- Submission fees apply to everyone EXCEPT current subscribers to The Main Street Rag submitting work to The Main Street Rag quarterly journal.
- Report time: 2-16 weeks (depending on genre and how busy we are).
- Simultaneous submissions permitted as long as the author informs us immediately (through Submittable) when a piece has been accepted elsewhere.
- Previously Published material: NO for the journal unless solicited by magazine editor, but some of our anthologies do allow this. Read the guidelines for the individual project.
- Author’s name and physical address must appear somewhere on submitted work, preferably on page or a cover letter unless otherwise specified (contests/blind reading anthologies).
- New Submissions. Once an author’s work is accepted for publication in the journal, please wait until after it has been published before submitting new work.
- Submission period: We usually read year-round for the literary magazine; however, with Submittable as a processor, reading periods for individual genres and projects may vary and will be opened and closed at point of submission as necessary. We do this when we are severely backlogged so authors don't have to wait overly long for their work to be published. If a specific genre does not appear as an option on our Submittable page, we are backlogged more than one year in that genre and will not be considering again until we catch up. This most often happens with prose manuscripts.
- Please note: We charge a reading fee for general submissions. However, as a benefit to those who help support what we do here by subscribing to our literary journal, some categories are free to literary magazine subscribers. We always look first, so if you are not a subscriber, please don't use this option to submit.
What is it that makes a region unique? That’s the question we want to answer. America’s North Coast, defined for this anthology as the Great Lakes region. In their voices, we want to hear the poetic stories of those who have lived, worked, vacationed or just passed through.
Guidelines (poetry):
- Submission period opens May 1 and ends June 30.
- Include a cover letter with the author's name, contact information, and a list of the titles entered. Please let us know which of these entries have not been previously published.
- No names should appear on the entry file and no bio on the cover letter. Poems will be judged blindly.
- Format: 12pt Times New Roman (or similar--no San Serifs), single space, lines no longer than 4.5 inches long, include no images.
- All poems should be submitted together in a single WORD file—no PDFs.
- Maximum length per poem is 60 lines.
- No AI generated work.
- Previously published will be considered but will not be eligible for prize money.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please withdraw if accepted elsewhere.
- Submissions will be processed through Submittable (Link below).
- All contributors will receive one free copy.
- We will award prizes for the best poems that have NOT been previously published. To be considered for these awards, authors must identify whether their work as previously unpublished in their cover letter. Award amounts: $150/$75/$50 for First through Third
- Place, Honorable Mentions receive $25/each.
- Entry fee: $5 for up to three poems. Multiple entries are permitted, but each entry will cost $5/3 poems. Payments are handled by Submittable and they accept credit/debit cards or ACH payments.
Guidelines (images):
- Submission period opens May 1 and ends June 30.
- Include a cover letter with the author's name, contact information, and a list of the images entered. We realize not all artists and photographers title their work, but we need it for the sake of judging, so help us out here.
- No AI generated photos or artwork.
- No images for which the artist/photographer has already received an award or payment.
- All entries should be presented in jpg or pdf format and emailed to editormsr@outlook.com
- No names should appear on image and no bio on the cover letter. Images will be judged blindly.
- All contributors will receive one contributor copy.
- Prizes will be $150 (cover)/$75/$50 for Second and Third Place, Honorable Mentions receive $25/each.
- Entry fee: $5 for up to three images. Multiple entries are permitted, but it's $5/3 items.
- Payments can be made by check, Venmo, Zelle, or credit/debit card (the latter will need to be invoiced).
- Please wait for confirmation of payment receipt to email entries.
Where the Rivers Meet
Pittsburgh Poems
Whether you’re a Pittsburgher, someone who once lived here, newly arrived, or just passing through, we invite your original poems—published or unpublished—for an anthology that will showcase Pittsburgh in all its varied fullness.
Guidelines (poetry):
- Submission period opens May 1 and ends June 30.
- Include a cover letter with the author's name, contact information (including physical address), and a list of the titles entered. Please let us know which entries have not been previously published.
