Submission Guidelines for The Uncommon GRACkle

We are open for submissions each January and February for our Spring publication, and again each June and July for our fall publication. We publish online at MagCloud, but will print a limited run of hard copies. We accept original flash fiction of up to 1,000 words, short stories from 1,000 to 3,000 words, and poetry of reasonable length in any genre. Art and photography can be full color for digital reproduction, but we are limited to black and white print reproduction at this time.

We want works that mean something, either to you or others, that transport us places, that reveal old or new ideas in deep ways, that entertain and speculate, that challenge and diversify our minds and the minds of readers. If it’s simple, great. If it’s complex, great. If it’s weird, great. Our GRACkle is voracious, and guttural, and wants to feed on harsh truths of all kinds.

We want to showcase authors, photographers, artists and creatives of all walks of life, with voices that reflect all peoples and paths possible on this Earth. Whether you’re in the majority or among the marginalized, we want to hear what you’ve got to say to the world.

Unfortunately, we cannot at this time offer payment for publication. However, free printed author copies may be made available to those accepted for publication, when possible.

All submissions must be submitted online, via our Green Submissions portal, which requires an email address. Please read the following carefully. There is a button at the bottom to sign up to submit.

Content & Considerations

- Submit only one story, two images or pieces of art, or up to three poems (if you’ve got lengthy poetry, limit this to one poem) per artist per submission period.

- We accept text submissions by copy and paste (in the submissions portal) or by attachment: .doc, .docx, .txt, or .rtf files only. Art and photos should be attached as high res .jpg files.

- We don’t mind submissions that you’ve submitted elsewhere, that is simultaneous submissions, but please let us know ASAP if you have to pull it from consideration.

- Previously published work, as long as you hold the copyright or there are no reprint restrictions, is okay, too. Again, please let us know so we can credit the original publisher. We don’t mind if it’s been on your blog or website or social media.

- Please don’t submit previously rejected material, even if it’s been heavily revised. However, we may ask for edits, hold submissions for future publication, or may solicit previously submitted material. (We’ll let you know.)

- We said any genre, but no fan fiction, vampires or zombies, please. We’re not that type of publication. While we don’t mind horrific situations, we do not publish true horror, grindhouse or gruesome tales. (Think Stephen King, not chainsaw massacre.) Science fiction should be about characters and emotions, rather than ships and laser battles. And, we do not publish erotica or erotic scenes in any genre.

- Violence and foul language is a slippery slope. We understand the artistic desire to reflect the real world but we won’t be easily won over, and we reserve the right to reject any work on these grounds. That means, if you use the f-word in every paragraph or paint brutalized bloody corpses, this is not the publication for you. 

- Your work may address racism, sexism, rights and wrongs, or any social issue, but promoting prejudice will get an instant rejection.

If you think your work might be interpreted badly due to these content guidelines, feel free to submit anyway and plead your case as to why it should be published. Above all, art is art. We will listen! Just know we have the final say.

Helpful Hints

The shorter the better. We know, that doesn’t sound fair. But, we want to feature as many artists as possible and with the cost of printing, space is of short supply.

Submit what you know. Or, please do your homework. We want complex characters and depictions, not poorly-researched stereotypes. (And, we shouldn’t have to say this, but plagiarizing will get you banned. Just so you know.)

Publication

Accepted artists will be notified via email through our Green Submissions portal. We will also manage rejections this way as well. You can also check the status of your submissions via your login page.

Again, we cannot offer payment at this time. But we hope to one day, in order to support our artist community. We’ll keep you informed.

By submitting to The Uncommon GRACkle, you are granting it the non-exclusive right to publish your work in print and online and display it for the duration of the journal. Copyright remains with the writer, artist, photographer in all cases. If your work is subsequently reprinted elsewhere, please acknowledge The Uncommon GRACkle as the site of first publication. 

Apologies to our Grackle contributor community, but our submissions portal company closed unexpectedly and without warning. If you have submitted something or want to submit, please contact Grackle Editor Allen Blair directly via email: MrAllenBlair@gmail.com