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The Awakenings Review

About

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The Awakenings Review is an award-winning literary magazine committed to publishing poetry, short stories, nonfiction, art, and photography by writers and poets who write from experience with mental illness in themselves, family members, or friends. Located in the Chicago area but international in scope, our print publication is one of the nation’s leading journals of this genre. We favor work demonstrating that the writer or poet has found direction in life despite mental illness or about the experience of mental illness without being demoralizing.

Limited Demographic: Submissions are restricted to people who have personal experience with mental illness.
Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States Established in 2000

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print PublicationPublished 2 x per year.

Fiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: People living with mental health conditions.

Genres:
General General
Open to all/most Genres Open to all/most Genres
Lengths:
Flash Fiction Flash Fiction500 - 1,000 words.
Short Story Short Story1,000 - 5,000 words.
Novel Excerpt Novel Excerpt500 - 5,000 words.
Styles:

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

Topics:

Health/Medicine (Mental health).

Payment:

No monetary payment (Provides free copy/copies) No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

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


Nonfiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: People living with mental health conditions.

Lengths:
Essay Essay500 - 5,000 words.
Styles:

Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Health/Medicine (Mental health).

Payment:

No monetary payment (Provides free copy/copies) No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

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


Poetry Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: People living with mental health conditions.

Genres:
General General
Open to all/most Genres Open to all/most Genres
Lengths:
Poem PoemNo line limits known; 3 - 5 pieces.
Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Health/Medicine (Mental health).

Payment:

No monetary payment (Provides free copy/copies) No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

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


Visual Art Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: People living with mental health conditions.

Lengths:
Artwork ArtworkUnknown number of pieces.
Art Media:

Graphic design, Drawing, Pen & ink drawing, Painting, Black & white photography, Other medium.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Health/Medicine (Mental health).

Payment:

No monetary payment (Provides free copy/copies) No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
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.

The Awakenings 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 11 reports from 9 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported1 min | 79.6 mean avg | 50.0 median | 320 max days (216.0 std dev)
Responses100.00 %
Acceptances27.27 % of submissions accepted (75.7 avg. days per acceptance) | 22.22 % 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.
Rejections72.73 % (41.1 avg. days per rejection) | 12.5 % personal, 37.5 % form, 50.0 % unspecified
Non-Responses0.00 %
Lost/Returned-
Never Responded-
Withdrawals-
Pending3 responses are pending (30 min | 49.0 mean avg | 36.0 median | 81 max days waiting | 875.8 std dev) from 3 different members This only includes pending reports from users who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

Most recent response reported was received on 20 Nov 2024.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 22 Aug 2024.

Work submitted here was also submitted to...

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Your Submissions

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Dates

Last Updated: 27 Sep 2024
Last Audited: 20 Aug 2024. (We audit each active listing twice a year. Learn more at link.)
Date Added: 18 Mar 2006

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.