Submission Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in Smoky Quartz, an online journal of literature and art published by the Monadnock Writers’ Group. We seek poetry, prose, and a diverse selection of art and photography, and welcome submissions from new, emerging, and established writers and artists with ties to New Hampshire.

Note: We will be producing the next issue of Smoky Quartz as a PDF document that can be viewed online on our website, or downloaded and printed.

To get a sense of the type of work we publish, we recommend you read the current issue and past issues in the Archives. 

Note: Our Submission Guidelines have changed, including changes to the number of pieces you may submit. Please read the complete guidelines (see below) carefully.

We look forward to reading your work and viewing your art and photography!

General Guidelines

  • Submit your work as an email attachment sent to: mwgsmokyquartz@gmail.com
  • You may submit work for multiple genres.
  • Submit work for different genres in separate emails (e.g., one email for poetry and a separate email for prose.)
  • Work must be of your own creation. We do not accept AI-generated work.
  • Do not include your name or other identifying information in the attachment of your work.
  • In the body of the email, include your name, the titles of your work, and a brief, third-person biography. Your bio should be short (up to 50 words) and must include your connection to New Hampshire (please see Note).
  • We accept simultaneous submissions. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify us immediately.
  • We only consider previously unpublished work (online or in print).
  • We do not charge a fee for submissions.

Note: We interpret “New Hampshire Connection” to include things such as living, working, or attending school in New Hampshire (either currently or in the past); or spending significant periods of time in the state, including activities such as attending summer camp, vacationing, etc., in New Hampshire (either currently or in the past). Unfortunately, we cannot consider work from writers and artists without a connection to New Hampshire. Email us at mwgsmokyquartz@gmail.com if you have questions about this requirement.

Poetry

  • We accept all types of poetry (e.g., narrative, lyric, prose, etc.) in any form (e.g., blank verse, free verse, haiku, sonnet, sestina, etc.).
  • Submit 1-3 poems, with each poem not longer than 2 single-spaced pages.
  • Submit all poems in one document (MS Word .doc or .docx).
  • Format using Times New Roman, 12-pt. font.
  • Begin each poem on a new page.
  • Use the title of your poem(s) to name your document. If you submit multiple poems, use the title of the first poem to name your document.

Prose (Fiction and Nonfiction)

  • We accept flash (1000 words or fewer), longer prose (up to 3000 words), and hybrid prose (for example, prose that integrates poetry and/or images).
  • Submit up to 3 pieces of flash or 1 longer prose piece or 1 hybrid piece.
  • Provide a word count at the beginning of the piece of prose.
  • Format using Times New Roman, 12-pt. font, double-spaced.
  • Do not indent the first line in each paragraph. Instead, add an extra line space between paragraphs.
  • Submit work in one document (MS Word .doc or .docx).
  • Use the title of your work to name your document. If you submit multiple pieces of flash, use the title of the first piece to name your document.

Art & Photography

  • We accept images of artwork (e.g., paintings, sculpture) and photography.
  • You may submit up to 3 images of your work in JPEG format (.jpeg or .jpg).
  • Attach the images to the same email.
  • Use the title of the artwork or photograph for the name of the image file (e.g.AutumnLeaves.jpg)

Response Time

The Editors carefully consider every submission received. Please check the News page for updates on our progress. You can subscribe to the News page to receive these updates by email, along with reminders regarding submission deadlines and publication dates.

Publication Rights

Smoky Quartz will hold one-time rights to publish your work at www.smokyquartz.org and non-exclusive rights indefinitely to include your work in the journal’s online archives. Following publication, all rights revert back to the author. If we would like to republish your work (for example, in an anthology) we will contact you for permission.

If you republish your work in another journal, we request you note its previous publication in Smoky Quartz.

Please send any questions to the editors at mwgsmokyquartz@gmail.com.

Thank you for considering Smoky Quartz for your work.