We are currently open for submissions!

Submission Guidelines

Rathalla Review strives to publish the finest fiction, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art. Our aim is to find work that is vulnerable and honest, personal yet universal, and sharply written. We are currently utilizing rolling submissions, with issues coming out twice a year in addition to our annual issue. Rathalla Review has first North American publication rights for one year, after which the rights revert back to the author.

• All submissions should be typed, 12-point font, double-spaced with a minimum 1-inch margin. Number all pages and include the title.

• Include your word count on the first page or in the cover letter.Your author/artist bio must be 200 characters or less. We reserve the right to edit your bio if it is too long for our magazine.

• Only work submitted through our online submission form will be considered. Submissions will be accepted as either a .DOC, .DOCX, .RTF, or .PDF attachment. Do not use special characters in your filename: ! @ # $ % ^ */

• Please do not zip or compress attachments and please do not embed your submissions in the “Cover Letter” box on the form.

• We do not accept previously published work. This includes self-published work and work published online.

• We do not accept pieces with heavy themes of rape, abuse, or sexual violence.

• Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.

• We will send notice by email regarding the acceptance or rejection of your material within three to six months of submission. Please do not contact us regarding the status of your work before at least three months have passed.

• Please do not re-submit previously submitted material unless expressly asked to do so by the editor.

• Please do not submit again unless you’ve heard back about your current submission.

• If your work is not accepted for an upcoming issue, please wait one submission cycle before submitting work to us again.

• We publish a fall and spring online issue. You will be notified if your work is accepted online. In addition, your work may appear in our annual print issue, which is published in the spring.

Genre Specifications

FICTION
2000-4000 Words

We’re looking for tight, compact, and engaging short stories or novel excerpts that grab our audience and keep them reading until the very last word. Sharp writing, carefully-crafted plots, and compelling characters are a must, with an awareness for current topics and issues. Novel excerpts should be able to stand alone as a complete work.

FLASH FICTION
Up to three submissions not exceeding 1000 Words

We want sharp pieces that display smart, poignant word choices and establish a complete idea within the limited space. Please include the word count in the document. Submit all stories in a single submission. Please do not make separate submissions for each story.

CREATIVE NONFICTION
Up to 3000 Words

We desire essays or book excerpts that feature intentional writing and careful craft. Submitting works that meaningfully blend past and present, those that are playful in form (such as lyric essays), or feature outside voices an research is strongly encouraged. We’re always looking to uplift diverse authors and stories. Book excerpts should be able to stand alone as a complete work.

POETRY
Up to three submissions

Please submit all poems in one single submission by uploading each poem as a separate document. Give the titles and line counts for all poems in the appropriate fields of the submission form. We appreciate poems that have a striking imagery and move beyond the metaphor, with attention paid to individual words and phrases.

ART
Up to ten images

We select artists to feature for each issue of Rathalla Review whose work is incorporated throughout the magazine, including on our cover. Please attach images in Submittable as a .JPEG, .PNG or .PDF file with the size of 300 dpi. Submissions should be formatted to 8.5″ x 11″ with a quarter inch bleed. Please submit 3-4 pieces indicative of your body of work for us to consider. We don’t have a theme, and generally our issues develop a theme based on the art we receive. Please include a short bio of 4-5 sentences as well. If you have an online portfolio, please include the link.