Guidelines for Submission
Summer Writing Contest
Winner: Ren Cedar Fuller, “Naming My Father.” To be published in our 2023 issue.
Congratulations, Ren! Thank you to Sue William Silverman, final judge.
Regular Submission Policy
We don’t have a lot of guidelines, except that we are interested in creative nonfiction that has not been published elsewhere, online or in print, and that we seek, of course, excellence. We welcome and appreciate diversity in both voice and form, and we encourage submissions by historically underrepresented writers.
Very short pieces (e.g., 2-3 pages), unless they are so tightly written that they squeak, don’t stand as good of a chance with us as longer ones.
Please send only one essay at a time! We prefer online submissions, either via Submittable or by email. Emailed submissions are free, and we welcome them. For Submittable submissions we charge $2 per submission. That covers our cloud rent. We also accept submissions by ground mail at the post office box listed below.
We do like a brief cover letter. But please remove all identifying information from your submission itself, as we send those out to our readers anonymously.
It’s o.k. with us if you send your piece to other journals also.
This year, for the first time, Under the Sun was able to pay a $50 honorarium to each published writer. We are grateful to the Tennessee Arts Commission for helping make this happen, and we are working on further grants to continue paying honoraria. We nominate for Best of the Net, Pushcart, and The Best American Essays. We acquire First North American Serial Rights only, after which the author is free to publish his or her work elsewhere.
Under the Sun requests that it be acknowledged in the event of subsequent publication.
We also accept art submissions.
Our regular reading period is September 1 – January 2.
Please address all correspondence and submissions to:
If you need to mail your work, send to:
Dr. Martha Highers
Editor, Under the Sun
P.O. Box 332
Cookeville, TN 38501.
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