Quartz Literary seeks fiction and poetry that reflects and fractures. We want to see cracked versions of ourselves. Give us sharpness, but also beauty. Make us feel seen and allow us to discover something new about ourselves. Ultimately, we are looking for work that reflects the experiences, emotions, and details of life, but also subverts them sometimes. We want emotive authenticity and interesting, complex characters.

We mostly read literary fiction, but are also open to magical realism, surrealism, experimental, and literary works with mild genre elements (ex. The Martian, Interstellar, Such Small Hands, Baby Teeth, etc.) Also, we are a project of the online journal Silver Rose Magazine.

FICTION AND NONFICTION

-Send us your stories, flash fiction, and essays under 6,000 words. Please wait to hear a response before submitting again. If you are sending flash (pieces under 1,000 words), you can send three pieces at a time in one document. You may submit to both our standard submissions and our contests at the same time if you wish.

-Simultaneous submissions are good. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.

-Please double space your document and use a standard 12pt font.

-Please use a .doc or .docx file type. If you send a PDF, and we accept your work, we might ask for a different file.

-We pay one contributor copy and $30 for each selected story/essay.


POETRY

-Send us up to five poems in one document. Please wait for a response before sending us more work. However, you may submit to our standard submissions and our contests at the same time if you wish.

-Format your work however you see fit.

-Simultaneous submissions are good. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.

-Please use a .doc or .docx file type. If you send a PDF, and we accept your work, we might ask for a different file.

-We pay one contributor copy and $30 for each selected poem.


VISUAL ART

-Please send up to five images for consideration.

-Send us whatever file type and file size you see fit. If we need something different, we’ll let you know.

-We pay one contributor copy and $30 for each selected piece of art.

$4.80

Beyond our print issues, Quartz Literary also posts a piece of flash on our website on the first Friday of every month. 

  • Send us up to three pieces of flash in a single document. We will accept flash that is anywhere between 50 and 1,500 words. 
  • Simultaneous submissions are good. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.
  • Please double space your document and use a standard 12pt font. 
  • Please use a .doc or .docx file type. If you send a PDF, and we accept your work, we might ask for a different file.

We are so excited to read your work!

$4.80

Hello and welcome! Quartz Literary currently seeks fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry themed around happiness. Show us what gives someone joy and contentment. What happens when that joy and contentment is taken away? What lengths will one go through to achieve happiness? What does it mean to see someone else happy when you are not? We want any and all interpretations of the theme "Happiness."

Please send us one piece of fiction or nonfiction (6,000 words or less) or 1-3 poems. You may submit both prose and poetry if you wish, just please send us two separate submissions. Formatting is entirely up to you, but please do not include any identifying information on the document. Selected pieces will be published in our "Happiness" Issue. 

We are excited to read what you send us! 

Quartz Literary