Witness is published three times a year, in January, May, and September. Unsolicited work is welcome during one of our two submission periods: September 1 to December 1 for general work or January 1 to April 1 for thematic work. We accept original fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

We prefer work that is contemporary in its setting, outward-looking in its perspective, and mindful of the modern writer’s role as witness to his or her times. We also enjoy material that ventures into international terrain.

Calls for submissions

Special Issue: Redemption (Volume XXVI, Number 1 — 2013)
SUBMIT JANUARY 1 TO APRIL 1

The theme for our 2013 special print issue is redemption. We invite work that addresses any facet of this subject. The submission period for our 2013 print issue is January 1 to April 1, 2012.

General guidelines
  • Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome during our submission periods.
  • Please do not submit thematic work during our general reading period, and vice versa. Work that does not correspond to the present reading period’s call for submissions will be withdrawn by our editors. It will not be held in the system until the subsequent reading period.
  • We accept simultaneous submissions provided you promptly withdraw your work if it is accepted elsewhere.
  • If you need to withdraw a single poem in a set, please withdraw your entire submission and submit a new set. Although this may push our response time forward from the date of your original submission, it allows for more efficient staff management of your work.
  • Our reporting time is generally eight to twelve weeks, although we sometimes take longer over the winter holidays and at the conclusion of the spring semester.
  • After twelve weeks, you are welcome to contact us by e-mail about the status of your submission.
  • We do not accept previously published work. This includes material that has appeared online in any form or format, including personal blogs.
  • We only accept work through our online submission manager. Work that arrives by post or e-mail will be returned unread.
  • Please limit your submission to one story, one essay, or five poems at a time. We discourage submissions of more than 10,000 words.
  • Witness pays $25 for every 1,500 words of prose and $25 per poem, for both print and online work.
How to submit online
  • All files must be saved in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf).
  • As noted above, you may only submit one story, one essay, or five poems at a time. Poems should be sent in a single document file, with the individual poems separated by page breaks.
  • Work should be formatted on letter-sized paper, double-spaced, and set in a standard (Times, Helvetica, Arial) 12-point typeface.
  • Your contact information, including an e-mail address, should appear on the first page of the submission.
  • Cover letter information can be entered in the “comments” box of the online submission form.