Sinister Wisdom A Multicultural Lesbian Literary & Art Journal

About

Sinister Wisdom is a multicultural lesbian literary & art journal founded in 1976. Sinister Wisdom works to create multi-class, multicultural, multi-gender, multi-racial, world-wide intergenerational queer and lesbian spaces. Through publishing quarterly issues, a Sapphic Classics book series, and offering educational programs, Sinister Wisdom nurtures lesbian communities. Sinister Wisdom is a living archive that celebrates the multiplicity of lesbian identities across races, classes, genders, abilities, and lived experiences. Sinister Wisdom recognizes the power of language and art to create radical, empowering, resilient, and joyous sanctuaries that build and sustain vibrant lesbian futures.

Limited Demographic: Submissions are restricted to those who identify as lesbian or queer.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 1976

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Published 4 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

70 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Sinister Wisdom's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All ethnic groups/populations, Females, Nonbinary people, Transgender people, Lesbians/Gays.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words; Up to 2 pieces.
Short Story: 1,000 - 5,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Sexuality/Gender: LGBTQ issues.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All ethnic groups/populations, Females, Nonbinary people, Transgender people, Lesbians/Gays.

Lengths:

Review: No specific word count limits known.
Essay: Up to 5,000 words; Unknown number of pieces.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 5,000 words; Unknown number of pieces.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Sexuality/Gender: LGBTQ issues.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All ethnic groups/populations, Females, Nonbinary people, Transgender people, Lesbians/Gays.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 5 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Sexuality/Gender: LGBTQ issues.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All ethnic groups/populations, Females, Nonbinary people, Transgender people, Lesbians/Gays.

Lengths:

Artwork: Unknown number of pieces.
Graphic Narrative: No page limits known.
Photo Essay: No image limits known.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including...
Cartoon/Comic strip.
Photography.
Black & white photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Sexuality/Gender: LGBTQ issues.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Image.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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Sinister Wisdom Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 3 reports from 3 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

44 min | 136.7 mean avg | 159.0 median | 207 max days (83.8 std dev)

Pending

2 responses are pending (138 min | 168.5 mean avg | 168.5 median | 199 max days waiting | 1,746.5 std dev) from 2 different members

Other Information

Most recent response reported was received on 30 May 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 22 Dec 2025.
Date compiled: 05 Sep 2026 20:42 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Before Submitting

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Dates

Last Updated: 29 Jul 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.