- No names should appear on the entry file and no bio on the cover letter. Poems will be judged blindly.
- Format: 12pt Times New Roman (or similar--no San Serifs), single space, lines no longer than 4.5 inches long, include no images.
- All poems should be submitted together in a single WORD file—no PDFs.
- Maximum length per poem is 60 lines.
- No AI generated work.
- Previously published will be considered but will not be eligible for prize money.
- Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Please withdraw if accepted elsewhere.
- Submissions will be processed through Submittable (Link below).
- All contributors will receive one contributor's copy.
- We will award prizes for the best poems that have NOT been previously published. To be considered for these awards, authors must identify whether their work has been previously unpublished in their cover letter. Award amounts: $150/$75/$50 for First through Third Place, Honorable Mentions receive $25/each.
- Entry fee: $5 for up to three poems. Multiple entries are permitted, but each entry will cost $5/3 poems. Payments are handled by Submittable and they accept credit/debit cards or ACH payments.
Guidelines (images):
We will consider images separately for internal and even cover use. Contributors whose work is selected for publication will receive one contributor's copy. Cover use will pay $100 in addition to the contributor's copy. No Entry fee for images. Artists/photographer's should query first: EditorMSR@outlook.com
An anthology of political poetry that fit the times we live in
Guidelines:
- Submission period opens April 15 and ends June 15.
- Include a cover letter with the author's name, contact information, and a list of the titles entered. No names should appear on the entry files and no bio on the cover letter. Stories will be judged blindly.
- Length: Submit up to 3 poems, no more than 60 lines (including title and stanza breaks).
- Format: 12pt Times New Roman (or similar--no San Serifs), single space, lines no longer than 4.5 inches long, include no images.
- All poems should be submitted together in a single WORD file—no PDFs.
- No previously published.
- No AI generated work.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please withdraw if accepted elsewhere.
- All contributors will receive one free copy.
- Reading fee: $3 for up to three poems. Multiple entries are permitted, but it's $3/3 poems and must be submitted separately.
- Submittable will manage the submission portal. They accept credit/debit cards and ACH payments.
They require I put something in the guidelines field. Since this is so writers can subscribe using Submittable, there are only a few guidelines:
1) There is no form to fill ADDRESS through Submittable, so be sure to include it in your cover letter.
2) Let us know whether you want to start with the current issue or the next issue based on the following publication dates:
Winter: January 15, Spring: April 15, Summer: July 15, Fall: October 15
3) DO NOT attach a submission to your subscription purchase. Submissions need to be done separately if you want your work to be considered.
- Author’s Name and PHYSICAL address must appear on submitted work. We will not read a submission without both nor will we refund reading fee.
- New guidelines for book submissions: https://mainstreetrag.com/publishing-options/
- Author’s Name and PHYSICAL address must appear on submitted work. We will not read a submission without both nor will we refund reading fee.
- New guidelines for book submissions: https://mainstreetrag.com/publishing-options/
SPECIAL for Summer 2025.
Starting May 1 and ending October 1, we will be looking specifically for MICRO fiction and creative non-fiction.
Length: 500-1200 words in a single WORD, RTF or PDF file. Author’s Name and PHYSICAL address MUST APPEAR on submitted work and in cover letter. We will not read a submission without both.
IMPORTANT: We won't refund reading fees to those who didn't read this guideline and submit a longer piece during this period.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted as long as we are informed immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Likewise, if we accept the work, we expect it to be withdraw from consideration elsewhere. No previously published (that includes online posting).
No previously published (that includes online posting).
Report time 2-3 months.
Open for submissions, but will be taking a hiatus from submissions effective May 1, 2023. We will be reading again in October, 2023. (We have more backlog right now than we would like.)
SPECIAL for Summer 2025.
Starting May 1 and ending October 1, we will be looking specifically for MICRO fiction and creative non-fiction.
Length: 500-1200 words in a single WORD, RTF or PDF file. Author’s Name and PHYSICAL address MUST APPEAR on submitted work and in cover letter. We will not read a submission without both.
