Submissions

We open for submissions on June 1!

We are open for submission in all genres during our two annual reading periods: Jan 1-Feb 29 and June 1-July 31. We do not consider submissions outside of our reading periods. Submissions will always be free.

About Submitting to P&L

At Psaltery & Lyre, we want essays, stories, poetry, and hybrid works that expand the borders of sacred and secular. We are particularly interested in works that speak from a place of embodiment — the lived experiences that touch belief and doubt. We use these terms broadly and are interested in reading any work that may brush up against them. If you are unsure whether your work would be a good fit for P&L, check out our archive.

We believe that fostering community is central to the work of a literary journal. We are committed to the values of kindness and inclusion. P&L does not tolerate any writing/writer that is sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise harmful.

Thank you for considering P&L for your work.

How to Submit

General Guidelines

Please read the following guidelines carefully as our submission process has changed in 2024.

We are now using a Google form submission process to keep submissions free (and simple). This requires you to login with your Google account, or make one for free. The form also allows you to enter an alternative (non-gmail) email as your preferred method of communication. If you do not have a Google account and cannot access the submission form, email us at psalteryandlyre@gmail.com to submit. In your email submission, just mention that you are unable to submit via Google form.

Please note that you will not get an email confirming that we have received your work. Trust that if you successfully filled out the Google form, we have received your work. If you want confirmation that you filled out the Google form successfully, you can request a copy of the form be sent to you.

  • All creative work should be attached as a .doc or .docx (if the form requires it, you may also use .pdf)
  • Title the .doc or .docx “Genre- FirstNameLastName.” For example, “Nonfiction-JaneDoe.docx”
  • Send only one submission for each genre per submission window (you can submit to multiple genres in one submission period, but fill out one submission form for each genre)
  • If your work is accepted elsewhere, we kindly ask you to let us know (via email) as soon as possible. Please note the genre and title when you notify us that you are withdrawing the piece
  • We do not accept previously published material
  • We acquire First North American serial rights, and rights revert to the author upon publication. We ask to be acknowledged in any future reprints
  • We aim to respond to all submissions within 3-6 months, but try to get back to you as soon as possible. If you do not hear a response about the state of your submission after 6 months, please email us
  • Previous contributors are encouraged to resubmit to P&L. However, if you received an acceptance from our previous reading period (Jan-Feb), please do not submit during this reading period (June-July) 

Poetry-Specific Submission Guidelines:

  • Send 1-3 poems at a time, totaling no more than 6 pages
  • Include all poems in one document with page breaks between poems
  • Visual poems and genre-bending works are encouraged

Prose-Specific Submission Guidelines:

  • Submit only one piece of fiction per submission window
  • Submit only one piece of nonfiction per submission window
  • We value economy in language, and appreciate flash (limited to 1000 words), but will occasionally take longer works (up to 7000 words)
  • Please use standard formatting and fonts

Hybrid-Specific Submission Guidelines:

  • Submit only one hybrid piece per submission window
  • We value economy in language, and appreciate flash (limited to 1000 words), but will occasionally take longer works (up to 7000 words)

Book Review-Specific Submission Guidelines:

  • We welcome unsolicited reviews of chapbooks and full-length books, including poetry, novels, story collections, essays, etc.
  • Please submit book reviews via email, not Google form (psalteryandlyre@gmail.com)
  • We prefer shorter reviews (1000-1500 words) but are open to longer if the work calls for it
  • Please use standard formatting and fonts

Please email us at psalteryandlyre@gmail.com with any questions!