The City Key

About

The City Key is an arts journal dedicated to experiences related to cities, big and small. We believe that cities are a great inspiration for the creation of art and writing that captures the human experience. Whether its Rome, Istanbul, or New York, every city will leave an influence on those visiting or living in them. Those who experience a city will come into contact with a multitude of humanity, fostering unique experiences and interactions with the art, architecture, and life of the city. It has been said that just walking a city block, in itself, can be mystical and transcendent. This connection to the city-at-large is what you will find here.

Voluntary Fees: This project accepts voluntary fees for “tip jar” submissions.

Country of Publication

United States

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

58 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: The City Key's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.
More Approachable: The City Key's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
More Responsive: The City Key's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Opens to submissions on 01 January 2027* (approx. 107 days from now)

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Place/Regions: Urban areas.
Society/Culture: See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Opens to submissions on 01 January 2027* (approx. 107 days from now)

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 1,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Place/Regions: Urban areas.
Society/Culture: See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Dates:

Opens to submissions on 01 January 2027* (approx. 107 days from now)

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

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

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Place/Regions: Urban areas.
Society/Culture: See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Visual Art Temp Closed

Dates:

Opens to submissions on 01 January 2027* (approx. 107 days from now)

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Unknown number of pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including...
Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Place/Regions: Urban areas.
Society/Culture: See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

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The City Key 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.

This project ranks among the Most Personable Fiction Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the 25 Slowest Nonfiction Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the 25 Slowest Poetry Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the Most Personable Poetry Publishers in our database.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 80 reports from 78 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 | 488.6 mean avg | 500.0 median | 643 max days (121.0 std dev)

Responses

92.50 %

Acceptances:

11.25 % of submissions accepted (523.6 avg. days per acceptance) | 11.54 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

81.25 % (496.5 avg. days per rejection) | 100.0 % personal, 0.0 % form, 0.0 % unspecified

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

7.50 % (231.5 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

49 responses are pending (16 min | 124.0 mean avg | 50.0 median | 606 max days waiting | 232.1 std dev) from 44 different members

Other Information

The most common submission tip paid: USD $3.00. (20.4 % reported giving a tip.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 02 Jul 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 30 Mar 2025.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 09:46 UTC (less than a minute 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: 30 Aug 2026

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