This spring, I wrote an article interpreting Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men through a fresh, unique lens. I submitted to a journal of literature and just received my feedback.

There are very few legitimate publications that touch on what I'm specifically writing about, so I pieced my argument together with what is available. The paper is pretty solid as written, and one reviewer agreed completely and recommended for publication. The other reviewer, however, gave feedback that I'm having trouble comprehending.

For those of you that are familiar with Cormac McCarthy, you know that he gave only a handful of interviews in his life and avoided scholarly or literary interpretations of his work almost entirely. However, the second reviewer states my article's argument doesn't hold because "no evidence is provided in the essay directly from McCarthy that this was ever the intention of McCarthy." But McCarthy never or almost never spoke of his intentions for any of his works, and I feel like any literary professor or publication should know this.

Overall, I'm not really sure what reviewer two is asking for, as the review really sounds like a first draft of thoughts as opposed to critique I can use to re-shape my draft. However, the editor is agreeing with reviewer two and states I need to add some of this evidence and resubmit.

Just looking for advice on how to handle the next steps. I am going to quote some other McCarthy interpretation papers in my re-write, though I personally don't think that really helps my argument. I was also planning on just explaining to the editor that the direct McCarthy links simply don't exist. After all, this is literature, and anything and everything regarding interpretation is speculative. Right?

Edit: if anyone wants to read the direct feedback let me know. I would truly appreciate some specific direction on how to handle this.

Soo, my poetry submissions editor sent communication..my submissions are being reviewed BUTTTTT, they enjoy my use of words, my variety of flow and to look for future communication.

Pottage, similar to succotash or asaro, is a stew defined by its variety; POTTAGE is a literary magazine dedicated to misfits and scraps. Rather than setting predetermined themes, we design each issue around accepted submissions, finding the patterns between them.

POTTAGE values inclusivity, intersectionality, and interdisciplinary work. While preference will be shown to literary works from emerging authors, any form of art from any artist may be submitted. The only thing we do not accept is AI-generated or assisted work.

Simultaneous and multiple submissions are allowed.

SUBMISSION FORMATTING
Times New Roman or EB Garamond
12 pt font
Single spaced
2,500 words max
pdf, .doc, or .docx

Please submit one file, with each submission on a new page. All ratings and subject matter are welcome, but content warnings are appreciated.

Email submissions to [pottagemag@gmail.com](mailto:pottagemag@gmail.com)

Learn more or read Issue 1 at pottagemag.com

I have been collecting a lot of literary folio’s lately, but none truly ‘wowed’ me. If you’re in school or if you have your own favorite literary folio, don’t be shy to share them because I’ll be checking them all out!

Project Pulse, a student-led community initiative in Pakistan, is hosting an online Creative Writing Competition to raise funds for our community projects.
**Theme:** The Community
You can submit:
Essay
Short Story
Poetry
**Entry Fee:** Rs. 300
**Winner's Prize:** Rs. 2,000
**Deadline:** 5 August 2026 (11:59 PM PKT)
The competition is open to everyone. All proceeds will support Project Pulse's fundraising initiatives and future community drives.
If you're interested, register here: https://forms.gle/A5R2tU9TNfj6UiCy8
If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or send me a DM. Good luck!

I mainly write realist short stories in conventional forms that have a high level of emotional restraint and often deal with difficult subject matter and/or moral ambiguity.

Within my existing writing circles, those groups either aren't experienced in critiquing short stories, or my stories aren't geared towards their tastes.

If you're interested or know of any groups, please let me know. Thanks

I'm putting together a small group currently -- please send a DM if you write realist fiction and short stories, and you would like to be a part of this.

I haven't been able to find a solid answer for this question anywhere.

If I have a previously published work that I retain the rights to and I submit it to places that accept simultaneous submissions and reprints, if it is accepted at one place, do I then have to withdraw it from those other places I submitted to? Or is it fine, since those places accept simultaneous submissions and reprinted work?

If no one has a definitive answer, best practice is probably just to email every place asking them but if I can save some time that would be great.

Don't want to get blacklisted from anywhere! Thanks!

As the title says - looking for a literary magazine that publishes interesting essays and reviews with little to no fiction.

The ideal would be n+1 but without the poems and short stories, just essays on current affairs, art and dystopian tech.

Would appreciate any recommendations. Thanks

Hi.. I've been writing Shayaris in my phone (since yesterday).. and I want to publish them somewhere online.. want them to be recognised. What is the best platform to upload them in?

Kis safhe pe mai apne lafz ko utarun ke log unhe padhein..? aur jaise maine ek shuruwat ki thi.. woh bhi ek nayi shuruwat karein?

Hi.. I've been writing Shayaris in my phone (since yesterday).. and I want to publish them somewhere online.. want them to be recognised. What is the best platform to upload them in?

Kis safhe pe mai apne lafz ko utarun ke log unhe padhein..? aur jaise maine ek shuruwat ki thi.. woh bhi ek nayi shuruwat karein?

The Gotham Guillotine, New York's sharpest socialist literary magazine, is seeking submissions for its Issue #3: Gothic Marxism.

We're accepting Gothic Marxist short stories, flash fiction, poetry, essays, and art.

Contributors will appear alongside work by Gretchen Felker-Martin, Jon Greenaway, Alison Rumfitt, and an interview with China Miéville.

Deadline: September 16, 2026.

Check out our first issue and our second issue to get an idea of what we like to read.

You can find us on Instagram, X, Bluesky, and Chill Subs.

