Deadline: October 17th: 2025
Payment: $10
Theme: Stories that make us question our convictions, provide us with a fresh perspective, or push the boundaries of genre and narrative for a Halloween issue
Rites follow us through every stage of our lives. They appear as ceremonies, festivals, gatherings, or private traditions—moments that connect us to ourselves, to others, and to something larger.
We mark rites of passage when we blow out birthday candles, earn our driver’s license, or endure heartbreak for the first time. Funerary rites help us say goodbye to those we’ve lost. Marital rites bind people together, though they can be broken as swiftly as they are spoken.
But rites are not always comforting. Some are born of blood, secrecy, or sacrifice and are violent in nature as they bind us in ways we do not always choose. History is steeped in rituals of exclusion and control; rites are used to preserve power as much as they are used to celebrate life.
For October, we invite you to explore Rite in all its forms: sacred or secular, celebratory or unsettling, personal or collective. What happens when a rite is denied, disrupted, or transformed? Explore the power that rituals hold over us when the candles burn low and we think no one is watching.
We accept pieces from each category to be featured in a special Halloween Anthology in the following categories:
- Poetry
- Fiction
- Nonfiction (Essays, Reviews)
- Creative Nonfiction
- Visual Art
- Audio (Spoken Word/Music)
- Video (Short Form)
Formatting Guidelines
- Flash Fiction: 1000 words or less
- Short Stories: 5000 words or less
- Poetry: Up to 3 poems (2 pages max)
-
Nonfiction: 2000 words or less
- All written work should be submitted as a PDF, Word, .docx
- Visual Art: Up to 3 pieces
- Visual Art should be submitted as JPEG or PNG
- Audio: Up to 4 Minutes
- Audio should be submitted as MP3 files
- Video: Up to 5 Minutes
- Video should be submitted as MP4 files
- 12 Pt. Times New Roman Double-Spaced. *Poetry can be single-spaced
- All submissions must be original and unpublished.
Other Restrictions
- Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please let us know if it is accepted elsewhere by emailing [email protected]
- Any work created entirely, in part by, or with the assistance of AI will be rejected.
- All submitters must be 18 years or older at the time of submission.
Publication Rights
First Electronic Publication Rights: You grant Rooted Literary Magazine exclusive rights to publish your work online for the first time, whether in text, image, video, or audio form.
Archival Rights: After publication, we may keep your work archived on our platform indefinitely.
Non-Exclusive Rights: Following the initial publication, you are free to submit the work elsewhere or republish it.
Promotional Rights: We may use your work for promotional purposes (e.g., social media, newsletters, and website promotions) during and after publication, with proper credit given.
Compensation: Accepted contributors for digital anthologies will be paid a one-time stipend of $10. Accepted contributors for print anthologies will receive a free physical copy of the print Anthologies upon release.*
Anthology/Compilation Rights: If Rooted Literary Magazine decides to create an anthology or print collection, you grant Rooted the right to include your work, with proper compensation to be discussed at that time.
*There is no financial compensation for accepted monthly features
- Amendment (09/15/2025): There is no financial compensation for accepted monthly features submitted before September 15th.
iner”>
All are welcome here. Tell us your truths. Show us what it means to be rooted.
Via: Rooted Literary Magazine.