IMPORTANT: We won't refund reading fees to those who didn't read this guideline and submit a longer piece during this period.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted as long as we are informed immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Likewise, if we accept the work, we expect it to be withdraw from consideration elsewhere.
No previously published (that includes online posting).
Report time 2-3 months.
Open for submissions, but will be taking a hiatus from submissions effective May 1, 2023. We will be reading again in October, 2023. (We have more backlog right now than we would like.)
Length: Up to 6000 words in a single WORD or RTF.
Author’s Name and PHYSICAL address MUST APPEAR on submitted work and in cover letter.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted as long as we are informed immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Likewise, if we accept the work, we expect it to be withdraw from consideration elsewhere.
No previously published (that includes online posting).
Report time 2-3 months.
Length: Up to 6000 words in a single WORD or RTF.
Author’s Name and PHYSICAL address MUST APPEAR on submitted work and in cover letter.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted as long as we are informed immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Likewise, if we accept the work, we expect it to be withdraw from consideration elsewhere.
No previously published (that includes online posting).
Report time 2-3 months.
Send 3-5 poems of any length, but no more than 6 total pages of poetry together in a single WORD, RTF or PDF file. Author’s Name and PHYSICAL address must appear on submitted work. We will not read a submission without both.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted as long as we are informed immediately of acceptance elsewhere. Likewise, if we accept the work, we expect it to be withdraw from consideration elsewhere.
No previously published (that includes online posting and translations).
Report time 3-12 weeks.
Send 3-5 poems of any length, but no more than 6 total pages of poetry together in a single WORD, RTF or PDF file. Author’s Name and PHYSICAL address must appear on submitted work. We will not read a submission without both.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted as long as we are informed immediately of acceptance elsewhere. Likewise, if we accept the work, we expect it to be withdraw from consideration elsewhere.
No previously published (that includes online posting and translations).
Report time 3-12 weeks.
- This location is for already written reviews ONLY.
- We only publish reviews of books published during the current or previous calendar year.
- Not interested in negative reviews, however, discussion of a manuscript's strengths and weaknesses might include negative aspects.
- Title information must be included with submission along with the following: author name, publisher, publication date, ISBN, price, page count.
- All reviewed books must have an ISBN.
- Review writer's name and PHYSICAL address must appear on submitted work. We will not read a submission without both.
- We will ask the review writer's relationship to the author or the publisher in order to avoid promotional material disguised as review.
Our focus is on publishers and authors who don't get much attention from mainstream media. Since there are many of those and we like to (at least) mention as many as possible. Review lengths matter and are specific to genre. We appreciate it when reviewers respect these length guidelines:
- Poetry Chapbooks (52 pages or less): up to 400 words.
- Full-length Poetry or Short Fiction Collections: up to 600 words
- Novels, Nonfiction : up to 800 words
The goal of reviews featured in The Main Street Rag: Connecting author to audience. If you can't think of an audience that would enjoy reading a particular book, then we would not be interested in publishing your review. We also don't run promo material disguised as review. If you have a relationship with the author or press, we want to know what that relationship is prior to considering the review and will scrutinize the review carefully for objectivity.
Interviews are usually arranged with the managing editor ahead of time rather than submitted by freelance, but for those interested in shopping these, guidelines are below. Prior to sending interview, send query to: editor@mainstreetrag.com. Please note, we are not interested in promotional material disguised as interview.
- Prefer interviews with those in the arts—mostly literary—but visual and performing arts will also be considered.
- Length: 2000-2500 words
- If it’s not someone with whom we are familiar, we’ll need to see a sample of their work. For example: a copy of a recent book, a website with their artwork.
- We will want to run a small sampling of their work in addition to the interview itself. This does not need to be included in the submission.
- A subject bio and headshot will eventually be needed. If the subject is a visual artist, we'll also want some pictures of their work.
- Author's name and PHYSICAL address must appear on submitted work. We will not read a submission without both.