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Chestnut Review

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About

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Why Chestnut Review? We’re not necessarily chained to metaphor, but this seems to us a good one. The chestnut blight that wiped out 4 billion (billion!) trees in North America in the early years of the last century doesn’t kill the stumps. So when those trees were cut down, in many places the stumps still send up young shoots over and over, and when they get old enough, the blight hits them and they die. And yet it sends up another. And another. A better metaphor for stubbornness we haven’t seen. Starting a literary magazine is never a wise idea, really. But we’re a little bit stubborn. A little bit picky in what we want. And if we don’t see it, then we want to create it (another great American value!) To extend the metaphor a little further, let’s fold you in. Artists who persist despite rejection, the intrusions of real life, the bills that must be paid, the jobs that must be done before any art can be created. That’s the best kind of stubbornness. A stubborn belief in your own worth, in the art of your hands, eyes, and mind. We seek storytellers—not just for fiction, but in all the genres we publish. We love clarity in art, but that doesn’t necessarily mean simplicity. Tell us a story. It could be a story in a poem, an essay, an image, but it is still a story. You tell it because it needs to be told. If you can make us feel the same way, we’ll work together to bring that story to the world.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for some submissions. They charge fees for some categories and "tip jar" submissions, except for Black and Indigenous authors. The fee is USD $5.
Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States Established in 2019

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic PublicationPublished 4 x per year.
Print Publication Print PublicationPublished 1 x per year.

Fiction Open Fee-based
Rolling Submissions:

Next cutoff date is 31 March 2025* (approx. 73 days from now). 1

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:
General General
Lengths:
Flash Fiction Flash FictionUp to 1,000 words.
Short Story Short Story1,000 - 5,000 words.
Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics, including: Seasons/Holidays (Seasons), Other (May vary).

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $120 per piece.

Submissions:

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

Nonfiction Open Fee-based
Rolling Submissions:

Next cutoff date is 31 March 2025* (approx. 73 days from now). 0

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:
Essay EssayUp to 5,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction Narrative NonfictionUp to 5,000 words.
Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics, including: Literature/Books, Seasons/Holidays (Seasons), Society/Culture, Visual Arts, Other (May vary).

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $120 per piece.

Submissions:

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

Poetry Open
Rolling Submissions:

Next cutoff date is 31 March 2025* (approx. 73 days from now). 4

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:
General General
Lengths:
Poem PoemNo line limits known; Up to 6 pieces.
Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics, including: Seasons/Holidays (Seasons), Other (May vary).

Payment:

Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem) Professional payment. Details: USD $120 per piece.

Submissions:

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

Visual Art Open
Rolling Submissions:

Next cutoff date is 31 March 2025* (approx. 73 days from now). 0

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:
Artwork ArtworkUp to 20 pieces.
Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics, including: Literature/Books, Seasons/Holidays (Seasons), Society/Culture, Visual Arts, Other (May vary).

Payment:

Professional payment (US$50 or more per piece) Professional payment. Details: USD $120 per piece.

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.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Chestnut Review Submission Statistics — Free Preview!

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 25 Most Challenging Nonfiction Publishers in our database.
AccuracyWe have received 673 reports from 491 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported0 min | 14.9 mean avg | 17.0 median | 142 max days (75.4 std dev)
Responses96.88 %
Acceptances1.34 % of submissions accepted (25.8 avg. days per acceptance) | 1.43 % of submitters accepted Rejections are often underreported, which skews the statistics in favor of acceptances. Most publishers have a lower acceptance rate than indicated here.
Rejections95.54 % (14.8 avg. days per rejection) | 14.8 % personal, 61.7 % form, 23.5 % unspecified | 0.3 % rewrite requests | 0.3 % shortlisted
Non-Responses3.12 %
Lost/Returned-
Never Responded0.15 % (93.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals2.97 % (7.5 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending43 responses are pending (1 min | 35.4 mean avg | 18.0 median | 239 max days waiting | 336.1 std dev) from 43 different members This only includes pending reports from users who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 30 days. (4.8 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 30 days.)
The most common submission fee paid: USD $5.00. (49.4 % of reports specified whether they paid a fee; of those, 73.5 % paid fees.)
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 17 Jan 2025.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 07 Jan 2025.

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Your Submissions

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Chestnut Review Chapbooks Charges fees for some submissions
Chestnut Review Poetry Chapbook Contest CLOSED Charges fees for all submissions
Chestnut Review Prose Chapbook Contest CLOSED Charges fees for all submissions
Chestnut Review Stubborn Writers Contest CLOSED Charges fees for all submissions

Dates

Last Updated: 17 Dec 2024
Last Audited: 30 Sep 2024. (We audit each active listing twice a year. Learn more at link.)
Date Added: 15 May 2019

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.