Ponder Review welcomes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, short plays, flash-fiction, new media, and visual art.

Fiction

One story of up to 3,000 words (1,500 – 3,000 words preferred).

Flash-Fiction

One submission of up to three stories that combine to total no more than 1,000 words. No story may exceed 750 words.

Nonfiction

One nonfiction piece of up to 3,000 words (1,500 – 3,000 words preferred).

Poetry

One submission of up to five poems that combine to total no more than nine pages.

Short Plays 

One script excerpt or one act play of 10-15 pages. Please see plays published in our most recent issue for guidance on formatting.

Please note: These are the guidelines for a regular publication. Please check the contest page for the guidelines to our 10:4 TENN 10-Minute Play Contest.

Art

Photography, photo essay, graphic literature, painting, collage.

• Photography, paintings, and collages: one submission of up to five images. Please submit a high resolution image.
• Photo essay: one submission of up to 3,000 words and with up to five images.
• Graphic literature: one submission of up to eight pages.

New Media

Podcast, spoken word, interview, short film, animation, and hypertext or kinetic literature are considered for our website

• Podcast, spoken word, and interview
• Short film and animation
• Hypertext literature
• Kinetic poetry or prose
• Other: surprise us

Required Format

Times Roman 12pt. All prose should be double-spaced. Poetry should be single-spaced.

Ponder Review does not accept previously published material nor does it accept multiple submissions per issue. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but contact Ponder Review if your work has been accepted for publication elsewhere. Do not withdraw your entire submission unless you no longer want Ponder Review to consider it. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in your submission being denied. Please make all submissions through Submittable.

Ponder Review will notify writers and artists of their submission status via email. The reading and acceptance process can take up to 4 months. By submitting writers acknowledge: Ponder Review is currently a non-paying market, and that Ponder Review requires first-time North American publishing rights with the right to reprint submissions in subsequent anthologies even after publication rights have reverted back to author.

Accepted work is subject for use in any future anthologies, both digital and print, and Ponder Review asks that any reprints give first publication credit to Ponder Review.

Students and alumni of Mississippi University for Women may not submit to Ponder Review or its associated contests for at least 5 years from their last enrollment at the university.

Our two reading periods each year are: December 15 – March 15 & June 15 – September 15.

While we accept past contributors in each reading period, Ponder Review asks that contributors wait one year post publication to submit to us again.