The Broken Spine Journal

This project is believed to be defunct. (February 2026)

We list other projects with similar titles. Please check that you report any submissions under the correct listing.

About

The Broken Spine Journal is a literary journal for unheard voices—a space for raw, unflinching writing that doesn’t flinch, soften, or perform. We are not here to decorate pain. We are here to name it. To own it. To burn through it.
The Broken Spine Journal is literary journal for unheard voices it was born from a very personal kind of disappointment—the kind that comes after submitting your truth to gatekeepers who only reward polish over power. I got tired of being told my voice was too much. So I built a home for voices like mine. We want lived experience.
We are here for the misdiagnosed. The mislabeled. The misunderstood.
The ones who’ve lived through systems, silence, or survival—and wrote anyway.
If your work doesn’t follow the rules,
If your voice was too loud, too blunt, too broken, too real—
We want it.
We don’t care about perfect punctuation.
We care about what stays with us after the last line.
We don’t mean raw like edgy.
We mean raw like waking up with your ribs cracked open.
Poems that confess. That collapse. That rage.
Mental health. Identity. Systemic trauma. Survival. Addiction. Unlovable truths.
The kind of writing that makes people uncomfortable. That’s what we want.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2025

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Unknown publication frequency
Print Publication Print Publication: Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Collapse section Fiction Believed Defunct

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 3,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Health/Medicine: Addiction/Recovery, Mental health, See guidelines.
Society/Culture: Crime, Social issues, War/Military issues, See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Methods: Email. Postal.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Believed Defunct

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 3,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 3,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Health/Medicine: Addiction/Recovery, Mental health, See guidelines.
Memoir.
Society/Culture: Crime, Social issues, See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Methods: Email. Postal.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Believed Defunct

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:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Health/Medicine: Addiction/Recovery, Mental health, See guidelines.
Society/Culture: Crime, Social issues, War/Military issues, See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Methods: Email. Postal.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Believed Defunct

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork:

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Methods: Email. Postal.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Audio. Image. Video.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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The Broken Spine Journal 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 12 reports from 12 different members within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

3 min | 113.2 mean avg | 114.5 median | 201 max days (58.8 std dev)

Responses

8.33 %

Acceptances:

8.33 % of submissions accepted (54.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 8.33 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

Non-Responses

50.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

50.00 % (155.5 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

41.67 % (69.8 avg. days per withdrawal)

Other Information

Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 25 Oct 2025.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 01 Sep 2025.
Date compiled: 17 Sep 2026 23:39 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Dates

Last Updated: 22 May 2026