Submission Guidelines
POETRY
Shorter poems are preferred. Nothing longer than 30 lines will be considered. We like many styles, including some experimental. Poets we like (for the sake of this publication) Dorriane Laux, James Tate, Sharon Olds, Charles Bukowski and Kim Addonnizio. Poets we don't like (again, as examples) Ezra Pound, Wordsworth, Shakespeare, and T.S. Eliot. We like Gertrude Stein quite a bit. We are on the fence about Emily Dickinson. Avoid the following in your poetry (and perhaps in general): tombstones, roses, suicide, rhyming and classical allusions. We like gritty and urban, but occasionally feel bucolic. Poems about your body that are unusual and don't simper are encouraged. Poems about drugs and toilets will be considered. It is our belief that most poetry suffers from an excess of abstraction. Be as specific and concrete as possible, really. No, more than that. Send between 1-4 poems. Always include a bio. All fiction, poetry and review submissions must be included in the body of the email. BIOS
We would like brief bios included with your submission. Please include your full name, and the state and city in which you live. List past publication or art-related experience, if any. If you have never had work published or shown before, don't hesitate to let us know. Please tell us about your education, activities relating to writing or art, and what it is that you do for your day job. Cuteness in bios is discouraged. Please don't name all your cats. If your work is accepted for publication, your bio will be included in the issue. You may provide relevant links in your bio. THIRTEEN FEET acquires first rights for publication. Rights revert to author/artist upon publication. We reserve the right to reprint the work in the event of a print-based anthology at a later date. THIRTEEN FEET will remain archived on-line until further notice. All fiction, poetry and review submissions must be included in the body of the email.
FICTION
We prefer edgy, open-ended fiction. Modern tales appeal to us. See POETRY above for subjects to embrace or avoid. We want stories that leave the reader thinking. We are not looking for sentimental stories or over-the-top romance features. Pornographic is fine; please do not send anything cliched or poorly written, however. We like Brautigan, Carver and Richard Ford. We don't like O'Henry, Kathryn Ann Porter and Cheever. Subject material is wide open in this category; feel free to send your best work on anything. We tend to accept a very small percentage of fiction submissions received. In terms of word length -- there is no minimum, 2000 words max. Always include a bio. All fiction, poetry and review submissions must be included in the body of the email.
PHOTOGRAPHY
You may send photographs for consideration separately. Please send pictures to be downloaded via e-mail in either JPEG or GIF format. Photographs should be your original work. We like Arbus and Goldin. We gladly consider most subjects, provided that they are done with careful attention to composition and lighting. It is best to have titles for your images, although not necessary. Current editorial needs include interesting, creative photographs of persons and objects, either in black & white or color. Links to webpages of artists' work are also acceptable so that we can query about specific work. Artists retain all rights to their work. Always include a bio. ORIGINAL ARTWORK
Please send any artwork, drawings, or paintings in the same manner as addressed above in PHOTOGRAPHY. We like black and white. A lot. Artists retain all rights to their work. Always include a bio.
REVIEWS
We publish reviews of books of contemporary poetry and literary novels. Reviews of current art shows or a particular artist's work are also welcome. Always include a bio.
Submissions of any kind should be sent via e-mail with "(Poetry, Fiction, Art, Photography, or Reviews, respectively) Submission" in the heading to: Thirteen feet. All fiction, poetry and review submissions must be included in the body of the email. All submissions will be given careful attention and responded to as quickly as possible. If you do not hear from us within three months, please send us an e-mail to check the status of your submission. We look forward to receiving your work at THIRTEEN FEET.
