Ninth Letter (Print) ★Work published here has won or been selected for: Best American Nonrequired Reading, Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prize.

Open now for fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Last checked

Ninth Letter is a semiannual University of Illinois literary magazine publishing experimental and traditional prose and poetry in print and online editions.

Response time info: within six months

Read the full guidelines at ninthletter.com↗

Submission calls

fictionLiteraryEligibility requirementsCloses Feb 28, 2027$3 reading fee; waived December 1–31 or until 300 submissions per genrePays: $100 per prose piece upon publication

Open to: Not open to current University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign students; University of Illinois alumni must wait three years after graduation.

Print edition fiction: one story up to 8,000 words. The print submission period runs September 1–February 28; the $3 reading fee is waived December 1–31 or until the cap of 300 submissions per genre. Pays $100 per prose piece.

flashLiteraryEligibility requirementsCloses Feb 28, 2027$3 reading fee; waived December 1–31 or until 300 submissions per genrePays: $100 per prose piece upon publication

Open to: Not open to current University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign students; University of Illinois alumni must wait three years after graduation.

Print edition flash: up to 3 pieces totaling no more than 4,000 words. The print submission period runs September 1–February 28; the $3 reading fee is waived December 1–31 or until the cap of 300 submissions per genre. Pays $100 per prose piece.

nonfictionLiteraryEligibility requirementsCloses Feb 28, 2027$3 reading fee; waived December 1–31 or until 300 submissions per genrePays: $100 per prose piece upon publication

Open to: Not open to current University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign students; University of Illinois alumni must wait three years after graduation.

Print edition creative nonfiction: one essay up to 8,000 words. The print submission period runs September 1–February 28; the $3 reading fee is waived December 1–31 or until the cap of 300 submissions per genre. Pays $100 per prose piece.

poetryLiteraryEligibility requirementsCloses Feb 28, 2027$3 reading fee; waived December 1–31 or until 300 submissions per genrePays: $25 per poem upon publication

Open to: Not open to current University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign students; University of Illinois alumni must wait three years after graduation.

Print edition poetry: submit 3–5 poems, up to 8 pages. The print submission period runs September 1–February 28; the $3 reading fee is waived December 1–31 or until the cap of 300 submissions per genre. Pays $25 per poem.

fictionLiteraryOpens Feb 1, 2027

Web Edition theme “Manifest”: submit one short prose piece up to 3,500 words, with a cover letter explaining the connection to the theme. Web submissions are open September 1–November 1 and February 1–April 1. Pays $75 per prose piece.

nonfictionLiteraryOpens Feb 1, 2027

Web Edition theme “Manifest”: submit one short prose piece up to 3,500 words, with a cover letter explaining the connection to the theme. Web submissions are open September 1–November 1 and February 1–April 1. Pays $75 per prose piece.

poetryLiteraryOpens Feb 1, 2027

Web Edition theme “Manifest”: submit up to three poems, no more than 10 pages, with a cover letter explaining the connection to the theme. Web submissions are open September 1–November 1 and February 1–April 1. Pays $25 per poem.

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