Skip to Content

An Important Announcement
We are excited to announce the long-awaited Duotrope community! Create your profile, high five your fellow creators, and journey along Rejection Road.

Pithead Chapel an online literary journal

See other projects related to this listing.

About

Pithead Chapel is an independent and volunteer-run literary journal and small press founded in 2012 in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We publish art, fiction, nonfiction, and prose poetry online every month by emerging and established artists.

At Pithead Chapel, we’re looking for engaging art, fiction, nonfiction, and prose poetry. Most of all, we want your work to make us feel something. We want to reach the last word and immediately crave more. We want your work to leave a brilliant bruise. Send us your polished work and we’ll do our best to help your voice get heard.

Voluntary Fees: This project accepts voluntary fees for "tip jar" submissions.
Submission Caps: They may close to submissions early if they reach their quota.
Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 2012

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Published 12 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

Statistics Synopsis

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

Collapse section Fiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 4,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 4,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 4,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Memoir.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

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

Poetry Forms:

Prose poetry.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Visual Art Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 3 pieces.

Art Media:

Painting.
Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

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.

Pithead Chapel 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 497 reports from 342 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 | 15.1 mean avg | 10.0 median | 255 max days (66.1 std dev)
Responses
95.78 %
Acceptances:
2.62 % of submissions accepted (22.6 avg. days per acceptance) | 3.80 % 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.
Rejections:
93.16 % (14.6 avg. days per rejection) | 13.4 % personal, 67.6 % form, 19.0 % unspecified | 0.2 % shortlisted
Non-Responses
0.20 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
0.20 % (255.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals
4.02 % (11.3 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending
26 responses are pending (0 min | 30.6 mean avg | 23.0 median | 123 max days waiting | 493.1 std dev) from 26 different members This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 60 days. (6.0 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 60 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 60 days have passed.
The most common submission tip paid: USD $5.00. (12.8 % reported giving a tip.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 03 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 26 Aug 2026.
Date compiled: 04 Sep 2026 18:38 UTC (2 hours, 11 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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 Larry Brown Short Story Award  Charges fees for all submissions

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: 18 Aug 2026

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

Cookie Consent: This site uses secure first-party cookies for essential, preference-setting, and statistical purposes. We do not use any marketing, advertising, or third-party cookies. Read our full cookie policy.