Deadline: 1 June (summer issue), 1 September (autumn issue), 1 December 21 (winter issue), March (spring issue)
(Note: Contrary Magazine publishes writers from throughout the world.)
Contrary® was founded in 2003 at the University of Chicago by students and alumni of Chicago’s Master of Arts Program in the Humanities. It was quickly embraced and has been abundantly nourished by graduates of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Writing program. It now operates independently and without a thought of profit on the South Side of Chicago.
GENRE GUIDELINES
Commentary — We favor commentary that delivers its message less through exposition than through artistry. The commentary we select is often lyrical, narrative, or poetic. But our view of the genre is broad. “Commentary” is our word for the stuff that others define negatively as non-fiction, nominally as essay, or naively as truth. Examples you can find in our own pages include “Plum Island” by Andrew Coburn, “Ascension” by Kevin Heath, and “A Spring Sunday” by Heywood Broun. Our commentary editor is Jeff McMahon.
Poetry — We believe poetry is contrary by nature, always defying, always tonguing the tang of novelty. We look especially for plurality of meaning, for dual reverberation of beauty and concern. Contrary’s poetry in particular often mimics the effects of fiction or commentary. We find ourselves enamored of prose poems because they are naturally contrary toward form – they tug on the forces of exposition or narrative – but prose poems remain the minority of all the poetic forms we publish. Please consider that Contrary receives vast amounts of poetry and that we can publish only a small percentage of that work. Please submit no more than three poems per issue. Our poetry editor is Shaindel Beers.
Fiction — We ask our fiction writers to imagine their readers navigating a story with one finger poised over a mouse button. Can your story stay that finger to the end? We have published long stories on the belief that they succeed, but we feel more comfortable with 1,500 words or less. Some people call those short-shorts. We just call them concise. We favor fiction that is contrary in any number of ways, but our fiction typically defies traditional story form. A story may bring us to closure, for example, without ever delivering an ending. And it may be as poetic as any poem. Our fiction editor is Frances Badgett.
Reviews – Contrary has a stable of regular reviewers, and we rarely add new ones. But we accept new reviewers when we can. Please note that payment is not guaranteed for reviews; in the past we have paid our reviewers annually when fundraising exceeded our obligations to the authors and poets who provide the original literary content described above. The maximum word count for reviews is 750. If you would like to review for us, please review our Rules for Reviewers first. Our Review Editor is Cynthia Newberry Martin.
The ‘Other’ category should be used only sparingly to submit work that can’t be described by any of the preceding categories, including hybrid forms and artwork.
SUBMISSIONS
Rights – Upon acceptance, Contrary acquires: 1) worldwide rights to publish in any or all versions of Contrary and other Contrary-affiliated media, including domestic and foreign, whether in the English language or translated into a foreign language, including any successor, similar or replacement versions thereof; 2) exclusive worldwide rights for a period of 90 days from the date of Contrary's first publication of the work; 3. non-exclusive perpetual rights to republish, store, syndicate or distribute the work or portions of the work in any language and in any country, and 4) the right to use your name and likeness in a fair and dignified manner and to publish information about you in connection with the advertising and promotion of Contrary and of the Work. 5) When exclusive rights expire after three months, the author is free to seek republication elsewhere, but Contrary must be credited in all subsequent publications. 6) All rights granted by this agreement are granted in perpetuity and applicable in all media including, but not limited to, all electronic media, internet, wireless or mobile platforms whether now known or hereafter created.
Payment – For original commentary, fiction, and poetry, Contrary Magazine pays $20 per author per issue, regardless of the number of works or nature of the submission. Reviews and Contrary Blog posts are usually unpaid. Payments will only be made through Paypal.
Simultaneous submissions – We accept simultaneous submissions, but you must inform us when submissions are simultaneous, and you must withdraw your submission immediately if the work is accepted elsewhere (you may resubmit any parts of your submission that remain unpublished). A submission constitutes an agreement to publish in Contrary under the guidelines on this page. Accepted works go into production immediately and may not be withdrawn under any circumstances.
Our deadline, response, and publication cycle – Contrary receives submissions throughout the year and publishes four issues per year, with the change of seasons. In Spring our deadline is March 1, and the issue appears with the vernal equinox on or about March 21. Following that cycle, our deadline for Summer is June 1, Autumn is Sept. 1, Winter is Dec. 1. We will report on your submission after the subsequent issue appears, on or around the solstice or equinox.
MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES
1. Use only one space between sentences. Only one space is needed between sentences unless you are publishing on a typewriter. Typewriters are monospaced — they allot exactly the same amount of space for an i as they do for an m — and monospacing tends to visually obscure the transition from one sentence to the next. So for many years typing teachers have taught their students to use two spaces between sentences. But word processors, including the one you’re sitting at right now, are capable of proportional spacing — they allot about one-fifth as much space for an i as they do for an m — and a single space is sufficient to distinguish between sentences in a proportionally spaced document. Have a look at any professionally-produced book or magazine and you’ll usually find only one space between sentences.
2. Put your name on your paper. Include your name and contact information, including your email address, at the top of the document you attach. You’ve worked hard on your story, poem, or commentary; don’t forget to identify it as your own. This information will help us track your submission and get in touch with you quickly.
3. Include the word count of your submission at the top of the document you attach. It’s standard practice in publishing to declare length up front, and it’s a good idea to let editors know what’s coming.
4. Make sure your submission is free of typos and grammatical errors. We receive many submissions with these fundamental problems, sometimes in their opening sentences, testifying against the writer.
5. Name the file in a way that helps us identify it as your submission. Guess how many files we receive named “Contrary.doc.” Thousands. Use your last name in the file name: YourName.doc
6. If your submission defies our guidelines — for example, if you’re submitting a very long story or a commentary that consists largely of argument or exposition — please tell us why you think it belongs in Contrary anyway.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For submissions: via their submission form here (scroll down to find the form)
Website: http://contrarymagazine.com