Clockhouse

About

Clockhouse is a national literary journal published annually by Clockhouse Writers' Conference, whose editors are MFA alumni of Goddard College.
Clockhouse features poetry, prose and creative nonfiction from established and emerging writers around the world.

Submission Caps: They may close to submissions early if they reach their quota.

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

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2011

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Published 1 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

152 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Clockhouse's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.
More Challenging: Clockhouse's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
More Responsive: Clockhouse's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

Short stories and self-contained novel excerpts in a literary style. Genre fiction will be considered only if it sustains literary merit.

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 15 November 2026* (approx. 70 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 3,500 words.
Novel Excerpt: 751 - 3,500 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment Provides free copy/copies No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

All memoir and creative non-fiction in traditional and experimental literary styles. No academic or scientific essays.

Dates:

Open to nonfiction submissions through 15 November 2026* (approx. 70 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 5,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 5,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Memoir.

Payment:

No monetary payment Provides free copy/copies No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Open

All poetry in traditional and experimental styles.

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 15 November 2026* (approx. 70 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General

Lengths:

Poem: Up to 250 lines.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Experimental poetry, Formal verse.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment Provides free copy/copies No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

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

Expand section Visual Art Closed

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 Clockhouse

Go to publication's website

Report:
Submission/Response
Correction/Update
New Cover Art

Social:
Facebook Facebook

Support this Publisher:
Purchase Issue(s)

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

Clockhouse 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 40 reports from 37 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

2 min | 94.3 mean avg | 95.0 median | 152 max days (48.7 std dev)

Responses

82.50 %

Acceptances:

5.00 % of submissions accepted (63.5 avg. days per acceptance) | 5.41 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

77.50 % (101.8 avg. days per rejection) | 3.2 % personal, 71.0 % form, 25.8 % unspecified

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

17.50 % (44.1 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

8 responses are pending (1 min | 3.0 mean avg | 3.0 median | 5 max days waiting | 1,489.4 std dev) from 8 different members

Other Information

Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 15 Feb 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 15 Dec 2025.
Date compiled: 06 Sep 2026 12:04 UTC (43 minutes ago).

Work submitted here was also submitted to...

This section is available to subscribers only. Sign up and start your free trial today!

Members accepted here also had work accepted by...

This section is available to subscribers only. Become a member and start your free trial today!

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: 31 Aug 2026

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