Roses & Wildflowers Submissions

Welcome to the Roses and Wildflowers submission guidelines!

This is a new project and, as we approach issue number 4, we are really excited about it! Issues will be published 2 times per year, Spring and Autumn. Each issue is themed. Please acquaint yourself with each issue’s theme before you submit your work.

For queries concerning art: please send a query to Helena Domenic, Arts Editor, ritualartsofficial@gmail.com

Audio submissions: CLICK HERE

We de not accept poetry or fiction submissions via email.

Payment Details

We will select up to 6 stories per issue and, because of a very generous donor, we will be able to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 per story and $15 per poem via PayPal (preferred) or by old school check in the mail.  

If you don’t hear from us after waiting 4-6 weeks, send a query to: “RW SUBMISSION” at ritualartsofficial@gmail.com Put the title of your submission in the subject line.

We are accepting submissions in the following areas:

  • Short Fiction: 1,000-7,500 words. We will select up to 4-6 stories for each issue. Please use Shunn Standard Formatting. To see examples of a standard manuscript CLICK HERE
  • Poetry: Up to 40 lines, lyric or narrative poetry on a mythopoeic theme. We will select four pieces per issue. We will publish one poem per author for each issue. Epic pieces and “slam” works are not being considered at this time. Shorter, lyric poetry is best. Up to 5 poems maybe submitted. PUT YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION ON YOUR SUBMISSION.
  • Audio offerings: songs, “theatre of the mind”, and oral storytelling performances. 
  • Artworks: to accompany fiction and poetry are welcome. For information about each issue’s needs, please send a query to Helena Domenic, Arts Editor, ritualartsofficial@gmail.com 

The Do Nots (ever!)

hese are the things that separate a clean,  professionally presented work from a sloppy, unprofessional submission. We don’t expect perfection, but avoiding these pitfalls will increase your chances of being published. Show us that you care about your work. Tricks and clever presentations will not get you the kind of attention that you want. 

  • Do not submit anything via email, dropbox or or shared doc. Each call contains a link to send us your submission. Once you have familiarized yourself with the issue’s call, please submit via the link provided during the open period.
  • Do not submit poetry or fiction blind. Put your name and contact info on your manuscript. NOT in the header: upper left hand corner opposite the word count. Don’t use a graphic intensive letterhead. Or any letterhead.
  • Speaking of word counts: we check. Make sure yours is accurate. We have a maximum word count. Don’t go over the max.
  • MS Word.doc only.  No PDFs, RTFs, ODTs, webpages, or shared doc links.
  • We read a lot of submissions, please don’t use fancy, really small, all CAPS, or unusual fonts, or strange formatting. 
  • Take out all the tabs, bookmarks, editing marks and anything else that’s not text. Check and double check your spelling. 
  • Flash fiction, drabbles, slam poetry or epic poems are not being considered at this time.

We probably shouldn’t have to say, (but apparently we do):

  • Do not send us a long chapbook with many poems and ask us to “choose something”. We will delete your submission unread. 
  •  Do not place your poems in the body of an email. 
  • Don’t send us other peoples’ poetry. 
  • Do not put illustrations or your bio & photo in your submissions. If you are also an artist, tell us that in your cover letter. If we accept your work, we can talk.
  • A brief bio may go into your cover letter, we will ask for a photo if we accept your work for publication.
  • Familiarize yourself concerning what a copyright is and what a publisher buys before slapping a copyright mark onto your submission. (This tells us you actually don’t want to sell your work. And: we will comply by not buying it.) 

What are we looking for?

We are looking for mythopoeic literature.

“We define this as literature that creates a new and transformative mythology, or incorporates and transforms existing mythological material. Transformation is the key — mere static reference to mythological elements, invented or pre-existing, is not enough. The mythological elements must be of sufficient importance in the work to influence the spiritual, moral, and/or creative lives of the characters, and must reflect and support the author’s underlying themes. This type of work, at its best, should also inspire the reader to examine the importance of mythology in his or her own spiritual, moral, and creative development.”  – The Mythopoeic Society. CLICK HERE to learn more.

Issue themes and Publication Dates

We publish 2X per year on the following dates: Spring 2024: February 29 (March 1) and Autumn 2024: September 20.

Important Stuff We Need to Tell You

  • Cover letter: Please include your contact info and whether you are writing under a pen name. Tell us if this is a simultaneous submission or a translation. You do not need to include your publication information, Paypal address, or bio. We will collect that information upon acceptance.
  • Rights: We request one-time, first electronic publishing rights. All future rights will be retained by the creator. We simply ask that when / if published elsewhere, acknowledgment is given to its first appearance in “Roses & Wildflowers”, Date, V#, and N #.
  • Anthologies: If a “Best of” or Collected Anthology is published, publication rights will be renegotiated for that publication.
  • Simultaneous submissions: these are OK, but please tell us up front and, if you place your work somewhere else, please let us know right away. No multiple submissions.

Fiction Guidelines

We like:
We want to see intelligent prose with sound and logical world building and interesting character arcs. Whether character or plot-driven, give us compelling protagonists and believable antagonists. We like innovative ideas about societal structures and norms, all wrapped into great storytelling. We like new takes on ghost stories, steampunk, space operas, or the quests of heroes, heroines, and fools. And while it may sound cliché, we like really good stories that make us wonder, or laugh, or cry, or feel everything all at the same time. Your editor has a fondness for writers that aspire to poetic prose that jumps off the page and sings. NOTE: Submissions are open to everyone, everywhere in the world, but we can only edit fiction in English (British and American). Let us know if this is a translation.

We like re-imagined fairy and folk tales (new and imaginary), solarpunk, cozy spec fiction, fantasy, science fiction (including climate fiction), urban fantasy, eerie tales, and dark fantasy. If you send us magical realism be sure that you are well versed in what that is. (https://writers.com/what-is-magical-realism-in-literature)

It will be important to consider the issue theme when submitting your work. 

We don’t like:

  • No graphic or gratuitous violence or sexual content. NO “furry,” “kink,” or other porn, softcore or otherwise. 
  • Violence regarding women, vulnerable people, children or animals: while we understand that some violence scenarios are germane to a plot, gratuitous, graphic depictions, and/or extreme violence is a definite no.
  • No fan-fic. 
  • Diatribes against any ethnic group or race, sexual preference, or gender will be automatically rejected. 
  • No allegories, biblical or otherwise. 
  • Submissions that have no relation to the issue’s theme.
  • We do not publish reprints. 
  • No AI-generated works. Let us know if the work is AI-assisted (for example if an AI program corrected your spelling) and what percentage of the work AI assisted with. If it’s more than 1% it’s not for us. No exceptions

Hard sells: 

  • Horror, body mutilations, vampire/werewolf romance, teen sex, sword & sorcery, and epic fantasy (GoT or LotR-style). 
  • Plots that involve a deus ex machina outcome. 
  • Anything over 7,500 words. 
  • Proofread your submissions and then proofread them again.

Non-Fiction Submissions

For non-fiction essays, editorials, and reviews, go to our sister publication, Coreopsis Journal of Myth & Theatre by CLICKING HERE.

Calls

CURRENTLY OPEN CALL!

Spring 2026: CLICK HERE click here to view the call.

GET READY! Next Call to Open…

Autumn 2026: CLICK HERE to view the call.

    Closed Calls

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