ZYZZYVA

About

Reflecting the values that make San Francisco a cultural beacon, ZYZZYVA publishes a literary journal defined by its risk-taking and egalitarianism, and by its focus on inclusivity and excellence.
With each issue, ZYZZYVA offers a meaningful consideration of the most urgent ethical concerns of our time, in part via themed issues on topics ranging from resistance, the border, and art to the environment, labor, and technology. We create substantial space for poetry, nonfiction, interviews, fiction, and art from an array of voices, resulting in a lively, thoughtful conversation in print, online, and in-person, across genres and generations, answering the need for a unique kind of engagement.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions, except for subscribers submit for free. (Note: About 8% of magazines always charge fees.)
The fee is USD $2 (below average for magazines that charge).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 1985

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Published 3 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

1,441 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: ZYZZYVA's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.
More Challenging: ZYZZYVA's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
Less Responsive: ZYZZYVA's overall rate of non-response is higher than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Short Story: No specific word count limits known (our definition: 1000 to 7500 words).

Styles:

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

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: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: No specific word count limits known.

Styles:

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

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: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open Fee-based

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: Experimental, Literary.

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: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Unknown number of pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.
Excluding: Sculpture.

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.

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Social:
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ZYZZYVA 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 40 reports from 39 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

15 min | 496.2 mean avg | 489.5 median | 684 max days (475.8 std dev)

Responses

65.00 %

Acceptances:

0.00 %

Rejections:

65.00 % (469.3 avg. days per rejection) | 15.4 % personal, 69.2 % form, 15.4 % unspecified

Non-Responses

30.00 %

Lost/Returned:

2.50 % (483.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as lost or returned)

Never Responded:

27.50 % (542.7 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

5.00 % (447.5 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

67 responses are pending (2 min | 32.4 mean avg | 33.0 median | 817 max days waiting | 490.5 std dev) from 66 different members

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $2.00.
Most recent response reported was received on 16 Jul 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 10 Jan 2026.
Date compiled: 12 Sep 2026 07:08 UTC (41 minutes ago).

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Your Submissions

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Before Submitting

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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: 20 Aug 2026

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