Submissions

Quarterly Journal Submissions

Interested in environmental literature and art? Subscribe here!

We pay $10 to all authors accepted in our journals.

About the Journal

Phylum Press’ quarterly journal accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art of any subject. While we love to receive works that relate to each ISSUE’s theme, we do not preference those submissions over others.

NOTE – We only accept visual art which relates to the ISSUE’s theme. This relation can be as loose as you’d like, but it has to exist.

Each year, Phylum will choose 4 different species from a phylum within the natural world. These four species will be the names and inspiration for each ISSUE we publish during that year.

Current Phylum: Magnoliophyta

Magnoliophyta includes all forms (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of broad-leaved trees, shrubs and vines, and most aquatic plants.

Current ISSUE: SUBMISSIONS CLOSED – STAY TUNED FOR ISSUE 006

Submission Rules

  • Fiction/Creative Non-Fiction: up to 5,000 words
  • Poetry: up to five pages
  • Visual Art: up to five pieces

Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Phylum Press is made up of writers just like you, and we know how hard submitting can be. That being said, please only submit your original, unpublished work, without ANY AI involvement.

How to Submit

Please email submissions to phylumpress@gmail.com with:

  • Your work attached as a PDF file.
  • “SUBMISSION – [Last name, Title]” as the subject line.
  • The category/genre of your piece.
  • A 100 word author bio.
  • Confirmation that the piece is your own work, and you will inform us if it is published elsewhere.

NOTE – If we think your work is not quite there, we may offer you a conditional acceptance and request some edits. It is your right as an author to determine whether or not you want to take our suggestions, but refusing may impact whether the piece is accepted for publication.

Manuscript Submissions

Submissions are open until November 30th. We will try to respond to all submissions within 60 days – if you have not heard from us in 60 days, please give us a nudge!

We Read:

  • Genre-fiction if it has literary elements.
  • Literary fiction.
  • Poetry.
  • Creative Non-Fiction related to the natural world.
  • We are always interested in works that engages with nature (hence the name!), especially if said work has a strong attention to language, and are always looking for work produced by authors from historically marginalized communities.

Our editors are looking for work similar to the authors Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, Forrest Gander, May Swenson, and that are surreal and dreamlike, honest and vulnerable, and innovative with craft and language.

We Do Not Read:

  • Children’s novels.
  • Self-Help books.
  • Graphic novels or comic books.
  • Books that promote bigotry or cultural appropriation of any kind.

Submission Rules

  • Please DO NOT email us your manuscript before moving through the process below.
  • We accept full-length submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction of ANY word count, so long as it is higher than the journal qualifications. Length and style of product may change the publications style/options.
  • We respond to every submission. If we see a future with yours, we will ask to read the manuscript before any further conversation is had.
  • No AI components, from brainstorming to editing.
  • If your work is a collection of pieces, please ensure that no more than 75% of the work has been published before.

How to Submit

Please email phylumpress@gmail.com with:

  • “MANUSCRIPT – [Last name, Title]” as the subject line.
  • The category/genre of your piece.
  • The word count of your piece.
  • A pitch/summary of your project.
  • An excerpt of 5-10 pages of your project.
  • A 100 word author bio.
  • Confirmation that the piece is your own work, did not use AI in any part of the creative process, and you will inform us if it is published elsewhere.

Event Pitches

Want to join the reading series? Have another idea you’d like to pitch? We’d like to hear from you! Email events@phylumpress.ca – while we are not able to accommodate/work with every request, we will respond to every email.