Editor Interview: Journal of Expressive Writing

Yay expressive writing!

The New Yorker, Sun Magazine, The Atlantic, Literary Mama, Tin House, Narrative, Ploughshares, and so many more!

My favorite writers are those who have a story to tell … whose voice can no longer be quieted … whether by the inner dialogue they have told themselves for decades or from those around them … for those who have been systematically ignored … whose parts may be broken, but their sum total is absolutely perfect … for they are courageous and vulnerable and willing to step outside of their comfort zone … because they can no longer stay silent. These are the writers I want to hear from, whether their writing is "finished" or “not.” This means that we love writers who are famous and published, as well as those just starting out and this is their first submission.

Founded in 2020, The Journal of Expressive Writing is the first and only online literary journal to publish expressive writing, free writing, non-fiction, personal essay, memoir, reflective essay, poetry, prose, contemplative discourse, and creative non-fiction—all that originate from a writing prompt—by both established and emerging writers.

We publish expressive writing, free writing, non-fiction, personal essay, memoir, reflective essay, poetry, prose, contemplative discourse, and creative non-fiction—all that originate from a writing prompt—by both established and emerging writers. We do not accept fiction. Word count is flexible, but the length should be no more than what can be generated in a 20-minute free-write. We accept submissions throughout the year on a rolling basis and we publish new content weekly. There is never a deadline, because we don't feel there is ever a deadline for creativity.

The American writer, Louise deSalvo, said, "It’s not what you produce as you write that’s important; it’s who you become as you write that’s important." The ideal submission is true, heartfelt, and expresses something essential. Love. Belongingness. Healing. Despair. Moments that just have to be shared with the world!

We do not accept fiction, interviews or research pieces. Please see the submissions guidelines on the website.

We do not care about cover letters, but we do ask for a brief bio.

I read every single piece through to the end before making a decision.

If people include websites, I might take a peek at those to get a sense of who the person is. But it's not at all a criteria for selection.

I love publishing people's work! My inspiration for the Journal of Expressive Writing came from having the supreme honor of listening to hundreds of AMAZING stories over the past 5 years in my Women’s Writing Circles. During these circles, I watched as people wrote about hurts and aspirations. Regret. Adversity. Forgiveness. Sometimes, when people were feeling especially inspired, I got the privilege of listening to them as they wrote about their gifts and talents. Those were truly magical moments, not just for them, but for ME. I always left these circles feeling SO INCREDIBLY LUCKY that I got to witness not only people LOOKING for their voices, but FINDING them! And not only FINDING their voices, but generously and fearlessly SHARING their voices with the rest of us! This was the vision for the Journal—a place where I could publish these stories— AND other people’s stories—for the whole world to read, because what was written—in often just 5 or 10 minutes from a single prompt—was TRULY remarkable! I knew these stories NEEDED to be shared with the world, especially at a time when we were all so disconnected (literally and figuratively!) during the Covid-19 pandemic!

Very minor edits only for punctuation, misspellings, etc.

Not yet!