Waxwing Literary Journal

About

Waxwing is a literary journal promoting the tremendous cultural diversity of contemporary American literature, alongside international voices in translation. It is the editors’ belief that American literature is thriving, both in terms of aesthetics and cultural inclusiveness. Waxwing believes that American voices are, at their cores, both multicultural and multinational, and so the editors’ mission is to include American writers from all cultural identities — in terms of race, ethnicity, indigenous tribe, gender, class, sexuality, age, education, ability, language, religion, and region — alongside international voices, published bilingually. Waxwing aims to broadcast as widely as possible, in each and every issue, singular voices — and to hear these voices together, in all their harmony and dissonance.

Important: They accept different lengths and categories at different times; as always, check current details before submitting.

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

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2013

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 3 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

851 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Waxwing Literary Journal's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.
More Challenging: Waxwing Literary Journal's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
More Responsive: Waxwing Literary Journal's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: No specific word count limits known (our definition: up to 1000 words); Up to 3 pieces.
Short Story: No specific word count limits known (our definition: 1000 to 7500 words).

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Society/Culture: Ethnicity/Race, See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Dates:

Open to nonfiction submissions through 30 September 2026* (approx. 15 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 1,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Essay: More than 1,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 1,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Narrative Nonfiction: More than 1,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Society/Culture: Ethnicity/Race, See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 October 2026* (approx. 15 days from now) through 30 November 2026.

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 including...
Society/Culture: Ethnicity/Race, See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

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 3 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Society/Culture: Ethnicity/Race, See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary 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.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Waxwing Literary Journal

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Social:
Instagram @waxwinglitmag
X (Twitter) @WaxwingMag

For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
Duosuma Submission Manager
Link to Duotrope

Waxwing Literary Journal 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.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 152 reports from 141 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

2 min | 136.9 mean avg | 115.0 median | 425 max days (97.6 std dev)

Responses

79.61 %

Acceptances:

3.95 % of submissions accepted (233.2 avg. days per acceptance) | 4.26 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

75.66 % (149.0 avg. days per rejection) | 14.8 % personal, 67.0 % form, 18.3 % unspecified

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

20.39 % (70.1 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

99 responses are pending (1 min | 142.1 mean avg | 135.0 median | 363 max days waiting | 344.9 std dev) from 94 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 180 days. (30.3 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 180 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 270 days have passed.
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 22 Jul 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 01 Apr 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 01:55 UTC (7 hours, 52 minutes ago).

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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 Jul 2026

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