Chicago Story Press Literary Journal Gold Star Program Gold Star

We publish essays and creative non-fiction stories. We love pieces that illuminate the human experience. We value narratives that delve into the emotional complexities of life, share insights, stir empathy, and provoke deeper understanding. Beyond telling us what happened, show us the impact it had on you and others.

We founded this press because we love stories and essays. The way they can affect you, stay with you, teach you, and transform you. When we find authors with stories no one else has ever read, we want to be the ones to get them out into the world. And when those authors affect readers and make a strong impression, it makes all our hard work worth it.

Essays and Creative Nonfiction Temp Closed

Submission Guidelines:

Length: Must be 1,000-3000 words.
Must be based on a true event that happened to you.
Format: Submissions must be in a Word document. DO NOT SEND A PDF.
Original Content: We seek original, unpublished work.
Submissions are taken only through Submittable and Duotrope.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please let us know if your piece is accepted elsewhere.
We will pay you $25.00 if your piece is published. WE ONLY PAY THROUGH PAYPAL.
Provide your Paypal account in your cover letter
$5.00 submission fee to help defray the many costs of running a literary journal. If you are unable to pay this fee, please contact us.
It's important to note that you will retain full ownership of your piece and the copyright reverts to you upon publication. If you decide to publish your piece again, please mention that it was first published by Chicago Story Press.

Note: We will suggest light edits to your piece. Please make sure it has no misspellings or grammatical errors.

Requirements:

The author guarantees that he/she possesses sole ownership of his/her personal narrative, that it is a true story, and that he/she is the sole owner of the copyright and its content.

Moreover, the author assures that he/she did not commit plagiarism in relation to his/her story and ensures that its contents are entirely his/her creation.

The story must not contain libelous, illegal, sexist, racist, homophobic, legally obscene, defamatory and intentionally hateful contents.

Not Open