The Green Hills Literary Lantern

We are interested in stories that demonstrate a strong working knowledge of the craft. Avoid genre fiction or mainstream religious fiction. Otherwise, we are open to short stories of various settings, character conflict, and styles, including experimental. Above all, we demand that work be “striking.” Language should be complex, with depth, through analogy, metaphor, simile, understatement, irony, etc. – but all this must not be overwrought, or self-consciously literary. This does not mean that in rare cases, style itself cannot be center stage, but if so, it must be interesting and provocative enough for the reader to focus on style alone. We tend to be interested in stories with strong character, with conflicts that matter (where the stakes are fairly high), and with stories that do not have simple resolutions. Stories that go nowhere, that get blurred in focus, or that seem thin in idea have little chance of being accepted for publication.

Green Hills Literary Lantern accepts essays, memoirs, travel-writing, excerpts from larger works, genre-blurring permutations, and all forms of prose that can be considered "creative nonfiction." What goes for fiction (size-wise, acceptable-content-wise, etc.) can generally be applied to what we're looking for in nonfiction. Admittedly, these guidelines are as open and ever-changing as the elusive/innovative genre of CNF itself, so it's up to the author to make the call and take the chance and see what happens.

There are no restrictions on subject matter, though pornography and gratuitous violence will not be accepted. Obscurity for its own sake is also frowned upon. Both free and formal verse forms are fine, though we publish more free verse overall. Poems of under six lines or over two pages are unlikely to be published. A genuine attempt is made to publish the best poems available, no matter who the writer. We try to supply feedback, particularly to those we seek to encourage.