The Artisanal Writer: Literary Essays craft, practice, poetics, theory Free Tip Jar Option

The Artisanal Writer is an online magazine that explores the craft and practice of writing. We are accepting original, previously unpublished, Literary Essays (on craft, practice, poetics, theory and criticism) year-round from Canadian, American and international writers, writing in English.

Normally, we publish craft essays of about 2000 words, but if you have a remarkable piece that could run a little longer, please check back with us using the form below. Please send in PDF, OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format, no more than one literary/craft essay on any subject (in a single document). Please include a word count at the top of the document. See here for an example.

While we do accept simultaneous submissions, if your work is accepted for publication elsewhere, please let us know immediately. We do not accept translations or work that has been previously published in any form, print or online.

Make sure the text is single-spaced (unless spacing is used for artistic effect); use a 12-point font, in Calibri or Times New Roman font. Attach a document in PDF, OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF format only. Please proofread your work carefully for grammar, spelling and punctuation. If you are using illustrations, place them within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end. Include your name and full contact information with each submission. Include a bio of up to 50 words with each submission.

If the Essay is accepted for publication in the Artisanal Writer, the work will be published online under an Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) Creative Commons License and you will retain copyright to the work.

All submissions must be made in a single document adhering to the aforementioned format and guidelines via the Duosuma submission platform. We do not accept submissions in any other format. Do not email or snail mail submissions.

We are a small non-profit and are currently staffed by writers and artists who largely work on a volunteer basis. We read every submission and try to respond quickly (often within a few weeks) and writers who have not received a response within 90 days are encouraged to query regarding their manuscript’s status. Please wait to hear back from us before submitting a new unsolicited manuscript.

As a small, independent publication, we are committed to ethical publishing practices that recognize and compensate the labour of our contributors. All accepted Literary Essays receive an honorarium of $25 (CAD), offered as a modest acknowledgment of the writer’s work within the financial capacity of the publication. Payments are issued in Canadian dollars only, and no other forms of compensation are available. Contributors who are in a position to do so may choose to waive or donate their honorarium back to AW, supporting the long-term sustainability and growth of the organization.

We request an optional $5 reading and processing fee for all submissions. The fees help us pay our contributors and sustain the publication. A voluntary $10.00 fee will guarantee an expedited answer within two weeks. Paying an expedited submission fee does not increase your chances of acceptance. Still, it does go a long way to help us sustain our journal and help us reward our contributors and staff who work tirelessly to promote quality literary work.