All Prose: 5000 words or less, open to content, form, structure.

Nonfiction:We're looking for slow burns in a world of hot takes, questions asked instead of answers proved. We welcome a wide variety of nonfiction--traditional essay, narrative nonfiction, micro/flash memoir--and encourage experimentation, though not at the expense of factual truth. Too many true stories go untold, and we want to offer space to honor those voices.

Please include a cover letter and 50 word bio. 

K’in is now inviting submissions from young writers -- age 12 to 17 -- to be included in our new Young Writers Section. 

Guidelines for the Young Writers Section are as follows:
General
We publish two issues a year, online only—May and November —and have reading periods from November 1-March 31 and June 1-September 30.

Submissions are accepted only through Submittable. 

Please include a brief cover letter and bio of not more than 50 words (See below if you’re unfamiliar with writing a bio.). 

For all submissions, please include name, contact information, and 50-word third-person bio in the document as well as in the online form.  

All submissions should be formatted with 1-inch margins and numbered pages. Prose manuscripts (anything that isn’t poetry) should be double-spaced. 

Do not send previously published work (either print or online, including personal blogs). Upon submission to K'in, you agree that your work is original, unpublished, and that you are the author. 

If accepted, K'in acquires First North American Serial Rights and First Electronic Rights. All rights revert to the writer after publication. Contributors agree to credit K'in if the work is subsequently reproduced online or in print. 

Submissions will be responded to within three months. If you haven't heard from us after three months, feel free to inquire by sending us a note through Submittable. For any work that is accepted, we will require an updated third-person bio of not more than fifty words. 

As much as we would love to be able to pay our contributors, unfortunately we are not able to do so. This is a labor of love for all of us, and we will do our best to honor and promote your work.   

Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please let us know. To withdraw one part of a submission, please add a note in Submittable so that the information is instantly available to all editors. 

We, as editors, reserve the right to ask for revisions before accepting any work. Take this as a compliment! We like your piece enough to put some extra work into it! 

Fiction 5000 words or less, open to content, form, structure. We welcome short stories of all shapes and sizes, from the mind-blowing traditional story to fiction that blurs the lines between forms, genre fiction, experimental fiction, etc. We also welcome flash and micro fiction. 

No fan fiction, please. As much as we love TV shows and movies, we want original characters, universes, and plots. 

Nonfiction 5000 words or less, open to content, form, structure. We're looking for slow burns in a world of hot takes, questions asked instead of answers proved. We welcome a wide variety of nonfiction—traditional essay, narrative nonfiction, micro/flash memoir—and encourage experimentation, though not at the expense of factual truth. Too many true stories go untold, and we want to offer space to honor those voices. 

Poetry 3-5 poems, open to content, form, structure.   Submit all poems in one document. Do not submit individual poems separately. Please don't forget the power voice, sound, and time can have in poetry.
 

Experimental, traditional, playful, prayerful, celebratory, challenging: human—try us. Show us a new way to tell one of the millions of stories under that glorious sun.  
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Never written a bio? Here’s a quick tutorial: 

Please let us know specifically the name you want to be used if your work is accepted. If you would prefer to use a pen name, let us know.  

Please note: For privacy and safety, any location identifiers beyond the state level will be removed.   

 Refer to yourself in third person (It’s a little weird, we know.), for example: Anna Poet is a high school senior in Virginia. She enjoys basketball, techno punk, and horseback riding. 

Keep it short and simple! Two to three sentences should do the trick. 

Don’t be afraid to brag! If you’ve had any previous publications or writing awards, tell us about them. If you haven’t, tell us that, too; we love new writers! 

Give us the facts, but make it unique. We want to know your name and where you’re from, but also what makes you special! Do you play the ukulele? Do you hike on the weekends? Do you collect nutcrackers? Put it in there! 

Bio Samples: 

Jack Writer is a high school sophomore in Maryland, and he loves video games, motorcycles, and baseball. His work has previously been unpublished. 

Kristen Poet lives in Oregon where she is a high school freshman. She has a passion for Japanese art, cross country running, and her pet turtle. Her work has been seen in Sample Literary Journal. 

Sarah Author won the Young Writers Award at her high school in Tennessee where she is a junior. Her days are filled with watercolor painting, modern dance, and thrift store hunting.  
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**K’in Literary Journal adheres to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.**