Germ is a magazine that celebrates beginnings, futures, and all the amazing and agonizing moments in-between. We are currently looking for original art and literature, including short stories, flash fiction, self-contained excerpts of novels/plays/screenplays, poems, memoirs, personal essays, songs, short films, short plays, photography and other visual art that in some way embodies what it means to be a young woman — or alternately, that somehow captures a “germ” moment in time. A “germ” moment is that pivotal point in time when something (person, place, thing, feeling, or idea) begins to grow. In this way, we are interested in a broad array of subjects, although our audience should still be taken into consideration when submitting.

We are open to work that explores the full range of human experience, including edgy, darker, or experimental work, but we are not interested in work that is profane, offensive, overly simplistic/stereotypical, work that seeks to promote an agenda, or work that does not adhere to our Manifesto. We are interested in original work that upholds the highest literary and artistic aspirations, and we are open to submissions from writers and artists of all ages and genders from all over the world.

While we will accept previously published work, writers and artists must have full rights to republish the work in Germ. Germ will not be responsible for any conflicts that arise from previous publications. Please ensure that you have permission to republish with us.

Reading Period: We read literary submissions continuously.

Please follow the guidelines listed below for the category in which you are submitting:

Fiction: Send us your short stories, flash fiction, or self-contained novel excerpts. Attach your work to the body of your email. Include a short note and your bio in the body of your email, including your preferred pronouns. Submissions should not exceed 2,000 words. You may submit up to three stories at one time. Please attach all three pieces of work to one email. Do not send multiple emails. Send to [email protected].

Poetry: Send us your poems, and send us spoken word poems recorded as audio or video files. Attach your work to the body of your email. Include a short note and your bio in the body of your email, including your preferred pronouns. Submissions should not exceed 3 standard pages. You may submit up to five poems at one time. Please attach all pieces of work to one email. Do not send multiple emails. Send to [email protected].

Creative Nonfiction: Send us your personal essays, memoirs, and experimental or hybrid creative nonfiction. Attach your work to the body of your email. Include a short note and your bio in the body of your email, including your preferred pronouns. Submissions should not exceed 2,000 words. You may submit up to three essays at one time. Please attach all three pieces of work to one email. Do not send multiple emails. Send to [email protected].

Stage & Screen: Send us your self-contained play excerpts or short films (original movies, documentaries, public service announcements, student films, etc). Attach your work to the body of your email. Include a short note and your bio in the body of your email, including your preferred pronouns. Plays should not exceed 2,000 words. Films should not exceed 10 mins. in play time. You may submit up to three projects at one time. Please attach all pieces of work to one email. Do not send multiple emails. Send to [email protected].

Art & Song: Send us your original paintings, photographs, other visual art, and songs/audio recordings. Attach your work to the body of your email. Include a short note and your bio in the body of your email, including your preferred pronouns. Submit up to 10 pieces of art at one time. Submit up to five songs at one time. Please attach all pieces of work to one email. Do not send multiple emails. Send to [email protected].

Lit Tips & Interviews: Send us your nonfiction essays on craft. We are interested in all the genres mentioned above (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, songwriting, and essays that deal with photography and visual art). Essays may pertain to one aspect of craft or offer general tips to practitioners. We would also love to see interviews with or profiles of writers and artists. Submissions should not exceed 1,200 words. You may submit up to three essays or interviews at one time. Please attach all three pieces of work to one email. Do not send multiple emails. Please email your Tips & Interviews to [email protected].

Response Time: 

Please wait to submit additional work until after you have received a response for previous submissions. We strive to respond to work as quickly as possible. Please feel free to email us if you have not heard from us within six (6) weeks.

Simultaneous Submissions:

We understand that Germ may be one of several places to which you are submitting.  If your work is accepted elsewhere before we have had the chance to respond, please send us a courtesy notice telling us that your work is no longer available.

Payment:

We publish regular issues in electronic format. While we value your work very highly, we are unable to offer payment except publication at this time.

We look forward to reading your work!  ♥