General Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in District Lit. We publish poetry, prose, and art on a rolling basis. Founded in 2011, our mission is publishing the best work from new and emerging writers, complemented by interviews with diverse visual artists. Our vision is an online community in which we present the stories that writers want to tell and that readers want to read.

We do not accept e-mail submissions; all work must be submitted through Submittable. Submissions that are emailed to any of our editors will not be read. We’re excited about your work!

Please note: Our general guideline for short stories is that they must be under 4,000 words.

Simultaneous Submissions

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. Those wishing to remove individual pieces but not entire submissions should let us know through a note on Submittable; you can leave a note by clicking on your submission and clicking “Activity.”

We try to respond to submissions efficiently. Please wait thirty days to query us at Editor@DistrictLit.com.

Previously Published Work

We do not accept previously published works, including those published on the Internet. Upon publication, all rights revert to the author or artist.

Waiting Period for Re-submission

Please wait at least six months after your submission to submit again. If you submit your work before the six-month waiting period has elapsed, we will not read the submission and we are unable to refund "Tip Jar" fees for submissions that do not follow this guideline.

Accessibility

We currently use Submittable for processing submissions because it helps with metrics. However, if you use a screen-reader and Submittable is not possible for you, please email Editor@DistrictLit.com to query about submitting to us. We can arrange for a direct submission for those using screen-readers.