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The Rumen

About

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The Rumen is a collaboration between writers, poets, and artists from a variety of demographics and backgrounds. Like the guts of an ungulate, we want The Rumen to be a space for ideas and experiences to digest, ferment, and transform. We are especially interested in publishing contributors from historically underrepresented people groups. Our editors bring their own expertise from artistic, scientific, and technical fields. No discipline exists in isolation, and we believe that in The Rumen the ripples of these intersections can gather, collapse, and mutate into some greater, more meaningful summation. The Rumen was founded in 2022 by Dave Sorensen, James Cole, and Chandler McGraw, but made possible through the work of artists from across the globe.

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

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States Established in 2022

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic PublicationUnknown publication frequency.

Fiction Open

We at The Rumen publish strange, high concept stories with expert framing. We want tales that project themselves beyond the confines of their word limits, with extra believable or unbelievable characters, and balanced prose that demonstrates equal mastery of action and imagery. Our favorite stories leave us with as many questions as answers, so don’t be afraid to weave in your best literary ambiguity. That being said, the purely aesthetic can be a hard sell, so consider closely before sending us your experimental dystopian cyber-thrillers.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:
General General
Lengths:
Flash Fiction Flash FictionUp to 1,000 words.
Short Story Short Story1,000 - 5,000 words.
Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

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.


Nonfiction Open

We especially love works dealing with the arts, history, philosophy, sciences, and anything that combines these fields. Thoughtful analyses of film, literature, music, or the like are also welcome. Memoir or personal essays can teach us a lot about ourselves, and we ask that submissions in these genres have a strong central theme or moral. Works of a semi-academic or political nature will require citations, preferably in MLA format.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:
Article ArticleUp to 5,000 words.
Essay EssayUp to 5,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction Narrative NonfictionUp to 5,000 words.
Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Academic, Critical, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics, including: Film/Television (Theory/Analysis/Criticism), History, Literature/Books (Theory/Analysis/Criticism), Memoir, Music (Theory/Analysis/Criticism), Performing Arts, Philosophy, Science, Visual Arts.

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.


Poetry Open

For poetry we are interested in works that emphasize craft. We want poems with interesting forms, strong sonics, and striking images flawlessly rendered. Traditional forms are welcome but we lean more toward works that take risks and challenge notions of traditional poetics. We especially appreciate conceptual poems that do a few things really well rather than many things with mediocrity.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:
General General
Lengths:
Poem PoemNo line limits known; Up to 5 pieces.
Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Experimental poetry.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

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.


Visual Art Open

The Rumen is seeking visual media that explores shifting perspectives and allows for multiple avenues of interpretation. We are especially drawn to the experimental and we would like to see pieces whose interpretations unfold with time. We do not equate craft with skill, and we prioritize works that can stand in dialogue with written pieces ready for publication.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:
Artwork ArtworkUnknown number of pieces.
Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including: Photography, Installation art.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles, including: Experimental.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

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.

The Rumen 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 228 reports from 211 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported0 min | 29.1 mean avg | 24.0 median | 153 max days (25.0 std dev)
Responses91.23 %
Acceptances15.79 % of submissions accepted (32.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 17.06 % 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.
Rejections75.44 % (26.7 avg. days per rejection) | 6.4 % personal, 92.4 % form, 1.2 % unspecified | 0.9 % rewrite requests
Non-Responses8.78 %
Lost/Returned-
Never Responded1.32 % (143.7 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals7.46 % (27.6 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending77 responses are pending (1 min | 51.0 mean avg | 45.0 median | 159 max days waiting | 39.9 std dev) from 76 different members This only includes pending reports from users who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The most common submission tip paid: USD $3.00. (24.2 % reported giving a tip.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 01 Nov 2024.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 27 Oct 2024.

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Dates

Last Updated: 02 Oct 2024
Last Audited: 15 May 2024. (We audit each active listing twice a year. Learn more at link.)
Date Added: 02 Jun 2023

Before Submitting

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