Persimmon Tree

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Persimmon Tree’s mission is to bring the creativity and talent of women over sixty to a wide audience of readers of all ages. We are looking for work that reveals rich experience and a variety of perspectives. Each issue of the magazine will include several fiction and nonfiction pieces, poetry by one or more poets, and the work of one or more visual artists. The magazine is published quarterly, in association with Mills College.

IMPORTANT SUBMISSIONS REQUIREMENT:
For your submission to be considered, you must be signed up on our email list. You can subscribe here:

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Fiction and Nonfiction: We welcome previously unpublished pieces under 3,500 words, written by women over sixty. Submissions may be sent to us any time during the year. Several readers will review your submission, and we will respond to you within six months. Multiple submissions are accepted. If you want to send more than one piece, put them in separate emails.
Please send your submission as an attachment to us at: Submissions@persimmontree.org. Type the title of the piece, labeled fiction or non-fiction, in the subject line. Include a brief biographical statement (less than 50 words) in your email. The attached document must be saved in MS Word or a compatible program. If we can’t open it, it won’t be read. We will respond to you online.
Submissions should be double-spaced, with 12-point type and numbered pages. At the top of the first page please enter author’s name, address, telephone number, and email address.

Art: We welcome submissions of work in all media. Artists are invited to send no more than five samples of their work (as jpegs) and a short biographical statement (less than 50 words) for us to put on file. Submissions may be sent to us any time during the year. For your work to be considered, you should be signed up on our email list. You can subscribe in the box on the right side of this page. Please do not expect a response from us unless we plan to use your work.

Poetry: We accept submissions of poetry two times a year when we hold competitions; we publish the winning poems submitted from poets who live in a specific geographical region. Please no simultaneous submissions for competitions.
Poetry manuscripts must use the following guidelines to be considered:
(1) Previously unpublished poems by women over sixty should be emailed to the judge for that competition at the provided email address, not to Persimmon Tree directly. Poems must be in English.
(2) Include 1-3 poems in a single WORD attachment. No poem may be longer than a page; use 12-point type.
(3) In the subject line of the email message, type PERSIMMON TREE POETRY COMPETITION and your last name. In the body of the message, include your name, phone number, email and postal mailing address.
If your submission does not follow these guidelines, it will be deleted. You will not be notified.
Poets whose work is selected for publication will be asked to send short bios and photos, and will need to be available for proofreading their poems. We will let you know if your poem(s) has been accepted or not.
Regions for Competitions:
East Coast States (ME, VT, NH, CT, MA, RI, NY, NJ, DE, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL)
Western States (WA, OR, CA, AK, HI, NV, ID, AZ, UT, MT, WY, CO, NM)
Central States (TX, OK, KS, NE, SD, ND, MN, IA, MO, AR, LA, MS, AL, TN, KY, IN, MI, WI, IL, OH, WV, PA)
International Poets (not living in the US)
Next Competition:
Central States
Submissions Accepted: September 15 – November 15, 2020
Guest Judge: TBD

Short Takes: The Editors choose a different Short Takes topic for every issue. Short Takes are usually short pieces, fiction or non-fiction (250-500 words), but can also be topical poetry, sometimes even drawings or photography. We’re especially interested in hearing about your experiences, but you can include your thoughts, dreams, ideas and opinions. Humor and irony are always appreciated!
Please follow these guidelines:

• Your submission MUST be on the topic for this issue; you’ll find the topic listed below. Pieces that do not follow this guideline will not be considered.
• Please submit your Short Take as a Word attachment to an email. Address the email to publisher@persimmontree.org. In the subject line of the email, type SHORT TAKES, the title of the piece and your last name. [Example: Short Takes, “Editing a Life,” Leonard]
• At the top of the first page enter your name, address, telephone, and email address. Make sure to include the topic and title of the piece. Without this information, we cannot get back to you if we use the piece.

You may submit to Short Takes as often as you choose.
We will contact you only if your piece is selected. Because our choices are determined by our need for balance and diversity, we cannot include all the good pieces we receive.
Submissions deadline: August 15, 2020
Topic: “Justice”