Submissions
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES (ALL ISSUES)
This is a journal of writing by veterans, service members, and their adult family members. We seek quality, literary writing on any topic.
We have two sections. The first, The Report, is our core. It is a rolling scroll of stories by our friends and readers. Think of this as a sort of reverse blog: instead of coming here to see what we’re thinking about and writing, come here to see what other people are thinking about and writing–in fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. These works will receive only the lightest of review by our staff, mostly for content (some subject matter isn’t appropriate for all readers) but occasionally for spelling or grammar, etc. Publication of The Report will resume around January 1, 2023.
The second is our quarterly literary journal, called The Review. All works submitted to O-Dark-Thirty will be considered for publication in The Review. Works accepted will undergo a rigorous review process by our editorial board and may require some back and forth between the editors and the author.
Our editorial style is more curatorial than judgmental. Our editors curate the works submitted to this site. Works that really knock our socks off might be placed in the quarterly review alongside works that we think best support a theme or other goal for that edition. But the same work might go to The Report simply because we want to get it out as soon as possible or because it just didn’t fit with other pieces in The Review.
We are pleased to note that we’re now reading work for the February 2023 issue of The Review, and also for The Report, which will go live again early in 2023.
If you want to write for us you should be a veteran, a service member (active or reserve), or a service member or veteran’s family member. Your submissions should be previously unpublished (see below for our definition of exactly what “published” means) and should conform to these standards:
- Fiction: Works under 3,500 words are more likely to be published. We won’t consider anything over 5,000 words;
- Non-fiction: Should be true and while we will read submissions of up to 5,000 words, submissions of around 3,500 words are more likely to be published;
- Poetry: up to three poems per submission.
Please only send one submission at a time: one piece of fiction or non-fiction, or one batch of up to three poems.
The VWP acquires first-time North American rights. After publication, all rights revert to the author and may be reprinted as long as appropriate acknowledgement to O-Dark-Thirty is made.
We will consider simultaneous submissions, but request that you inform us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
We cannot provide payment for publishing your work. If your work is selected for The Review we’ll send you a copy of that and you can purchase additional copies at a reduced rate.
For us “published” means published in print in North America, or published on the Internet in electronic journals, e-zines, academic websites, and other “public” or “official” websites. We do not consider posting on a personal blog or personal website “published.” If you have questions, ask.
What we mean when we say “should be true”: Call us old fashioned, but we divide the world of prose into fiction and fact. If your story is non-fiction, you are bound by pesky things known as facts. If you weren’t there, don’t say you were. Tell the truth.
What we mean by family member: Family for us means spouse or partner, child or grandchild, parent or grandparent, or sibling. Other family relationships may be considered on a case-by-case basis at the editors’ discretion.
We use Submittable as our submissions manager. Click the link below to go to our Submittable site. Please include in your cover letter some contact information, your connection to the military community, and anything else you think we might want to know about you and the work.
O-Dark-Thirty 
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