The Drift ★Work published here has won or been selected for: The Best American Short Stories, The Best American Science and Nat…, O. Henry Prize.

Open now for fiction, nonfiction, other work, and poetry.

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The Drift is a culture, literature, and politics magazine publishing essays, criticism, fiction, poetry, interviews, dispatches, and brief reviews.

Response time info: The magazine reads and responds to every pitch, but says it may take some time.

Read the full guidelines at thedriftmag.com↗

Submission calls

fictionLiteraryPays: $500–$1,000 for short stories

The Drift seeks fiction; attach work as a Word document or PDF titled “lastname_firstname.” There is no word limit.

nonfictionLiteraryPays: $2,000 for essays

The Drift seeks sharp, socially engaged cultural criticism and class-sensitive analysis; nonfiction must begin with a two- to four-paragraph pitch because draft submissions are not read. Pitches should be sent one at a time.

otherPays: $25 for Mentions

Mentions are 1–4 sentence reviews of books, films, TV shows, art, or ephemera; include your name, relevant clips, and a draft, with the topic in the subject line.

poetryLiteraryPays: $150 for poems

Submit up to six poems in a single Word document or PDF titled “lastname_firstname.”

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