Tension Literary

About

Tension is at the center of all great writing. We are committed to publishing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that stirs, shocks, or surprises us.
Tension Lit is a not-for-profit journal. All reading fee and feedback fee donations are put directly back into the running of the site and promoting the work in each issue. The editor and any readers are unpaid volunteers. Therefore, we do not have the funds to pay writers to publish their work at this time. We hope to be able to do so in the future.

Voluntary Fees: This project accepts voluntary fees for "tip jar" submissions and feedback.

Country of Publication

United States

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

7 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Tension Literary's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Approachable: Tension Literary's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
Less Responsive: Tension Literary's overall rate of non-response is higher than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 6,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 6,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 6,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 5 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT 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.

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Instagram @tensionliterary

For the Editor(s):
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Link to Duotrope

Tension Literary 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.

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Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 14 reports from 13 different members within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

14 min | 46.9 mean avg | 51.0 median | 79 max days (19.4 std dev)

Responses

92.86 %

Acceptances:

14.29 % of submissions accepted (31.5 avg. days per acceptance) | 15.38 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

78.57 % (53.1 avg. days per rejection) | 36.4 % personal, 54.6 % form, 9.1 % unspecified

Non-Responses

7.14 %

Lost/Returned:

7.14 % (24.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as lost or returned)

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

Other Information

The most common submission tip paid: USD $5.00. (7.1 % reported giving a tip.)
Most recent response reported was received on 01 Jul 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 28 May 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 02:10 UTC (7 hours, 36 minutes ago).

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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: 13 Aug 2026

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