Magazine Submissions
Submission Windows
March 1 – March 30
June 1 – June 30
September 1 – September 30
December 1 – December 30
Themed Issue
Winter 2025 (12/1-30/25)
Fairytales, Myths, and Legends
Details below
Poetry Submissions
1–3 poems
Each on their own page
Any kind
Fiction & Creative Non-Fiction Submissions
100-5,000 words
Only one at a time please
Themed Issue: Issue 15 (Winter 2025) – Fairytales, Myths, and Legends
Submissions open on December 1, 2025 at 12:00am CST and close on December 30, 2025 at 11:59pm CST
For the themed issue of 2025, Livina Press is looking for anything involving/inspired by/influenced by anything related to a fairytale, myth, or legend. There are so many stories to choose from all across the world, but the main thing is to have fun!
There are the usual stories, like anything from The Brothers Grimm or Disney fairytales, but there can also be local legends and myths (in Louisiana, there’s a whole world of Cajun folktales), so if there is anything you’re intrigued by—write it!
If you need help finding something to get the ideas going, there is this list of fairytales with 20 fables, fairytales, and folktales, and then there is this list of fairytales that says it’s a ‘complete guide.’ If you’re looking for inspiration for how others have written retellings, you can check out the poet Nikita Gill (her Instagram), and Angela Carter’s book The Bloody Chamber which is a collection of short stories.
When I was in college, during the 2020 spring semester, I took ENGL 2025: Fairy Tales, Myths, and Legends Retold. Some of the books we read were The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood (the novel, not the play), The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, and The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi, to name a few.
Thank you so much for your interest in Livina Press’s literary magazine.
After having submitted to various literary magazines, you come to realize that the guidelines are there for the editors as much as they are there for you. Please read through all of the guidelines before submitting. Any sign that the following guidelines were obviously not followed will result in your email being deleted, and no response will be given.
Please note that we are unable to pay contributors but hope to be able to soon.
What we are looking for
Livina Press’s motto is “whatever you want to write about is what we want to read.” Outside of the one themed issue per year, that started in 2023, there is no theme! The categories we accept are poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.
General Guidelines
You may submit to multiple categories, but please make sure to say what category each work belongs to.
Document Format: .doc/.docx (if submitting an experimental form of poetry, please submit a PDF as well).
No requirements for font or document format, but when in doubt: Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1-inch margins; stories = double-spaced.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted and absolutely encouraged! I just ask that you reply to the email you originally sent your work in and notify me that it has been accepted elsewhere (and congratulations!).
All work must be written by you (and any co-authors must be included), and not the product of artificial intelligence (AI).
Please note that Livina Press does not accept photography or screen plays.
Hard Guidelines
No use of slurs or derogatory phrases.
No work that promotes or glorifies suicide, drug use, or contains excessive and unnecessary depictions of violence or gore.
If your work contains references or implications of suicide, self-harm, or physical or sexual assault of any kind (even if not detailed), please include a warning at the beginning of your submission.
Livina Press accepts everyone and will not tolerate hate towards any person or group based on race, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or family status.
Livina Press will not accept any AI-created work. Submitting work created by AI will result in an automatic rejection and the inability to be considered for any future publications.
Any sign that the above guidelines were obviously not followed will result in your email being deleted, and no response will be given.
Rights
Livina Press asks for first serial rights and archival rights. Rights convert back to the author after publication.
In the future, if a piece that was first accepted and published through Livina Press is accepted elsewhere, I would ask that you please acknowledge Livina Press in the publication.
How to Submit
Please email submissions to editor@livinapress.com
Document format: .doc/.docx (if submitting an experimental form of poetry, please submit a PDF as well).
Response time is 3-5 weeks after the close of the submission period.
In the subject line, please format it as the following with the name of each work listed (Note: the “category” should be Poetry, Fiction, or Creative Non-Fiction or CNF):
[Category] Your Name - "Work Title
Examples: [Poetry] Your name - “Work Title” or [Fiction] Your Name - “Work Title”
Or if you are submitting to multiple categories:
[Category and Category] Your name - "Work Title," "Work Title"
Example: [Poetry and Fiction] Your name - “Poem Title,” “Fiction Title”
In the body of your email, please include:
Your short (75-words or less), third-person author bio (please include the name you would like to known as/have your name appear in the magazine!)
If there is anything you would like me to consider while reading your work (like the background for why you wrote something), but please keep it brief (100 words or less)—and this is not required!
If you have any other questions, please visit our FAQs page. If your question is still not answered, feel free to DM us on Instagram or Twitter, or send us an email!
Expedited & Detailed Responses
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer expedited or detailed responses at this time due to the EIC’s current obligations and schedule in her personal life. Please check back for future issues!
