Sein und Werden

About

Sein und Werden is [an] online journal of arts and letters. The title comes from the Expressionist concept of Sein und Werden - 'being and becoming', the notion that we are born as nothing and only through experience do we become who we are (an idea shared with Sartre in his work 'Being and Nothingness'). Using certain techniques of cinematography to create lengthened shadows, twisted stairways and a distorted mise-en-scène, the Expressionists were able to depict a nightmare world that would later influence a number of other cinematic developments, such as film noir, aswell as leading artistic movements. One such group who owed much of their technique to Expressionism were the Surrealists, who played with these concepts to create bizarre images of the subconscious, making use of dreams and automatic writing. The goal of Sein und Werden is to present works that evoke the spirit of the Expressionist, Existentialist and Surrealist movements within a modern context, which I like to call 'Werdenism'.

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Country of Publication & Year Established

United Kingdom

Established in 2004

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 2 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

123 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Sein und Werden's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Approachable: Sein und Werden's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
More Responsive: Sein und Werden's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

Rolling Submissions:

Next cutoff date is 30 September 2026* (approx. 15 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General Subgenre: Magic Realism
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres
Suspense/Thriller Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 2,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Other: May vary, See guidelines.

Theme:

Auto-Portrait (30 Sep 2026*)

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Articles/features which are arts-related, for instance, on a particular author or specific art-movement. Also, journal excerpts and articles on personal writing experiences.

Rolling Submissions:

Next cutoff date is 30 September 2026* (approx. 15 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Article: Up to 2,000 words.
Essay: Up to 2,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Literature/Books: Theory/Analysis/Criticism, Writing, See guidelines.
Visual Arts: Theory/Analysis/Criticism, See guidelines.

Theme:

Auto-Portrait (30 Sep 2026*)

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

Rolling Submissions:

Next cutoff date is 30 September 2026* (approx. 15 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General Subgenre: Magic Realism
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres
Suspense/Thriller Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

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

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Experimental poetry, Prose poetry.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Other: May vary, See guidelines.

Theme:

Auto-Portrait (30 Sep 2026*)

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Visual Art Open

Rolling Submissions:

Next cutoff date is 30 September 2026* (approx. 15 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 3 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Expressionist.

Topics:

Other: May vary, See guidelines.

Theme:

Auto-Portrait (30 Sep 2026*)

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

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Sein und Werden 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 10 reports from 10 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

2 min | 12.1 mean avg | 7.0 median | 44 max days (14.5 std dev)

Responses

100.0 %

Acceptances:

70.00 % of submissions accepted (13.1 avg. days per acceptance) | 70.00 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

30.00 % (17.0 avg. days per rejection) | 33.3 % personal, 33.3 % form, 33.3 % unspecified

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

Pending

7 responses are pending (1 min | 28.8 mean avg | 21.0 median | 83 max days waiting | 42.7 std dev) from 6 different members

Other Information

Most recent response reported was received on 05 Jul 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 22 May 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 08:50 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Dates

Last Updated: 05 Aug 2026

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