An Invitation

Submissions & Contests

Silver Current Press reads work in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction from writers at every stage of the craft. New voices are especially welcome.

What We Read

Three Doors. One Standard.

We read in three genres. The standard is the same in all of them: the well-made sentence, the necessary line, the page that earns the next page.

I.

Fiction

Short stories and novellas in the literary realist tradition, including work with the faintest paranormal or speculative seasoning. We are partial to interior, character-driven prose with patient sentence-making.

II.

Poetry

Free verse and received forms alike. We read for image, music, and the particular pressure of a finished line — work that rewards a second and third reading.

III.

Nonfiction

Personal essay, literary criticism, and craft writing. We are especially interested in essays that treat reading itself as a moral and intellectual practice.

Annual Contest

The Silver Current Prize

Our annual prize for an unpublished short story, poem, or essay. Open to writers of any nationality, writing in English, at any stage of career — when the contest is open.

Prize
$500plus publication
Entry Fee
$15per submission
Reading Period
Sept — Decopen annually
Judge
James Mulhernfounding editor

The winning piece appears in the Silver Current Press annual anthology. Two finalists receive honorable mention and publication consideration. All entries are read blindly by the founding editor.

The Practical

Submission Guidelines

  1. Length

    Fiction and nonfiction: up to 7,500 words. Poetry: up to five poems per submission. Send your strongest, not your longest.

  2. Format

    Double-spaced for prose. Single-spaced for poetry. 12-point serif. Number your pages. Your name should appear on the first page only; we read blind beyond it.

  3. Originality

    Unpublished work only. Simultaneous submissions are welcome — please notify us promptly if the work is accepted elsewhere.

  4. Response Time

    Eight to twelve weeks. If you have not heard from us after twelve weeks, you are welcome to query at the address below.

  5. Rights

    First serial rights for the print edition; first electronic rights for any digital edition. All other rights revert to the author on publication.

  6. Where to Send

    Use the form below, or write directly to submissions@silvercurrentpress.com with your manuscript attached as a single Word or PDF document.

By the Form

Send Us Your Work

Use the form below to begin. We will follow up by email with a link for the manuscript file if your initial details are accepted into our reading queue.

After you submit, please reply to our confirmation email with your manuscript attached as a single .docx or .pdf.

An Honor Code

We read every submission with the same attention we bring to our own writing. We will not share your work outside the editorial process. We will respond, even if briefly. If your work is not right for us, we will say so kindly — and we will mean it when we say we hope to read you again.