The Turning Leaf Journal

Are You Open for Submissions?

We are open for submissions twice annually: March 1st through May 1st, and September 1st through November 1st. With exception to any special edition issues we may announce, we do not consider any submissions outside these windows.

Is There a Theme?

Our issues are generally un-themed, although our journal-wide theme is Change. We are primarily interested in work that deals, in some way, with this subject. If you’re not sure if your work is “on theme” or might be interesting to us, our advice is to send it anyways! How we define, view, or understand change varies, just as it does in the work we read. Our submission guidelines contain some generative questions you could use as a writing prompts on the theme of change.

How Many of Your Submissions Are Solicited?

Submissions are never solicited.

We do, however, occasionally commission 1-2 pieces of artwork to accompany prose in our issues. Never more than 2, from artists who have previously contributed, and only in special circumstances (for example, this piece from V1.2, we commissioned a portrait of the writer’s mother, who is the subject of the piece). We strongly value authenticity, and as such, we believe the work we publish should be received authentically. All of us on the masthead are connected to writers and artists globally, and as such, we may receive submissions from folks we know personally. In these circumstances, whoever has a relationship with that submitter steps aside and does not evaluate the submission. Our decision process intentionally tries to remove as much bias as possible so that every submitter gets an equal chance of acceptance.

Do You Pay Contributors?

At this time we are unable to pay contributors for their work. We do send handwritten thank you cards, as well as some Turning Leaf Journal trinkets (such as a sticker or a button) that you can display or use to celebrate your publication.

When Will I Hear Back About My Submission?

Our average response time is 27 days, or about one month. Response time varies depending on the editors’ schedules and the number of submissions we’ve received. We know how difficult it can be to wait for a response but we’re sure you appreciate us taking time to sit with your piece, to do multiple read-throughs, and have conversations about your work. Thank you for your patience!

Artists, a note for you: art work pairing is done last in our process, which means our response time for your work is the slowest.