Issue Four: Coming of Age

SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN!

The Theme: Coming of Age

Express your thematic interpretation whichever way you choose to, but if struggling, see our general vision for submissions up on the “Inspiration” page (found in the “About” header)
We are expecting pieces with unique images, original voice, and excellent craft.
Multiethnic & multilingual pieces are absolutely adored. Writing in any language is accepted, and an English translation is appreciated but not required.
Theme can lead to endless possibilities, so let your creativity run free and don’t worry too much about sticking to our prompts.

We currently accept work from writers aged 13-22 only.
Poetry: 1-4 poems, all forms.
Prose: 1-3 pieces, maximum 2000 words each. Creative non-fiction, short story, flash fiction, etc.
Plays & Screenplays: 1-2 pieces, standard script format, maximum 10 pages.
Art and Photography: up to 10 pieces of art or photos.
Blog articles, interviews, literary criticism, and other forms of academic essay writing can be submitted to our blog.
Submissions must follow the guidelines as listed down below, or will be considered ineligible for publication.

All submissions are free and should be submitted via the linked Google Forms.
Include a short, third person bio about yourself. Look at the “Team” page for reference.
Submit in any language you’d like! It is appreciated, but not required, to provide a translation when submitting in languages other than English.
Try your best to be free of mechanical errors in your writing, and read over works in previous issues to get a better understanding of our standards.
Give credit where credit is due; The Empty Inkwell does not accept plagiarized work.
Any work with clear discriminatory intent (ie. racism, sexism, homophobia, etc) will not be accepted. Unnecessary graphic depictions will also not be accepted.
The turnaround period usually takes anywhere from 2 weeks to over a month, dependent on volume. All will be contacted about their status before we publish.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but we ask for you to contact us immediately if your work is accepted for publication elsewhere.
Previously accepted publications are also accepted, given that you indicate your initial publication & have their permission for reprint.
The Empty Inkwell will hold first North American serial and electronic rights for any accepted works. These rights will return to the author after publication.

Yes! The Empty Inkwell Review currently accepts previously published work. Please indicate where your piece was first published, and make sure you have the publication’s permission for reprint.
Yes! As long as you inform us immediately after your work has been accepted into another publication, we have no problem with simultaneous submissions.
Generally, genre-based executive editors or staff editors will take a look at your submission, and it will then be passed on to the Editor in Chief. Everyone who reads your work will have a say in whether we will accept in.
Unfortunately, we cannot pay you for your submissions at this time because our magazine does not charge readers or subscribers and hope to remain that way for a period of time. The entirety of The Empty Inkwell is currently funded by the co-founders out of their own passion for the project. Nevertheless, we hope to support you to the best of our ability by presenting you this unique opportunity to get your work published and seen by a large audience.
The turn-around period is now 3+ weeks depending on when you submit and whether or not you opt in for feedback.
Feel free to fill out our staff application located under “Team”
Follow us on instagram @emptyinkwellreview for all updates!