Cherry Tree A National Literary Journal @ Washington College

About

Founded in 2014, Cherry Tree: A National Literary Journal @ Washington College is an annual literary magazine featuring poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and literary shade by emerging and established writers from across the United States and all over the world.
The name and ethos of Cherry Tree rest on the story of George Washington and his ax: the founding myth of the American national character. That self-serving story is artful in its way, and because it is so transparently apocryphal, it is uniquely open to critiques that might lead to useful truths.
Cherry Tree appears under the imprint of the Literary House Press, the publishing arm of the Rose O’Neill Literary House, a cultural center that has promoted the arts for nearly fifty years. Washington College undergraduates participate in all facets of the production of this print journal, though professional writers serve as genre editors and fill most senior reader positions. Although the journal is still growing, Cherry Tree has already received national recognition. Poems from three of its seven issues have been selected for inclusion in The Best American Poetry (2016, 2017, and 2020), and many poems have been chosen for reprinting by Poetry DailyVerse Daily, and the Orison Anthology. Prose has been listed as “notable” in Best American Essays, and pieces have also appeared in Best Microfictions (2020).

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions. (Note: About 8% of magazines always charge fees.)
The fee is USD $3 (average for magazines that charge).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2014

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Published 1 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work preferred, but limited AI use may be permitted in some circumstances (see their site for details)

279 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Cherry Tree's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Challenging: Cherry Tree's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
More Responsive: Cherry Tree's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open Fee-based

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 01 October 2026* (approx. 28 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words; Up to 5 pieces.
Short Story: 1,000 - 5,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Provides free copy/copies Pay ranges from Token payment to Professional payment. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $20 per contributor.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Open Fee-based

Dates:

Open to nonfiction submissions through 01 October 2026* (approx. 28 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 5,000 words; Up to 5 pieces.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

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

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 01 October 2026* (approx. 28 days from now).

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 $20 per contributor.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable 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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Cherry Tree 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 95 reports from 85 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

11 min | 30.9 mean avg | 32.0 median | 216 max days (165.0 std dev)

Responses

98.94 %

Acceptances:

1.05 % of submissions accepted (25.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 1.18 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

97.89 % (30.4 avg. days per rejection) | 37.6 % personal, 41.9 % form, 20.4 % unspecified | 2.1 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

1.05 % (78.0 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

74 responses are pending (1 min | 11.3 mean avg | 7.0 median | 33 max days waiting | 129.0 std dev) from 71 different members

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $3.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 29 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 07 Aug 2026.
Date compiled: 03 Sep 2026 04:42 UTC (2 hours, 5 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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Before Submitting

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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.