Submit your work as a PDF or Word document to:
navypenlitmag@gmail.com
Please include a 3rd person bio attached on your submission.
You must signify the type of piece you are submitting.
Winter Theme: Sonder
Sonder is the moment you recognize that everyone around you has a life as layered and real as your own. It is the shift in perspective when you realize the stranger on the bus, the kid in your class, or the person you passed on the sidewalk is carrying memories, worries, hopes, and private stories you will never fully see. That awareness, sometimes sharp and sometimes slow to arrive, can change the way we understand a single moment.
For this issue, we are looking for work that taps into that idea. It does not have to name it, explain it, or build a whole plot around it. Sonder can appear in a conversation, in a misunderstanding, in a glimpse of someone else’s world, or in a moment when a character realizes they are not the only one trying to figure things out. It can be quiet or bold, emotional or strange, tightly focused or sprawling. What matters is that it engages with the inner lives of others in a meaningful way.
We are not using genre specific prompts this time. Instead, we are giving contributors complete freedom to interpret Sonder in whatever way fits their work. Poetry, prose, essays, hybrid pieces, and visual art are all welcome. As long as the piece connects to the theme in its own honest way, it belongs here.
Show us the lives that exist just beyond your own line of sight.
Submission Length Guidelines
- Short Stories: Up to 4,000 words. Please limit submissions to one story at a time.
- Poetry: Up to 5 poems per submission, each poem no longer than 3 pages.
- Essays / Creative Nonfiction: Up to 3,000 words. Submit only one essay per submission window.
We encourage concise, polished work that fits comfortably within these limits. Submissions that go slightly over may still be considered, but please respect the spirit of the guidelines.
Navy Pen 