Filling Station Magazine

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General Submission Instructions

filling Station accepts singular or simultaneous submissions of previously unpublished poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, critical non-fiction (about literature and occasionally about visual art), and visual art. We are always on the hunt for great writing and artwork! Please note that Submittable is now filling Station's only method for receiving submissions.

 

Before submitting to filling Station, please see our genre-specific submission instructions below. Please note that for all submissions, you must include a mailing address and short bio (25 - 75 words) with your submission. A submission lacking a mailing address and bio will be considered incomplete. For Art submissions, we also require an Artist's Statement regarding the submitted portfolio of work. Please attach your submission as both a text document and a PDF, especially if your work incorporates visual elements we shall have to replicate. This ensures that your published work looks as true to the original submitted document possible.

 

Genre-Specific Submission Instructions

Fiction: Submit up to 10 pages (submissions at the upper end of this length spectrum will need to be of exceptional quality to be considered) via Submittable. We are pleased to receive any of the following fiction: flash fiction, postcard fiction, short fiction, experimental fiction that diverges from the usual subgenre categories, a novel excerpt that can stand alone, or a combination of these subgenres. Please do not resubmit or send send additional submissions until you have received a response to your first submission. A submission lacking mailing address and bio (25 - 75 words) will be considered incomplete. Due to the high volume of submissions, fiction accepts submissions only via Submittable.

Poetry: Submit up to 6 pages of poetry via Submittable. If your poem is spaced in a particular way, please make sure to use spaces, never tabs, so we can accurately replicate your layout. Also be sure to upload your submission as a PDF file in addition to the text document. A submission lacking mailing address and bio (25 - 75 words) will be considered incomplete. Due to the high volume of submissions, poetry accepts submissions only via Submittable.

Nonfiction: We encourage you to submit experimental interviews, articles, reviews, and creative nonfiction. Please note that filling Station will generally not accept reviews of non-experimental literature unless the review itself is experimental. We are looking to engage with and draw attention to literature that pushes the boundaries of genre, form, methodology, style, etc. Submit 2 pieces of any such kind via Submittable. If you have concerns about suitability, feel free to send a query to nonfiction@fillingstation.ca. While questions or concerns may be received by email, Nonfiction accepts submissions only via Submittable. A submission lacking mailing address and bio (25 - 75 words) will be considered incomplete. If you are interested in reviewing a book for filling Station, please peruse our updated list of Books Received or elect to review a book of your choice tat you own.

Art: Please submit 5-7 lower res samples via Submittable. If interested, we will request pieces or additional work in 300 dpi or greater via Drop Box or similar, or on a disc. Art accepts initial, low res submissions only via Submittable. High resolution images must be provided upon request before we can finalize selection. A submission lacking mailing address, bio (25 - 75 words) and artist's statement will be considered incomplete.

Important Notes

Appropriateness: filling Station exists to publish innovative work; we recommend reading filling Station before you submit. Subscription information is available below. filling Station does not accept submissions that contain racist, misogynist, and/or homophobic content.
Intersectionality: filling Station works to create a safe and supportive environment for all voices. We specifically encourage submissions from creators who identify with female, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, immigrant, impoverished, survivor, or other marginalized communities. filling Station’s mandate is to publish Canadian experimental literature in all its diversity and would like to promote artists who have been historically underrepresented. We therefore ask that, should you feel comfortable doing so, you disclose your intersectional identities in a cover letter along with your submission. This information is by no means obligatory and will only be used to help us curate a diverse and intersectional magazine. If you are non-Canadian or from a dominant cultural group (white, male, wealthy, etc.), we will of course still consider your work, but please ensure your submission lines up with filling Station’s mandate. Our priority is to publish content that is both exceptional and diverse.

Replies, Rights and Publication Timing: Please allow 3-6 months for the process of reply. After your submission is reviewed by our Readers, you will receive an email to let you know whether your work has been selected for publication. If it has, filling Station acquires First North American Serial Rights. Copyright reverts to you, the author, immediately following publication in our magazine. You may simultaneously publish the piece only outside of North America. Following notification of acceptance, when our production cycle , you will receive a follow-up email to let you know in which issue your piece has been selected to appear. Note that during the design phase, we sometimes discover the need to shuffle a piece to a future issue. We will keep you informed in the event that your piece is pushed back.

 

Simultaneous Submissions: filling Station is willing to consider simultaneous submissions. If you are informed that any work sent to filling Station has been selected for publication elsewhere, please contact the appropriate editor with this information via email as soon as possible and CC mgmt@fillingstation.ca. Email addresses for editors are shown below. Likewise, if we indicate that we have accepted work for publication, please inform other magazines to whom you submitted the work that it is no longer available. We recommend that writers maintain a simple spreadsheet to keep submissions organized. As noted above, filling Station reserves First North American Serial Rights (FNASR).

 

Submission Fee: filling Station does not have a mandatory submission fee - money should never be a barrier to enter into our pages - but we do rely on readers and contributors to keep the magazine alive. Please consider purchasing a current issue or subscribing to filling Station as you send in work via Submittable, or you might even leave an optional donation in lieu of a reading fee if you feel called to do so. Thanks!

 

Compensation: Despite being a small, volunteer-run non-profit magazine, filling Station believes that all magazines should pay their contributors. In addition to a complimentary 3-Issue Subscription ($30 value) and a discount on future renewals and subscriptions, filling Station offers each of its contributors a $25 honorarium. Should a selected contributor already subscribe to the magazine, we can either extend their subscription by 3 issues, or gift it to somebody else of their choosing.

 

Subscriptions: Please note that 3-Issue Subscriptions are available for purchase for just $30 – please see Subscribe. You can subscribe to our print edition by snailmail or online. By supporting filling Station, you ensure its continuance, and that means more chances for writers to be published in our pages. Donations are also greatly appreciated.