SUBMISSIONS ARE
CLOSED

Keep your eyes peeled for 
ISSUE 02

​
​SUBMISSION PERIODS
S P R I N G (THEMED) ~ DEC 1 - JAN 31
​F A L L (UNTHEMED) ~ JUN 1 - JUL 31

general guidelines
  • Bleating Thing is a magazine of poetry, essays, printable hybrid work, and visual art. At this time, we do not publish fiction.
  • While we prefer essays to memoir/CNF, we recognize that these lines often blur. If you feel your piece has a strong perspective or theme that emerges in a dialectic way, you may submit in the essay category with the understanding that we will consider it as such.
  • Please read our "About" page and at least one issue of the magazine prior to submitting work.
  • We favor the visceral marginalia. While we understand this may (perhaps, even frequently) include the grotesque, we do not publish gratuitous depictions of sexual assault, violence, or self-harm.
  • We do not tolerate bigotry of any kind.
  • You may submit one packet per category during any given submission period.
  • We do not accept previously published material, unless the previous publication is out of print and no digital archive exists. (This excludes personal social media or portfolios.)
  • Submissions are read blind, so please do not include any identifying information in the submission document.
  • Simultaneous submissions are accepted! Just let us know if you've been accepted elsewhere (so we can cheer you on).
  • While some responses may come sooner, all decisions will be sent about 2 months after the end of each submission period (beginning of April in the spring, beginning of October in the fall).
  • By publishing with us, you consent to have your work reproduced digitally (including for use in promotional graphics) & in print.
  • Upon publication, all rights revert to you, the author. All we ask is that you acknowledge us as the original publishers of your work. 
  • In the interest of accessibility, any print issues will be sold at cost. This does mean that at this time, we are unable to pay contributors.
  • Cover letters are not required with submission (however, if you include a lamb emoji in the cover letter field of our submission form or in the body of your email, you will receive a virtual forehead kiss from our mascot lamb). 
  • Author/Artist bios will be requested upon acceptance. 
  • If accepted, we ask that you wait one year from the postdate of your accepted submission before submitting again.
  • Submissions will be accepted from midnight the morning of opening day and until midnight in the evening of the closing day of each submission period. Anything sent outside of those dates will be ignored. 
  • Our issues are formatted in A5 (5.83 x 8.27 inches).
  • Submissions by form are preferred for organizational purposes, but you may also email [email protected]. We just ask that you include the genres that you are submitting somewhere in the subject line or body of the email.

poetry
​Send up to 3 poems in a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file using the form.

essays

  • Send up to 1500 words in a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file using the form.

hybrid
  • Send up to 3 pieces blending multiple forms (e.g., visual poetry, collage poetry, collage essay, essay with poems in the footnotes, poem with an essay in the footnotes, etc.) in a .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .JPEG file using the form.

artwork

  • Send up to 5 pieces of ANY visual artform that can be reproduced in print (photography, illustration, sketch, digital manipulation, collage, etc.)  using the form.
  • .pdf or .JPEG format
  • All files will be converted to CMYK 300 dpi
  • To be considered for a full-page, images must be at least 2550 x 3300 px 

we love you. we're ravenous.