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The Spectacle

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About

The first issue of The Spectacle was launched in the fall of 2015, with Kelly Caldwell, Cassie Donish, and Jonathan McGregor at the helm. Twice a year, the magazine publishes issues that include poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and visual art, while The Revue [listed separately] publishes flash prose, short poems, interviews, special features, and other pieces year-round.

We aim for content that reminds us that our lenses matter—they focus, distort, clarify, conceal. We value and emphasize relationships between the literary and visual arts, pairing the majority of the pieces we publish with original work from a variety of contributing visual artists.

A joint project of the English literature and creative writing graduate students at Washington University in St. Louis, The Spectacle is committed to publishing work from under-represented voices, including BIPOC, women, people from LGBTQIA+ communities, and people who have disabilities.

Submission Caps: They may close to submissions early if they reach their quota.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 2015

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Published 2 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

Statistics Synopsis

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

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: 500 - 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 5,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $50.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: 500 - 5,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: 500 - 5,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Memoir.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $50.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; 3 - 5 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem) Professional payment. Details: USD $50.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Visual Art Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 5 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Unknown payment Unknown payment.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable 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 Spectacle 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.

Filter:
Accuracy
We have received 37 reports from 36 different members within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
2 min | 95.0 mean avg | 74.0 median | 302 max days (81.0 std dev)
Responses
83.78 %
Acceptances:
0.00 % No publication has a 0% acceptance rate. This data is based on submission reports sent to Duotrope, and we have not received reports of any acceptances yet.
Rejections:
83.78 % (97.8 avg. days per rejection) | 0.0 % personal, 74.2 % form, 25.8 % unspecified
Non-Responses
2.70 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
2.70 % (302.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals
13.51 % (47.4 avg. days per withdrawal)

Other Information

Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 25 Mar 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 15 Nov 2025.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 09:10 UTC (35 minutes ago).

Work submitted here was also submitted to...

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Your Submissions

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The Revue DNQ  Charges fees for some submissions

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: 13 Sep 2026

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

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