As the editors of the farthest north literary magazine, we’ve chosen an unconventional, expansive place to live. That, too, is what we seek in your submissions.
We want the far-reaching, and skittish, the crystalline and devastating. We want the sickly, the sweet, but not the sickly sweet. We want things to get ugly, or maybe beautiful. Push us with your intricate language, your lyrical alchemy. We like clarity, and work that exemplifies an understanding of each genre's conventions, but without shying from the vulnerable.
We only accept previously unpublished work. We accept simultaneous submissions and but let us know if your submission is accepted elsewhere as soon as it does. Only one submission at a time, please. We welcome prose up to 8000 words. Long poems are fine, too. We also welcome flash fiction and essays, prose poems, hermit-crab stories, lyric essays, etc.
We are currently reading for our upcoming print issue.
Please note that we charge a $3 fee for submitting online, which helps offset some of the journal’s expenses.
We only accept submissions by mail IF you provide a return envelope with a stamp, so we can mail our reply to you. Our mailing address can be found on the Contact Us page. Email submissions will not be read.
We make every effort to respond to submissions in as timely a manner as possible. Please wait 6 months before inquiring about the status of your submission.
Thank you for submitting and for your interest in Permafrost.
Here in the heart of Alaska, we pride ourselves on that perfect balance of warmth and danger, and we hope to find the same in your poems. It’s ok if your words climb into velvet heels at night, so long as the feet are muddy and well-traveled. We’re looking for fresh language and imagery, an element of risk, and compelling narratives. Poetry does NOT need to be double spaced; please submit it as you would like it to appear. Please do not submit more than five poems at once.
Like many people, we’d rather read an interesting failure than something safe and boring, but interesting successes are really what we’re after here. Engage us. Challenge our perceptions. Increase our capacity for empathy. Make us aware of prejudices we didn’t know we had. Teach us how to see beauty in the way that you do. Fiction submissions may include one piece up to 8,000 words or up to three flash pieces (less than 1,000 words each) in each submission. us.
When it comes to nonfiction, more than anything, we look at language. It needs to be precise, eloquent, musical--it should sound good to the ear and feel good in the mouth. We have a soft spot for flash memoir, hermit-crab writing, lyric essays, or really anything that pushes the limits of genre and that is driven by deep and powerful thinking.
Nonfiction submissions may include one piece up to 8,000 words or up to three flash pieces (less than 1,000 words each) in each submission.
We like it weird and we hate boundaries, which is why we live in Alaska. We’re looking for play with words that makes us rethink everything we know about language and genre. Nonfiction prose poems, stories in verse, graphic essays. We are especially excited for excerpts from your comic books and graphic novels. Surprise and mesmerize us. Hybrid submissions may be up to 8,000 words. If using visuals, make sure that you have the necessary copyrights.
Photographs, drawings, cover art, etc. will be considered. We do not charge a fee for submitting artwork.
Pass contributors to Permafrost should use the back issue category to purchase issues they were published in at the discounted rate ($5 per issue). Be sure to specify volume and issue number in the comments section.
Please note that only one back issue can be purchased at a time. To purchase multiple copies, please fill out this form multiple times or see our website for mail order instructions: http://permafrostmag.com/subscribe/