The Argyle Literary Magazine

We are looking for original, unpublished work for Issue #8 (June '26 release); however, we are also all about reprinting strong pieces that aren't done making their “rounds” (just let us know where reprints were originally published and acknowledge you currently retain the rights to them). Please do let us know if your submission (or part of your submission) has been accepted elsewhere ASAP via our submission manager Submittable (via "Messages") so we can remove it from consideration and give you a heartfelt “Congratulations!”

The Argyle accepts general submissions for:

• Poetry – up to 6 poems (no limitations, but rhyme at your own risk).

We are looking for original, unpublished work for Issue #8 (June '26 release); however, we are also all about reprinting strong pieces that aren't done making their “rounds” (just let us know where reprints were originally published and acknowledge you currently retain the rights to them). Please do let us know if your submission (or part of your submission) has been accepted elsewhere ASAP via our submission manager Submittable (via "Messages") so we can remove it from consideration and give you a heartfelt “Congratulations!”

The Argyle accepts general submissions for:

• Short fiction – up to 3 pieces (approximately 3,000 words each). We can be a little flexible for longer pieces).

We are looking for original, unpublished work for Issue #8 (June '26 release); however, we are also all about reprinting strong pieces that aren't done making their “rounds” (just let us know where reprints were originally published and acknowledge you currently retain the rights to them). Please do let us know if your submission (or part of your submission) has been accepted elsewhere ASAP via our submission manager Submittable (via "Messages") so we can remove it from consideration and give you a heartfelt “Congratulations!”

The Argyle accepts general submissions for:

• Creative Non-fiction/Essays – up to 3 pieces (approximately 3,000 words each). We can be a little flexible for longer pieces).

We are looking for original, unpublished work for Issue #8 (June '26 release); however, we are also all about reprinting strong pieces that aren't done making their “rounds” (just let us know where reprints were originally published and acknowledge you currently retain the rights to them). Please do let us know if your submission (or part of your submission) has been accepted elsewhere ASAP via our submission manager Submittable (via "Messages") so we can remove it from consideration and give you a heartfelt “Congratulations!” 

For digital art submissions outside the parameters listed below, query the EIC via Submittable.

The Argyle accepts general submissions for:

• Digital Art - up to 5 submissions. Color and black & white accepted. Work that is strongly poetic and/or narrative works nicely. This includes multi-modal prose/verse submissions. Files should be titled with "Last name_title" (Ex: Smith_The Golden Dawn)

Now that we have had a taste of the rural life (Theme 06: “Bucolia”), The Argyle now has a hankering for a taste of the “big city”…but with a twist. Our new theme for Issue No. 8 is “Bright Lights, Dark City,” so we would we will be accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and digital art that center around urban life with all its glamors and all its pitfalls. 

We want front row seats for the “rat race.” Accounts from casualties of urban sprawl. Mainly, though, we want glimpses of life underground that are strange enough to be true, which could inlcude (but are not limited to) existential crises in art galleries, the plight of sex dungeons during a nationwide bleach shortage, street vendors with questionably sourced ingredients, street prophets that can actually predict the future, socialites who run illegal cockfights in their poolhouses, and desperate writers that sell their souls to the devil for a spot in the Paris Review. 

Give us the real. Give us the absurd. Give us a dazzling—but sobering—look at the dirty underbelly of city life. Above all, your submissions should reflect the humanity beneath it all. The triumphs. The failings. The ongoing struggle for more ____________ (fill in the blank).  

Submissions for “Bright Lights, Dark City” must be original pieces (no reprints) and must follow submission guidelines. Subs open 3/15 at midnight and close on May 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM CST or until all slots are filled. 

Have fun with it!

Submission Guidelines:

• Short fiction, CNF, & Essays – up to 3 pieces (approximately 3,000 words each). We can be a little flexible for longer pieces).
• Poetry – up to 6 poems (no limitations, but rhyme at your own risk).
• Digital Art - up to 5 submissions. Color and black & white accepted. Work that is strongly poetic and/or narrative works nicely. This includes multi-modal prose/verse submissions.

*Submissions for Theme 06: "Bright Lights, Dark City" close on May 31, 2026 @ 11:59 PM CST.

Every online issue will include at least one vanishing (mirco)chap of poetry, fiction, or non-fiction that will last only one issue (after which, it will disappear into the vastness of nothingness). We will also consider hybrid manuscripts. Published micro chaps will include:

• Poetry - 8 to 10 poems
• Fiction - 3 to 4 short stories (between 1,000 and 3,000 words each)
• Nonfiction - 3 to 4 essays (between 750 and 3,000 words each)
• Hybrid - content will vary  

*Regular-length chapbooks will be larger in size (content will vary).

Successful submissions generally will follow a common theme (or vibe) and—more importantly—work as a collection. Individual pieces must uniquely shine on their own but also resonate with each other to create a singular, cohesive experience overall.

To submit a chapbook manuscript for consideration, please include:

• Poetry - 12-15 poems
• Fiction - 4 to 5 short stories (between 1,000 and 3,000 words each)
• Nonfiction - 4 to 5 essays (between 750 and 3,000 words each)
• Hybrid - Content will vary; however, submissions should contain enough material (for each genre represented) to curate a final product.

Submissions may include previously published material; HOWEVER, no more than 10% of the submission’s content may be previously published. Authors must also hold the right to reprint said piece(s) and include the name(s) of the publishers in their submissions.

No submissions created with AI (either partially or totally) may be submitted for consideration!