The Rumpus

Open to: Work must be previously unpublished, including on personal blogs and social media.

Essays up to 5,000 words; the magazine seeks voice-driven and formally nontraditional nonfiction with depth, breadth, and cultural or human relevance. Submissions must be previously unpublished.

Open to: Work must be written, edited, and created without AI assistance.

Flash fiction and nonfiction up to 1,000 words for the weekly Friday newsletter; the editors seek powerful, fresh, distinctive writing that understands brevity. Payment is $200.

Open to: Submissions must not involve a conflict of interest; strictly academic essays are not accepted.

Cultural criticism pitches of 500 words or less and completed essays of 1,200–5,000 words are welcome; the work should be analytical, engaging, and strongly voiced. Strictly academic essays and conflicts of interest are not accepted.

Open to: Work must be previously unpublished, including on personal blogs, websites, and social media.

Standalone, complete comics are accepted in legible uploaded files; pitches, scripts with incomplete artwork, larger-work excerpts, single-panel cartoons, and newspaper-style strips are not typically accepted. Final files should be 72 dpi and 1,000 pixels wide.

Original short fiction up to 5,000 words; flash fiction of 1,000 words or fewer may include up to three pieces in one submission. The magazine seeks layered, surprising, emotionally deep stories with distinctive voices.

Submit 4–8 poems, up to 12 pages, in one Word document; special formatting may not be accommodated. Work must be previously unpublished.