The Boiler publishes new and emerging writers.
We retain first publication rights. After publication, rights revert back to you. We only ask that you credit us with the first publication, thereafter.
If your piece is accepted elsewhere, let us know immediately. Simultaneous submissions are accepted; please be sure to promptly withdraw your piece if it’s accepted elsewhere.
Check submission periods on our website. Send us your best stuff. Show us how it does under pressure.
We ask that you place all work in one document. Your cover letter with brief bio should be placed in the Cover Letter section of the Submittable form.
We encourage you to read an issue of journal before submitting!
Poetry guidelines: 3-5 poems.
Fiction guidelines: short stories or excerpts of up to 1,500 words.
Creative Non-Fiction guidelines: pieces up to 1,500 words.
NOTE: Due to the overwhelming amount of submissions we receive and our small staff, we may close general submissions. Check back to see when we open for general submissions, once we've caught up.
It’s simple. The Boiler is looking for great poetry. Poetry from those hungry writers with something to say. Poems that refuse to sit still on the tongue and in the mind. Poems that believe in risk and precision.
So send us 3 – 5 poems of your best work. We are excited to see what you and your words are up to.
Place all work in one document. Do not place your cover letter or any biographical information on your file. Instead use the cover letter form below. Read our past issues to get an idea of what we publish. Submit no more than once per submission period. (One submission every three months.)
Our work on The Boiler is a volunteer effort and we sincerely thank you for your support. Tip jar donations go toward our website and management costs of running our journal.
We seek fiction submissions that display commonalities in the human spirit which derive from an American ideal. Whether those commonalities display loss, defeat, triumph, humor, abandonment, fortitude, etc. We want to showcase honesty within that human spirit. We admire duality of character, conflict and unique personality.
We feel what makes us unique is our dedication to publishing works that aren't afraid to cross boundaries. It's very difficult to shock readers these days. When we read a story, it should evoke the sensation that something has taken hold of us, that we can't stop reading it. We ask that stories not be written for shock alone, but with the knowledge that from strangeness, humanity shines.
Submit an unpublished piece of flash fiction, short story or story excerpt up to 1,500 words, double spaced and a serif-type font like Garamond or Times New Roman. No fancy fonts.
Place all work in one document. Do not place your cover letter or any biographical information on your file. Instead use the cover letter form below. Read our past issues to get an idea of what we publish. Submit no more than once per submission period. (One submission every three months.)
Our work on The Boiler is a volunteer effort and we sincerely thank you for your support. Tip jar donations go toward our website and management costs of running our journal.
We understand process is difficult and writing that captures the small and the big can be hard to push into form. We welcome essays that light fires under us, make us think, and push boundaries. We love flash, we love form and formlessness, and welcome essays that are traditional or challenge the traditional essay.
Pieces up to 1,500 words.
Place all work in one document. Do not place your cover letter or any biographical information on your file. Instead use the cover letter form below. Read our past issues to get an idea of what we publish. Submit no more than once per submission period. (One submission every three months.)
Our work on The Boiler is a volunteer effort and we sincerely thank you for your support. Tip jar donations go toward our website and management costs of running our journal.