Submission Guidelines
April 2022: we are currently closed for submissions and will re-open again later in the year.
Please check back in the coming months.
What We Publish
We publish new, previously unpublished work by Irish and international writers. We have a particular interest in promoting the short story. Each issue includes a mix of poetry and fiction, alongside our Featured Poets and Comhchealg sections, commissioned essays, occasional author interviews and novel extracts. We also welcome submissions of poetry and prose in translation.
We are always excited to read new writers and to hear new voices in literature.
We believe that a proactive approach to diversity and inclusivity is important in redressing imbalances of representation and diversity, both in the pages of our magazine and in the wider cultural landscape. As such, we strongly encourage submissions by writers from underrepresented areas of society.
Please note:
Only fiction and poetry submitted through our Submittable page will be considered.
No more than one story and/or poetry submission should be submitted during any one submission period.
Work must be previously unpublished and ideally should not be under consideration elsewhere. If it is accepted for publication elsewhere please notify us immediately – contact details below. If you need to withdraw your submission for any reason, you can do this through Submittable at any stage.
Short stories and poems should always be just as long (or as short) as they need to be.
For general poetry submissions, send up to 3 poems. Your poems should be submitted together in one single file.
Featured Poets: In each issue we publish a number of poems (usually 5 or 6) by a poet who is working seriously towards a first collection. To be considered, you should already have had work published in several other journals and magazines. We welcome poets who have previously had poems appear in The Stinging Fly. Please send 6-8 previously unpublished poems together in a single file. If we want to see more, we will get back to you. Use the separate Featured Poet submission form. If submitting for the Featured Poet slot, please do not make a separate general poetry submission. We will also consider individual poems within your Featured Poet submission for publication.
Comhchealg: Is í ‘Comhchealg’ cuid Ghaeilge The Stinging Fly. Cuirtear fáilte roimh phíosaí Gaeilge ó scríbhneoirí úra. Is nós linn aistriúcháin Bhéarla a chur ar fáil i gcás na ndánta a roghnaítear. Chuige sin, déanaimid filí Béarla a chur ag obair ar shaothar a gcomhúdar. Leantar na treoirlínte iarratais thuas a bhaineann le filíocht Bhéarla.
All submissions are read. The editors’ decision may not be correct but it is final. We aim to contact everyone within four months of the closing date.
Copyright remains in all cases with the author. Some work published in the magazine may also be included on our website.
Payment
Contributors receive a copy of the issue in which their work is featured and can order further copies at a discounted rate.
The payment rates for work published in the magazine during 2021 are as follows:
Fiction and nonfiction: €35 per magazine page
Poetry: €25 per magazine page, but with a minimum payment of €60 per poem.
Featured Poet: €300
Contact Details
General enquiries: info [at] stingingfly [dot] org
Editor: Danny Denton – editor [at] stingingfly [dot] org
Poetry Editor: Cal Doyle – poetry [at] stingingfly [dot] org
Assistant Editor: Sara O’Rourke – info [at] stingingfly [dot] org
Publisher: Declan Meade – stingingfly [at] gmail [dot] com
Website Content Manager: Ian Maleney
Eagarthóir filíochta: Aifric Mac Aodha
Contributing Editors: Dan Bolger, Mia Gallagher, Lisa McInerney and Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe
To keep up to date with the latest news on publishing opportunities, creative writing workshops, and author readings and events, we recommend you join our Newsletter.