West Branch

About

West Branch is a magazine of poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews. Founded in 1977 and housed at the Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts at Bucknell University, West Branch publishes a fall, winter, and spring/summer issue each year.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 1977

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 3 x per year
Print Publication Print Publication: Published 3 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

2,308 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Regular Speed: West Branch's overall average response time is within a normal range for magazines.
More Challenging: West Branch's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
Less Responsive: West Branch's overall rate of non-response is higher than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 01 April 2027* (approx. 212 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Short Story: 1,000 - 7,500 words; Unknown number of pieces.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $0.10/word, max. $200.

Submissions:

Method: 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 01 April 2027* (approx. 212 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 7,500 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $0.10/word, max. $200.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Open

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 01 April 2027* (approx. 212 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 6 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (US$5-49 per poem) to Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $100.

Submissions:

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

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.

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West Branch 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 Most Challenging Nonfiction Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the 25 Most Challenging Poetry Publishers in our database.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 548 reports from 433 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 | 57.3 mean avg | 50.0 median | 349 max days (104.9 std dev)

Responses

90.51 %

Acceptances:

0.91 % of submissions accepted (51.8 avg. days per acceptance) | 1.15 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

89.60 % (54.8 avg. days per rejection) | 5.9 % personal, 71.9 % form, 22.2 % unspecified

Non-Responses

3.29 %

Lost/Returned:

0.55 % (70.3 avg. days before reporting submissions as lost or returned)

Never Responded:

2.74 % (203.8 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

6.20 % (36.0 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

143 responses are pending (0 min | 70.8 mean avg | 27.0 median | 356 max days waiting | 589.5 std dev) from 142 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 70 days. (21.7 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 70 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 120 days have passed.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 01 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 08 Aug 2026.
Date compiled: 01 Sep 2026 22:56 UTC (5 hours, 3 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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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: 11 Aug 2026

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