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What we’re looking for.
We welcome submissions in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, dramatic writing, and translation in all genres. (More details about each genre below.) We only consider writing that has not been published previously, whether in print or on the web. We welcome and encourage submissions from writers of every nationality, race, religion, and gender.
A note on artificial intelligence.
We expect our contributors to engage honestly with their own creative minds and not to outsource their writing, translating, and thinking to generative AI. Spell-check and grammar-check are permitted, but writers and translators must affirm that the work submitted is their own and not the product of artificial intelligence tools, software, or generators.
Open submissions periods.
We’re open for submissions March 1 through May 1 and September 1 through November 1. We may close before the end of the period if we receive more than our allotted number of submissions, so it’s best to submit early. NOTE FOR FALL 2026: We will close for poetry on Friday, September 4 (11:59 pm EST).
Online submissions.
Please submit your work through Submittable. The small fee we charge for online submissions helps support New England Review in its mission to publish writers at all stages of their careers. Submissions are free with the purchase of a subscription or renewal at the time of submission. If the fee presents a financial hardship, please email us and we will waive the fee.
Paper submissions.
We allow paper submissions for writers who for any reason are unable to use Submittable. Please do not send your only copy, and include a letter-size self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for our reply only. There is no fee. Submissions sent outside of our open submissions periods will be returned unread. Our mailing address is New England Review, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753.
Translation rights.
When submitting work in translation, please confirm that translation rights are available and submit under the genre that best represents the work.
Payment.
Payment for work published in the journal is $20 per page ($50 minimum), plus two copies of the issue in which the work appears and a one-year subscription to the print or e-book edition. For Staging Style and other digital features, payment is $50 and a one-year subscription to the magazine.
Multiple and simultaneous submissions.
Please send only one submission at a time. Do not resubmit work, unless it has been requested by the editors. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please withdraw your submission immediately upon acceptance elsewhere.
Revisions.
We are unable to accommodate edits or revised versions of manuscripts during the selection process.
Response time.
We will respond to every submission. We attempt to respond to submissions within twelve weeks, but it can take longer. You may query after twelve weeks.
Returning NER contributors.
NER authors should wait about a year after their most recent publication until they submit again (e.g., If you were published in spring 2026, please wait until spring 2027 to submit new work).
Cover letter.
Your cover letter should provide contact information and state the genre, title, and word count (for prose) of the submission, as well as any salient information about you or about your piece.
Genre-specific details
Fiction: short stories, short shorts, novellas, novel excerpts (if they can stand alone), and translations. The word limit is 20,000, though most of what we publish is shorter than 10,000 words. Please send only one piece at a time, unless the pieces are very short (under 1,000 words), in which case send up to three. Please double-space and include word count on the front page or cover letter.
Poetry: long and short poems, including translations. Please send no more than six poems at once, and upload them as a single file. If you need to withdraw part of your submission, please simply add a note to your submission in Submittable.
Nonfiction: interpretive and personal essays, critical reassessments, cultural criticism (art, film, etc.), travel writing, environmental writing, and works in translation. The word limit is 20,000, though most of what we publish is shorter than 10,000 words. Please double-space and include word count on the front page or cover letter.
Dramatic Writing: short plays, monologues, and screenplays, up to 5,000 words. Please consider that the work must read well on the page. Please double-space and include word count on the front page or cover letter.
Staging Style: brief essays, 900 to 2,000 words, that trouble the conventional prescriptiveness of “craft” and instead illuminate the infinite possibilities beneath questions of style, time, sound, form, voice, character, image, setting, risk, genre, etc. Have questions about what we’re looking for? Check out our Staging Style FAQ.
