SUBMIT TO LUMINA

Submissions for 2024 are now closed.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Submissions are open to everyone except currently enrolled MFA Writing students at Sarah Lawrence College.

You may send one submission per genre per issue.

All submissions must be in PDF format (see specifications for visual art).

All work must be previously unpublished.

We will not accept any pieces written by, with assistance from, or in collaboration with Generative AI.

We accept simultaneous submissions. Please let us know if your work has been accepted elsewhere by adding a message on Submittable.

We are currently unable to offer monetary compensation for accepted submissions.

NOTE: Gratuitous violence or depictions of violence that advance strategies of marginalization rather than challenge them will not be tolerated.

FICTION

A Note From Our Editors:

We are looking to publish an inclusive and diverse array of writers from a wide range of backgrounds. We believe that fiction is porous, and that all good writing possesses some element of the unreal. While we’re accepting of all styles, approaches, and voices, the fiction team hopes to publish work that centers the day-to-day, recognizable trials of our shared world. These works may be documentarian, strictly literal, or real-world oriented stories, or may be informed by the speculative, leveraging metaphor or analogue to reflect lived experiences. The content might be true to the internal world (Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”) or the external world (George Saunders, “Semplica-Girl Diaries,” CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, etc.), but should always hold a mirror to the everyday and the mundane.

Submission Guidelines:

All submissions may be up to 4,000 words in 12 pt. font in a single PDF file.

Please do not include any identifying details (e.g. name) in the submission file.

All work must be previously unpublished.

We accept simultaneous submissions. Please let us know if your submission has been accepted elsewhere by adding a message on Submittable.

NONFICTION

A Note From Our Editors:

We encourage you to push the boundaries of what non-fiction means to you, whether this is in content, style, language, or form. We're excited to see work that moves differently: not just from beginning to end, but in circles, repetitions, and digressions. We believe that non-fiction can take strange shapes; break convention if you wish!

Submission Guidelines:

For non-flash pieces, submissions must be 3,000 to 5,000 words.

For flash pieces, you may submit multiple stories but the combined word count should not exceed 1,000 words.

All submissions must be in 12 pt. font and included within a single PDF file.

Please do not include any identifying details (e.g. name) in the submission file.

All work must be previously unpublished.

We accept simultaneous submissions. Please let us know if your submission has been accepted elsewhere by adding a message on Submittable.

POETRY

A Note From Our Editors:

We champion pieces that surprise, inspirit, and propel the reader to different realms of feeling, place, and consciousness. We welcome poems that deliver us into the human experience through inventive forms, translingual and transcultural text, fresh approaches to diction and indulgences of sound. But, most of all, we value poetry that is authentic to you.

Additionally, in a world grappling with war, brutality, and identity-based injustice, we also strive to provide a platform for voices to reflect on these crises that impact them and those they care about. Therefore, we encourage writers to submit works that delve into the ways social unrest influences individual experience.

Submission Guidelines:

You may submit 1 to 4 poems in a single PDF file (max. 5 pages)

Please do not include any identifying details (e.g. name) in the submission file.

All work must be previously unpublished.

We accept simultaneous submissions. Please let us know if your submission has been accepted elsewhere by adding a message on Submittable.

SPECULATIVE FICTION

A Note From Our Editors:

We are looking for prose in any genre which might be considered speculative, such as: fantasy, science fiction, horror, weird fiction, and magical realism. We are especially interested in stories which defy traditional genre boundaries, either by combining, subverting, or experimenting with speculative genres. Our selections will prioritize work which pushes the limits and expectations of storytelling, work which challenges dominant beliefs, and work which centers marginalized perspectives. Although any and all speculative elements are welcome, tired tropes in genre (as listed here by Clarkesworld Magazine), without some innovation or repurposing, are unlikely to appeal to us.

Our editors are all eager for a variety of styles and themes:

Harrison will read anything, but is hoping to see stories that are unapologetic about the genre(s) they’re working in. Favorite authors include: Yoon Ha Lee, Samantha Shannon, and Robin McKinley.

Molly is after unique works with striking imagery that take great relish in the language used. And pulpy, B-movie vibes. Authors on her mind include: Mervyn Peake, Michael Shea, and Caitlín R. Kiernan.

Sasha is looking for literary and upmarket cosmic, body, and creature horror which breaks your heart. A few favorite authors are: Nathan Ballingrud, Laird Barron, and Selah Saterstrom.

Submission Guidelines:

We prefer submissions to be 1,000 - 5,000 words. Please use Modern Manuscript Format, and submit the document as a PDF.

Please do not include any identifying details (e.g. name) in the submission file.

All work must be previously unpublished.

We accept simultaneous submissions. Please let us know if your submission has been accepted elsewhere by adding a message on Submittable.

Additional Information:

Lumina’s Spec Fic team will not accept any pieces written by, with assistance from, or in collaboration with Generative AI.

While we do not mandate content warnings, we welcome them for those who believe their work may warrant them.

VISUAL ART

A Note From Our Editors:

We're interested in art that focuses on the little things. “Bad art” or art done by folks who might not call themselves artists.

Submission Guidelines:

You may submit up to three images that best represent your work that have a minimum resolution of 300 DPI.

Submissions must be in TIFF or JPEG format.

Please feel free to include short (~150 word) artist bio with your application in the appropriate field on Submittable (not in your submission file).

Please do not include any identifying details (e.g. name) in the submission file.

All work must be previously unpublished.

We accept simultaneous submissions. Please let us know if your submission has been accepted elsewhere by adding a message on Submittable.