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Hearth Stories

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About

Hearth Stories publishes slice-of-life stories with a focus on nature, forests, connection, family, romance/relationships, and comfort/kindness. We are primarily focusing on stories set in a pre-industrial-revolution time period (or a fantasy world resembling such), preferably not in city settings. Hearth Stories also accepts literary fiction (i.e. non-speculative work) if it takes place before ~1825 or so.

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

Country of Publication

United States

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Published 2 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

Statistics Synopsis

Faster
Hearth Stories's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.

Collapse section Fiction Open

Things we are looking for

  • Cozy, sweet, cute, kind, hopeful, and romantic stories (especially, but not limited to, queer romance)
  • Medievalism, peasant life, arthurian-style settings and stories (without the war and combat), chivalry
  • Rural/pastoral life, village fairs/festivals, herb gathering, traditional crafts (sewing, weaving, spinning), and song (include lyrics or sheetmusic if you have them)
  • Works that take place in nature, wooded spaces, mountains, and fields, stories that feel like spring (or, really, involve or evoke any seasons in a meaningful way)
  • Stories involving food and cooking. However, we are a vegan publication; stories that feature animal products may result in a pass on the story or a request for removal of the animal products
  • Stories involving hermits, issolated places, cottages, or wandering in the woods
  • Witches, paganism, magic
  • Bonus points for stories backed by vegan, anarchist, collectivist, communal, and eco-conscious themes

More generally, we are wanting the small adventures of daily life rather than adventures with swords, conflict, etc.

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 30 September 2026 9:59 PM PDT (in 15 days).

2

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General Subgenre: Magic Realism
Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Historical, Magic Realism

Lengths:

Short Story: 1,000 - 7,500 words.
Novelette: 7,500 - 10,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream, Surrealist.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Nature/Environment: See guidelines.
Other: See guidelines.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $0.01/word, with a $20 minimum.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Expand section Poetry Closed

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

Hearth Stories 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:
Accuracy
We have received 6 reports from 6 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
5 min | 19.3 mean avg | 20.5 median | 28 max days (322.0 std dev)
Pending
1 response is pending (6 days waiting). This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

Most recent response reported was received on 06 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 01 Sep 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 10:10 UTC (less than a minute 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: 01 Sep 2026

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

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