Submit to Saw Palm

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

General Guidelines:

Saw Palm is a Florida-themed journal; however, we welcome writers and artists from across the country and the globe as long as the work is connected to Florida (via images, people, themes, etc.). We also welcome creative works from Floridians that are not obviously about someplace else. Please check out past issues, available for download as free PDFs.

Print journal submissions open July 1, 2022, and close October 8th. We accept submissions for Places to Stand year-round.

We are excited to announce our special edition for Issue 16. Send us fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and essays. We are looking for the Florida behind the postcards: late nights, last resorts, and storm clouds. The orange that rots underneath its skin.

We do not accept written work that has been previously published either online or in print. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please indicate simultaneous submissions in a brief cover letter and let us know immediately through Submittable if your work has been accepted elsewhere. The cover letter may also include a brief third-person bio.

Send only one submission at a time per genre. If you have a pending submission, please wait for a response before submitting again. We make every effort to respond as quickly as possible while giving each submission the time it deserves. Our average response time is 3-5 months. After 6 months, you’re welcome to follow up with the appropriate editor.

All submissions must be made electronically through our online submissions manager. We do not accept email submissions. Please upload text files in .doc or .docx formats only. Art and comics should be uploaded in .jpeg / .jpg format only. Any paper submissions sent via snail mail will be recycled unread.

For queries or questions not answered here or below, please email sawpalmeditors@gmail.com.

Art & Photography

We accept up to five submissions of art or photography per reading period. Please send files in .jpeg / .jpg format only. You may also include a URL if a portfolio of your work is online.

We understand that visual art is often published on personal websites, but we ask that your submissions have not been previously featured in literary magazines.

COMICS

We welcome comics submissions of up to seven pages, whether in black & white, greyscale, or full color. Submit in .jpeg / .jpg format only. Keep in mind that the journal's dimensions are smaller (5"x7") than the average literary journal and so comics with small panels filled with intricate art are not well-suited.

CREATIVE NONFICTION

Memoir and essay submissions should be no longer than 6,000 words.

CREATIVE NONFICTION (flash)

We accept up to three works of flash creative nonfiction (750 words or less) per submission period. Please send all stories in one document.

FICTION

Fiction submissions should be no longer than 6,000 words.

FICTION (flash)

We accept up to three works of flash fiction (750 words or less) at a time. Please send all stories in one document

POETRY

We accept up to five poems per submission period at a maximum of 10 pages. Please send all poems in one document.

INTERVIEWS (web)

We are especially interested in interviews of Florida writers and artists, although we're open to almost any Florida-related subject. Please query us about the interview subject first via email.

Current or recent USF students and faculty are welcome to submit interviews.

PLACES TO STAND (web)

Tell us what it's like to stand at a specific place in Florida at a specific time of day in 500 words or less. While we enjoy the unusual, locations should be public and accessible (so not your bathroom!) Please include GPS coordinates. Places to Stand appears on sawpalm.org.

Current or recent USF students and faculty are welcome to submit to the Places to Stand series.

Poems submitted as part of the Places to Stand series are welcome but should be justified left and otherwise not have complex formatting and spacing (due to technical limitations in Google Earth).

REVIEWS (web)

FAQs

Do you accept genre fiction?

We are not opposed to genre fiction, provided it is well-written and connected to Florida. We are particularly interested in historical fiction set in the state.

Who reads my submission?

Graduate students in the MFA program at USF who have applied for editorial positions and been vetted by our advisory editor.

Do contributors receive payment?

Contributors receive two copies of the issue they appear in. We are a small non-profit and so cannot offer cash payments.

My manuscript is just over 6000 words, can I submit it anyway?

Check with us first by sending us an email.

I'm a current USF student or faculty member. Can I submit to the journal?

Yes and no. Current or recent USF students and faculty may not submit creative work to the print journal. However, they are welcome to submit reviews and 500-word pieces for the Places to Stand series, which appear on sawpalm.org.

We are interested in reviews of Florida-related subjects: authors, films, tourist attractions, books, CDs, websites, beaches, parks, toll roads, snack stands, local landmarks—anything! Submissions should be no longer than 6,000 words and, if accepted, will appear on www.sawpalm.org.

Current or recent USF students and faculty are welcome to submit reviews.