Tough Poets Review

About

Tough Poets Review, a labor-of-love publishing project that had been on the back burner for almost 10 years, finally became a reality in April 2025, following a series of conversations between soon-to-be collaborators and co-editors Rick Schober and Kathleen Cullen, both seeking a meaningful creative endeavor that would foster a communal effort. Our objective was to create a literary magazine showcasing quality, contemporary writing and visual art from contributors around the globe who enlighten and entertain through their honest exploration of social issues. We are committed to remaining a print-only publication, never charging submission fees, and always paying our contributors.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2025

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

61 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Tough Poets Review's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
Normal Acceptance: Tough Poets Review's overall acceptance rate is within a normal range for magazines.
More Responsive: Tough Poets Review's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

Dates:

Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

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

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) Provides free copy/copies Token payment. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $5.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Dates:

Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 7,500 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 7,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) Provides free copy/copies Token payment. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $5.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open

Dates:

Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.

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:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (US$5-49 per poem) Provides free copy/copies Semi-pro payment. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $5.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Open

Dates:

Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork:

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including...
Photography.
Black & white photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under US$10 per piece) Provides free copy/copies Token payment. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $5.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Unknown.
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.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Tough Poets Review

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Tough Poets Review 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:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 39 reports from 34 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

0 min | 44.2 mean avg | 30.0 median | 147 max days (46.2 std dev)

Responses

84.61 %

Acceptances:

7.69 % of submissions accepted (5.7 avg. days per acceptance) | 8.82 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

76.92 % (52.0 avg. days per rejection) | 6.7 % personal, 66.7 % form, 26.7 % unspecified | 2.6 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

15.38 % (29.3 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

5 responses are pending (5 min | 22.0 mean avg | 21.0 median | 34 max days waiting | 175.8 std dev) from 5 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 84 days. (23.1 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 84 days.)
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 03 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 26 Jul 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 09:47 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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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: 22 May 2026

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