or literary journals you are associated with academically. That is, if you have never had your writing published in the past, or your creative writing has only ever appeared on websites you curate or in student-run magazines housed at your school or college, then you may submit to this issue.
The Gravity of the Thing is accepting submissions—for both its New Writers Issue and seasonal Fall 2020 issue—in the following general categories:
Short: tell us a story in 3,000 words or less; we are interested in fiction, creative nonfiction, self-contained excerpts, and genre-bending forms.
Flash: a fiction, creative nonfiction, or genre-bending story under 500 words.
Poetry: share one or more poems, prose poems, or multimedia works for a combined count of 500 words or less.
Six Words: a story in six words; you may share up to five stories per submission, but only one will be chosen.
Baring the Device: essays for our Baring the Device column; click here to learn more.
The Gravity of the Thing publishes work on a rolling basis throughout its quarterly reading periods. A majority of submissions are read during the months of February, May, August, and November, so you can expect to hear back from us then—for updates, please subscribe to our newsletter. We only accept previously unpublished work, and although simultaneous submissions are welcome you must notify us immediately if your piece is accepted elsewhere. Please submit only once per reading period, and visit our Baring the Device column to learn about the kinds of submissions we accept. You can also click here to learn about our selection process, or click here for manuscript consultations from our editors.
To submit: send your submission in a single email, either in the body of the email or as an attachment (.doc, .docx, .pdf), to submissions@thegravityofthething.com. If you want your work to be considered for the New Writers Issue, the subject line of your email should read Category, New Writers Issue, “Title of Your Work.” For example:
Poetry, New Writers Issue, “Winter”
If you are submitting to our seasonal Fall 2020 issue, which is open to all writers and artists, the subject line of your email should simply read Category, “Title of Your Work.” For example:
Flash, “Childhood”
All cover letters should include a 2-3 sentence literary bio and, if necessary, please specify whether you are submitting fiction, nonfiction, or a self-contained excerpt. If you want your work to be considered for the New Writers Issue, your cover letter should also include all of your previous publications (if any) so we can determine your eligibility. If you are ineligible for the New Writers Issue, your work will still be considered for the Fall 2020 issue.
By submitting to The Gravity of the Thing you confirm that you hold full copyright on all work submitted. If your writing is accepted for publication, you grant The Gravity of the Thing first publication rights, and all rights to the piece(s) revert to the author upon publication. If your work is later republished, we kindly request you credit The Gravity of the Thing as the initial publisher. Note The Gravity of the Thing nominates its published works for consideration in national anthologies.