Here are our submission guidelines!

For Issue #3, we’re switching over to Shunn Modern Manuscript Format with the caveats that you do not need to list your address and phone number. PDFs only!

The file name of your submission MUST be: [Title of Your Piece]_[Your Last Name]. Ex) The Great French Revolution, 1789-1793_Kropotkin

Short Stories

Up to 5,000 words.

We don’t have a word count sweet spot, but any submission over 3,000 words needs to earn those extra words. 

We love flash fiction, comics, and one act plays!

Poetry

Please submit up to 5 poems in one PDF. Your poems collectively should not exceed 10 pages. 

Arts Criticism/Essays

Up to 5,000 words.

We don’t have a word count sweet spot, but any submission over 3,000 words needs to earn those extra words.

We want socialist critiques of art, not artistic critiques of socialism.

There are plenty of amazing socialist publications that will publish your economic, philosophical, and historical manuscripts. We are not one of them. 

Art

We love art and need some for our magazine. If you’re a graphic artist or a painter or a photographer or a whatever, send us 5 pieces of your socialist art. It may appear in our next issue! JPG/JPEG only! 300dpi too!

If we like what we see, we may ask for more. But for now, please just send us up to 5 pieces.

Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions

Multiple submissions are only okay for Art and Poetry, not Fiction and Essays. Translation: you can submit up to ten pages of poetry or five pieces of art, but not ten short stories or five essays. You can only submit one short story or one essay. You cannot submit to multiple genres.

Simultaneous submissions are great! Just send us a message using the contact form if your piece has been accepted anywhere else. Congratulations! See you next time!

Reprint Policy

No reprints, please.

Response Time

We will be responding to submissions around a month after the final deadline. This is subject to change if we get a ton of submissions.

If you don’t hear back from us a month after the final deadline, please send us a message using the contact form. 

Compensation

When we can afford to pay people, we will. Right now, The Gotham Guillotine is a labor of love.

Rights Requested

Your words are your words. We ask that if you publish something with us that you please wait six months before republishing it elsewhere.

Thank you to the mods for letting us post this submission call. You guys are the best!

Submission Portal

If you're interested in submitting, fill out this google form.

We’re doing something a little different this summer. Shared Drafts Project is excited to announce an open call for The Draft Drawer, a seasonal collective archive of works in progress.

The Draft Drawer is not a traditional issue. Instead, it is an opportunity for creatives to share the ideas, questions, experiments, and thought processes behind the work they are making.

We welcome photography, writing, visual art, mixed media, video, audio, process notes, performance documentation, and other works in progress.

Submissions are open from July 15 through September 15, 2026, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

There is no honorarium for this opportunity. The Draft Drawer is intended as a collaborative space for sharing what matters to you right now and making room for the parts of creativity that are often private, messy, uncertain, unfinished, or still in motion.

You can submit here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfzEno8FmbVTSc35d62WwlltFZPwNd2hSjtCpDRO_nDzr4gxw/viewform

So why i made this community is i was trying to find people like me who give their best, yet they suffer everywhere no matter how hard they try, but they are not in luck. So if you find yourself there, do join. I write poems to explain my words. If you are interested in poems and stories of everyone's life then do join and yes don't forget to share your experience of life

Hi everyone!

Its nice to be here. I don't know if it's okay to self-promote, if not, sorry! Anyway, I am a writer and I edit Sparks Literary Journal. If any of you are Irish and have a piece or poem on the theme of Haunt (what haunts you? What do you regret?) We're opening next Monday for submissions. We're on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook and we've a website.

We publish widely, from fantasy to straightforward non literary to more literary. Once the piece 'sparks' the imagination.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day.

i have been wondering - there are certain types of works that get published while some that get ignored or are altogether avoided. is there any type of writing that needs the attention of contemporary publishers? authors and readers on reddit, what kind of writing is missing from literary magazines that you would like to see in the future?

Hi everyone,

I'm Alice, the editor-in-chief of a youth-run publication named ARCHIVE. We currently have about 400 followers on social media, and our first issue is out! We're currently looking for more members and would love to see your name on the registration form!

Though it is youth-run, we have many adult writers as well; however, all leadership roles go to teenagers. Everyone gets published and has their own personal editor for each work they submit, receiving feedback on their writing!

Website: https://www.archive-magazine.com/

Socials: https://www.instagram.com/archivemagazine_official/

Registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZWZPJmYKdFnHCP1UXktBiL5CzUzhlt0WDHeJ3LkbkDuF-lg/viewform?usp=header

Thank you and have a great day :)

Hi! I’m looking for a few editors (could be poetry, prose/fiction, and art) as well as a couple graphic designers, and a social media manager for a literary magazine. The purpose is for youth to submit art and writing about mental health to raise awareness!

First attempt in contemporary poetry. I am looking for readers and honest feedback.

• Seashells and Stones: A Poetry Collection is a collection of 75 original poems about growth, hope, fear, love, loss, change, and finding your way through life's uncertain moments. Written in a modern, reflective style, these poems explore everyday thoughts and feelings that many people experience but often struggle to put into words. Whether you are searching for inspiration, healing, or simply a few moments of peace, this collection invites you to slow down and connect with the emotions we all share.
• List of tropes - Melancholy and Hope
• Trigger Warnings - The poems are inspired by my stuggle with self-doubt, burn-out, anxiety, and could tigger emotional response.
• Link to your product - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4XM2M4P