Summer edition submissions are open. Please read the guidelines below and submit your work via this Google form. Submissions will remain open until March 1, or until our cap is reached, whichever is first.
Subscribe to our newsletter for rolling submission info, as well as book reviews and blog-style updates from our editor.
THEME:
Our summer edition theme is “it’s complicated,” however you interpret that. You might consider: how you feel about your responsibilities, your situationship, your mother. Parenting, working, and art-making might also be fodder. Most of us spend our time living in the grey. To that end, what can’t you or your characters make up their mind about?
We manage submissions through Google Forms, which is linked above during reading periods.
The details:
- Non-fiction under 4,000 words, fiction and prose-poetry under 2,000
- Please submit one prose piece at a time.
- Turnaround times vary. Expect a response within 1-2 months of submissions closing, sometimes even sooner.
- Talk Vomit believes wholeheartedly in simultaneous submissions and raises their eyebrows at places that don’t. BUT, if your piece is accepted elsewhere, please email talk@talkvomit.com as soon as you can. If you don’t, it stands to be quite embarrassing for both of us.
- Talk Vomit asks for first serial rights. We aim to share most work on our website and our Substack as space allows. Upon initial publication, all rights revert back to you, although we ask you credit Talk Vomit in the event of republication.
Some stuff we particularly like:
- Gothic stories. Not high fantasy stuff, usually, but moody and atmospheric pieces that take a microscope to the underbelly of our communities and relationships
- Flash satire
- Essays that weave first-person with cultural criticism; essays with a fresh coming-of-age narrative (one can come of age at many times in their life, in many ways; Monica is currently particularly interested in coming-of-age stories related to motherhood, fwiw)
- Cultural criticism, in general
- Book reviews,* especially those in the 300-600 word range — unless you’re baking in some first-person narrative and lengthier criticism. If that’s the case, follow our general nonfiction word limit.
- Serial stories.* Feel free to pitch one at talk@talkvomit.com. Let’s get Dickensian about it.
* Book reviews and serial stories are always open for submission. You may submit them to themed calls via the Google form during submission periods OR email them at anytime to talk@talkvomit.com.
At the end of the day, we’re curating each edition to fit a theme and meet our editorial needs. We say no to a lot of a solid pieces that we simply don’t have room for. Don’t hesitate to submit to the next round if your piece is not accepted.
If your piece is a thinly-veiled homage to Lolita, we will delete it without response. Read something else.
Payment: At times, Talk Vomit has been able to offer small honoraria to our writers. However, career, industry, and personal life-changes have made monetization financially impossible. We hope this will change in the future.
FYI: We began publishing on a twice-annually basis in January 2026. Previously, we published on a quarterly basis.
Support our writers and subscribe to our Newsletter.