Submission Guidelines

Summer 2022: Unfathomable depths

Submissions are open for issue 05 with a set deadline of Sunday, July 17. Though not required, we have a theme - unfathomable depths - to inspire what you create.
After we trace the edges of the vistas our eyes delineate at first glance, after piercing through the safe shallows of contact between skin and sand, we plunge into the depths of things previously understood. Piercing through the mirage of surfaces we thought we knew, the world starts to slip through our fingers and nerve endings, and we meet an abyss of the beautiful unknown.
Let your creative pieces capture the experience of diving headfirst into unfathomable depths, whatever those depths may be - metaphorical, literal, spiritual, personal. Let instinct guide you through the unknown.

Submit your poetry, fiction and nonfiction, art, and photography for publication–we're open for any work that is honest, original, and bold. We welcome creators of all ages and backgrounds to share their work. All submissions will be considered equally and anonymously. Whether or not you've been published a hundred times or none at all, we will happily view your submission.

Please note that although we accept works from authors of all geographic locations, submissions should be either be originally in English or attached with an English translation.

We accept both previously published and unpublished work, as well as simultaneous submissions. There is no submission fee.

Take into account that Firefly Review is a literary journal read by all ages, so please be conscious of the content you submit. Any vulgarities, slurs, or bigotry of any kind will not be tolerated. Please also refrain from graphic imagery or explicit naming of real people in your works. Thank you!

Under no circumstances do we tolerate plagiarism. By submitting to us, you affirm that your work does not violate copyright law in any form. Please submit work that is entirely original–if your piece is inspired by or based off of another author or artist's work, please acknowledge that in your submission. If your piece is to be published, the information will be included in the issue. Upon submission, you agree that if we choose to publish your piece(s) we will retain archival rights over your work for the purposes of keeping them on our online journal and social media, indefinitely.

General Requirements

We only accept submissions by email. Please send your work to fireflyrevmag@gmail.com

Title your email subject line with your name, the title of your submission, and the genre.

Example: Your Name - Submission Title, Art

In the email, include a third-person autobiography of 50-100 words, as well as a description about your work of 100-150 words. For submissions with numerous pieces, specify which piece you are writing a description about. For example, if you are submitting 3 poems, choose 1 poem to write about.

Below are further details about submitting to each genre. Note: we accept multiple submissions per cycle, but only one submission for each genre. If you plan on submitting in more than one genre, please send us separate submissions.

Genres

We accept works from the genres below. Hybrid forms of work are also encouraged (i.e. an illustrated short story). For all written works, accepted files include .pdf or .docx.

Fiction Submissions

For fiction, we accept flash fiction, short story, and excerpts of novels/novellas. We accept a maximum of 12 pages total, regardless of how many pieces. Include a title and specify the type of fiction at the top of the first page of each piece. Each piece must start on a new page.

All fiction must be double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman.

Please title each document as Yourname_Genre_Title.

Example: AileenXie_Flashfiction_SiftingforGold

Poetry Submissions

We accept up to 5 pages of poetry per submission cycle, regardless of the number of poems being submitted. Please start a new page for each poem and include a title for each poem. All poems should be submitted in one document.

Poetry should be in 12 pt. Times New Roman. Accepted file types include .pdf or .docx format.

Please title your document as Yourname_Poetry.

We accept up to 5 pages of personal essay or memoir, a maximum of 1 submission per cycle. Please include a title for your essay.

Prose should be 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, double-spaced. Accepted file types include .pdf or .docx.

Please title your essay as YourName_PersonalEssay

Personal Essay Submissions

Literary Journalism Submissions

Literary journalism includes investigative report, human interest pieces, travel, and personal commentary. We ask that you do not submit editorials, pieces with strong sociopolitical bias, or target specific groups. Please keep topics appropriate for general audiences. You are accountable for all information you write.

We accept a maximum of 1000 words per piece and up to 2 pieces per submission. Font should be Times New Roman. Submit pieces separately.

Please submit each piece as

Yourname_Genre_Title

Visual Arts + Photography Submissions

We accept up to 5 pieces of art and/or photography in total. For art, specify the type of medium (charcoal, mixed media, etc) in the email with the respective title of the piece. Please attach your pieces as separate files to the body of your email.

Minimum file size is 800 x 600 pixels. Accepted file types include JPG (.jpeg or .jpg) and PNG (.png).

Please title each file as Yourname_Art_Title or

Yourname_Photo_Title.

Example: AileenXie_Art_Vice

We also publish miscellaneous pieces (book & movie reviews, science & tech, and arts & culture articles). We ask for no editorializing or ideological input in these types of submissions. Maximum word count for each article is 650 words.

We accept up to 2 pieces per submission. Font should be Times New Roman. Submit each piece as separate files.

Please title each file as