Crow & Cross Keys

About

Seeking the wonderful and the bizarre, the beautiful and dark… Crow & Cross Keys is a new, online literary journal that plucks fiction and poetry from skeletal trees and gives it a place to take root. We love writing that sings: strong, unexpected imagery; lyrical prose; and an afterimage that lasts long after the lights go out. Crow & Cross Keys seeks to be a haven for all things speculative. Give us your fairy tales and your fables, sneak a scary story under the mat. Share with us poetry that whispers and shouts, and demands it be heard over the din of the wind.

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

Country of Publication & Year Established

United Kingdom

Established in 2020

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

313 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Regular Speed: Crow & Cross Keys's overall average response time is within a normal range for magazines.
More Challenging: Crow & Cross Keys's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
Responsive: Crow & Cross Keys's overall rate of non-response is within a normal range for magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Gothic, Weird/New Weird
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Gothic, Weird/New Weird
Science Fiction Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Weird/New Weird

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 250 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Flash Fiction: 251 - 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,001 - 5,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Folklore/Mythology: Fairy tales.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Lyric poetry.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Folklore/Mythology: Fairy tales.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are 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 Crow & Cross Keys

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Social:
Instagram @crowcrosskeys
X (Twitter) @crowkeys

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

Crow & Cross Keys 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 97 reports from 82 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 | 72.0 mean avg | 70.5 median | 203 max days (63.0 std dev)

Responses

72.17 %

Acceptances:

6.19 % of submissions accepted (58.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 7.32 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

65.98 % (85.9 avg. days per rejection) | 21.9 % personal, 59.4 % form, 18.8 % unspecified

Non-Responses

2.06 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

2.06 % (102.5 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

25.77 % (26.6 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

37 responses are pending (1 min | 70.1 mean avg | 74.0 median | 197 max days waiting | 125.6 std dev) from 36 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 56 days. (73.2 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 56 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 56 days have passed.
Most recent response reported was received on 31 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 12 May 2026.
Date compiled: 08 Sep 2026 13:25 UTC (4 hours, 23 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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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 Aug 2026

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