The Common A Modern Sense of Place

About

The Common is a literary organization whose mission is to deepen our individual and collective sense of place.
Based at Amherst College, we aim to serve as a vibrant common space for the global exchange of ideas and experiences through three main areas of activity: publishing, public programming, and mentorship and education.
We publish works that embody particular times and places—literature and art powerful enough to reach from there to here—and feature new and underrepresented voices from around the world.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions, except for their subscribers. (Note: About 8% of magazines always charge fees.)
The fee is USD $3 (average for magazines that charge).

Important: Subscribers can submit outside of their regular submission periods.

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2010

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published on a rolling basis
Print Publication Print Publication: Published 2 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

1,028 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: The Common's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.
More Challenging: The Common's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
Responsive: The Common's overall rate of non-response is within a normal range for magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open Fee-based

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 01 December 2026* (approx. 77 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 7,500 words.
Novelette: 7,500 - 10,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Place/Regions.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $200 per piece.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Open Fee-based

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 10,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Place/Regions.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $200 per piece.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Open Fee-based

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 01 December 2026* (approx. 77 days from now).

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:

Place/Regions.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (US$5-49 per poem) Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $40 per poem.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
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.
* 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 Common 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 25 Slowest Fiction Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the Extremely Challenging Fiction Publishers in our database.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 256 reports from 241 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

3 min | 226.1 mean avg | 231.0 median | 536 max days (223.5 std dev)

Responses

73.05 %

Acceptances:

1.17 % of submissions accepted (191.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 1.24 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

71.88 % (255.6 avg. days per rejection) | 15.8 % personal, 67.4 % form, 16.9 % unspecified

Non-Responses

1.17 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

1.17 % (412.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

25.78 % (128.7 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

245 responses are pending (1 min | 159.3 mean avg | 147.5 median | 499 max days waiting | 405.8 std dev) from 234 different members

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $3.00.
Submissions are acknowledged within 4 days on average.
Most recent response reported was received on 14 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 23 Jun 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 03:35 UTC (6 hours, 27 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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Your Submissions

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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: 31 Aug 2026

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