Submissions
SUBS OPEN!!SUBS OPEN!!SUBS OPEN!!SUBS OPEN!!SUBS OPEN!!SUBS OPEN!!SUBS OPEN!!SUBS OPEN!SUBS OPEN!!SUBS OPEN!!SUBS OPEN!!
Coming Up Short | B O D I E S
In this issue, we welcome work engaging with bodies in any form — flesh, landscape, data, matter, law, memory — if it has a body, we want to see it.
Submissions open through August 1, 2026.
Coming Up Short | Aperture
Aperture is always open for submissions of any kind in any genre that are 500 words or less. Aperture runs on a “NO REJECTIONS” policy. A magazine based on the taste of the writer, not the editor. Your work deserves to be read. Let us help.
No Rejections - submitting work to a magazine is hard enough and can be highly discouraging. Most submissions are rejected. A terrible word for it, but they are (we, of all people, are qualified experts at receiving rejection notices). Aperture is our solution to the epidemic of the unread.
No Waiting - we read on a rolling basis. You will receive a scheduled publication date within two weeks of your submission (typically much sooner!)
500 Words or Less
Any genre - Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, (a secret fourth thing). If you’ve written it, we want to read it.
Digital publication - Aperture is an online mag. No waiting for print copies, no paying for print copies, no cutting your finger on the sharp edges of all the pages you’d flip through to find your work.
We also know no one reads submission guidelines, so here’s the Cliff’s Notes version:
Don’t violate the word count.
12 point, Times New Roman (or similar), double-spaced
.doc or .docx file type (please no PDFs)
Terms of Submission
By submitting your work to Coming Up Short, you agree to the following:
Originality: You warrant that the work is your own, previously unpublished (unless specified otherwise), and that you hold all necessary rights.
Rights: Upon acceptance, you grant us First North American Serial Rights to publish the work in our digital/print issues and archives. All other rights remain with the author.
Privacy: You consent to the collection of your name, bio, and contact info for the purpose of editorial review and publication credit.
Response Time: We aim to respond within 6 weeks. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.