Brevity A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction

See other projects related to this listing.

About

For more than two decades, Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction has published well-known and emerging writers working in the brief essay form. Though still committed to the mission of publishing new and emerging writers, Brevity has been fortunate over the years to include the work of Pulitzer prize winners, NEA fellows, Pushcart winners, Best American authors, and writers from India, Egypt, Ireland, Spain, Malaysia, The Netherlands, and Japan. Authors published in Brevity include Diane Seuss, Roxane Gay, Deesha Philyaw, Ander Monson, Daisy Hernandez, Brenda Miller, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Abigail Thomas, Lia Purpura, David L. Ulin, Heather Sellers, Matthew Gavin Frank, Lee Martin, Rebecca McClanahan, Barbara Hurd, Bret Lott, Ira Sukrungruang, Rigoberto González, Judith Kitchen, Michael Martone, and Jenny Boully.
Work from Brevity has been anthologized and reprinted in venues including Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Utne Reader, the Short Takes anthology, Best American Essays, and many recent writing textbooks.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions. (Note: About 8% of magazines always charge fees.)
The fee is USD $3 (average for magazines that charge).

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

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 1997

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

762 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

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

Learn more about our statistics

Nonfiction Open Fee-based

Dates:

Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 750 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Critical, Literary, Personal.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Literature/Books: Writing.
Memoir.

Payment:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $45.

Submissions:

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

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

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Brevity

Go to publication's website

Report:
Submission/Response
Correction/Update
New Cover Art

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

Support this Publisher:
Make a Donation

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

Brevity 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.

This project ranks among the Extremely Challenging Nonfiction Publishers in our database.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Include related projects

Accuracy

We have received 165 reports from 134 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

0 min | 47.6 mean avg | 47.0 median | 392 max days (99.6 std dev)

Responses

93.94 %

Acceptances:

0.00 %

Rejections:

93.94 % (48.4 avg. days per rejection) | 20.7 % personal, 60.0 % form, 19.4 % unspecified | 1.8 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

0.61 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

0.61 % (178.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

5.45 % (25.0 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

20 responses are pending (4 min | 22.1 mean avg | 14.0 median | 182 max days waiting | 695.4 std dev) from 20 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 60 days. (21.8 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 60 days.)
The most common submission fee paid: USD $3.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 08 Jun 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 15 May 2026.
Date compiled: 16 Sep 2026 21:44 UTC (less than a minute 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!

The Brevity Blog

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.