Up the Staircase Quarterly (UTSQ)

This is the current Listing of the Day. Learn about our selection process.

About

Established in 2008, Up the Staircase Quarterly is an online journal of poetry and art.
UtSQ nominates for Best of the Net and Best New Poets.

Voluntary Fees: This project accepts voluntary fees for "tip jar" submissions.

Important: Submit only once per quarter.

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2008

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 4 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

501 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Up the Staircase Quarterly's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Challenging: Up the Staircase Quarterly's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
More Responsive: Up the Staircase Quarterly's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Expand section Nonfiction Closed

Collapse section Poetry Open

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 15 September 2026* (approx. 9 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; 3 - 6 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Free verse, Prose poetry, Short poetry.

Styles:

Surrealist.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
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: Audio. Text. Video.

Collapse section Visual Art Open

Dates:

Open to visual art submissions through 15 September 2026* (approx. 9 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 10 pieces.
Graphic Narrative: No page limits known.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including...
Drawing.
Cartoon/Comic strip.
Painting.
Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are 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.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Up the Staircase Quarterly

Go to publication's website

Report:
Submission/Response
Correction/Update
New Cover Art

Social:
Bluesky @upthestaircase.bsky.social
Facebook Facebook
X (Twitter) @upthestaircase

Support this Publisher:
Make a Donation

For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
Duosuma Submission Manager
Link to Duotrope

Up the Staircase Quarterly 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 124 reports from 106 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

1 min | 9.8 mean avg | 7.0 median | 50 max days (187.6 std dev)

Responses

100.00 %

Acceptances:

4.03 % of submissions accepted (25.4 avg. days per acceptance) | 4.72 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

95.97 % (9.1 avg. days per rejection) | 24.4 % personal, 49.6 % form, 26.1 % unspecified | 0.8 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

Pending

19 responses are pending (0 min | 17.2 mean avg | 15.5 median | 31 max days waiting | 265.7 std dev) from 18 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 30 days. (6.5 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 30 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 60 days have passed.
The most common submission tip paid: USD $3.00. (5.3 % reported giving a tip.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 03 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 11 Aug 2026.
Date compiled: 06 Sep 2026 18:37 UTC (4 hours, 3 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

Work submitted here was also submitted to...

Poetry: Sixth Finch; The Shore; Wildness; Rust & Moth; Tahoma Literary Review; Chestnut Review; 32 Poems; Rattle; Poet Lore; The Adroit Journal; Copper Nickel; The Rumpus

Visual Art: Insufficient data

Members accepted here also had work accepted by...

Poetry: Booth; DIALOGIST; Poetry Online; Southeast Review; The /tEmz/ Review; The Citron Review; Saranac Review; Tampa Review; River Heron Review; Grist; Glass; phoebe

Visual Art: N/A

Your Submissions

This section is available to subscribers only. Join today!

Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 06 Sep 2026

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