Submission Guidelines

We welcome work from both emerging and established creators, and we are especially committed to uplifting Southern creators and publishing hopefuls whose stories are often overlooked. Rooted Literary Magazine is looking for work that makes us question our convictions or pushes the boundaries of genre and narrative. We are especially drawn to speculative fiction and pieces that challenge conventions, expand perspectives, or reimagine reality.

We currently accepting submissions for our Spring anthology, Rooted in: Music and our online mini-issue, themed on Luck. We accept Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Audio (Spoken Word/Music, Musings), Video (Film, Animation, Video Essays), and Visual Art.

Please read our submission guidelines below before submitting.

We accept pieces from each category:

Poetry
Short Fiction
Flash Fiction
Creative Nonfiction (Personal Essays, Book Reviews)
Visual Art (Photography/Illustration/Graphics)
Audio (Spoken Word Poetry/Music)
Video (Animation/Short Film/Visualizers)

Formatting Guidelines

Flash Fiction: 1000 words or less
Short Stories: 5000 words or less
Poetry: Up to 3 poems (6 pages max)
Nonfiction: 2000 words or less
- All written work should be submitted as a PDF, Word, .docx
Visual Art: Up to 3 pieces
- Visual Art should be submitted as JPEG or PNG
Audio: Up to 4 Minutes
- Audio should be submitted as MP3 files
Video: Up to 5 Minutes
- Video should be submitted as MP4 files
12 Pt. Times New Roman Double-Spaced. *Poetry can be single-spaced
All submissions must be original and unpublished.

Other Restrictions

Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please withdraw your submission if accepted elsewhere.
Any work created entirely, in part by, or with the assistance of generative AI will be rejected.
We do not accept the following:
- Fanfiction of any kind (Work based on copyrighted characters, universes, or celebrity likenesses),
- Erotica (Sexual content that exists solely to arouse; non-erotic intimacy is fine.),
- Gratuitous Gore or Violence (Work that relies on shock value, graphic detail, or exploitation which does not primarily serve a narrative purpose)
- Explicit Hate Speech or Discriminatory Content (Work that promotes harm, discrimination, bigotry, or harassment toward marginalized groups.)
- Overtly Religious or Proselytizing Content (Work centered on preaching, conversion, religious instruction, or material intended to advance a specific religious belief. Faith may be present in a piece, but it cannot be the primary purpose or message.)
All submitters must be 18 years or older at the time of submission.

Submission Guidelines

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