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L'Esprit Literary Review

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About

55 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

L’Esprit was founded in February 2022, the centenary month of the publication of Ulysses. The journal was thus born in celebration of the literary revolution of consciousness represented by High Modernism, and seeks to publish work in that spirit.
We have grown considerably over the past few years and are fortunate enough to have published work by several outstanding new and established writers and critics, including Lucy Ives, Michael Nath, Diane Josefowicz, Violeta Sotirova, Jaclyn Gilbert, Christopher Linforth, Ella Baxter, Rebecca Fishow, Kat Meads, and, in translation, Hormoz Shahdadi and Paul Verlaine. We always prioritize emergent work from talented authors, and source the vast majority of each issue from unsolicited material via the slush pile.
L’Esprit searches for fearless, audacious, innovative writing that takes risks at the sentence level and immerses itself in the slippery, wondrous underworld of the mind. Interior-focused, character-driven, language-first work is core to our aesthetic principles, writing that eschews convention and experiments at both the technical and formal levels.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for some submissions. Look for the fees icon. The fee range is USD $3 to $35.
Important: Submissions of reviews and critical essays remain open year-round.
Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States Established in 2022

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic PublicationPublished 2 x per year.
Print Publication Print PublicationPublished 2 x per year.

Fiction Temp Closed

We look for ambitious, voice-driven literary fiction that emphasizes consciousness and interiority in the Modernist tradition. Please no genre work. We seek writing that takes risks on the sentence level and is propelled by dynamic, poetic language.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:
General General
Lengths:
Flash Fiction Flash FictionUp to 1,000 words; Up to 2 pieces.
Short Story Short Story1,000 - 7,000 words; Up to 2 pieces.
Novel Excerpt Novel ExcerptNo specific word count limits known; Up to 2 pieces.
Styles:

Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $10 per piece.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Nonfiction Temp Closed

We will consider personal essays and creative non-fiction that explore their subject matter with the fearless, unabashed honesty of Modernism’s revolutionary tradition. We also look for criticism that engages literary work on a critical, technical, mechanical, and/or theoretical level, including book reviews and essays.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:
Review Review800 - 1,200 words; Up to 2 pieces.
Article ArticleUp to 7,000 words; Up to 2 pieces.
Essay EssayUp to 7,000 words; Up to 2 pieces.
Narrative Nonfiction Narrative NonfictionUp to 7,000 words; Up to 2 pieces.
Styles:

Critical, Literary, Personal, Technical.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics, including: Literature/Books (Theory/Analysis/Criticism).

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $10 per piece.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Visual Art Open
Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:
Artwork ArtworkUnknown number of pieces.
Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including: Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (US$10-49 per piece) Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $10 per piece.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are 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.

L'Esprit Literary 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.
AccuracyWe have received 45 reports from 38 different members within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported2 min | 11.4 mean avg | 9.0 median | 133 max days (72.2 std dev)
Responses88.89 %
Acceptances0.00 % No publication has a 0% acceptance rate. This data is based on submission reports sent to Duotrope, and we have not received reports of any acceptances yet.
Rejections88.89 % (9.8 avg. days per rejection) | 7.5 % personal, 80.0 % form, 12.5 % unspecified
Non-Responses11.11 %
Lost/Returned-
Never Responded2.22 % (133.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals8.89 % (13.8 avg. days per withdrawal)

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 56 days. (2.2 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 56 days.)
The most common submission fee paid: USD $3.00. (51.1 % of reports specified whether they paid a fee; of those, 69.6 % paid fees.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 20 Feb 2025.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 11 Feb 2025.

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Leopold Bloom Prize for Innovative Narration CLOSED Charges fees for all submissions

Dates

Last Updated: 23 Feb 2025
Last Audited: 02 Oct 2024. (We audit each active listing twice a year. Learn more at link.)
Date Added: 14 Apr 2022

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