The Rumpus
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At The Rumpus, we know how easy it is to find pop culture on
the internet, so we’re here to give you something more challenging, to
show you how beautiful things are when you step off the beaten path. The Rumpus
is a place where people come to be themselves through their writing, to
tell their stories or speak their minds in the most artful and
authentic way they know how. We strive to be a platform for marginalized
voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere, and to lift up
new voices alongside those of more established writers we love. We work
to shine a light on stories that build bridges, tear down walls, and
speak truth to power.
The Rumpus launched in 2009. In January 2017, The Rumpus was purchased by Marisa Siegel, who had previously served as Managing Editor from 2014–2017. In January 2022, Alyson Sinclair became the new owner and publisher, Alysia Li-Ying Sawchyn is the Editor-in-Chief, and Marisa Siegel continues at The Rumpus as an editor-at-large.
We want to change the conversation. We want to introduce you to authors you’ve never heard of before and to provide perspective on books, films, and media that will make you look deeper. We believe that literature is community—and if reading The Rumpus makes you want more, we’ve got more! Sign up to participate in the Rumpus Book Club, Rumpus Poetry Book Club, Letters in the Mail, and Letters for Kids—each of these programs helps to keep The Rumpus in existence. In 2022, we’re also launching a Membership program to help us become more sustainable and better support our contributors. Please sign up to receive our e-newsletter to stay informed about all things Rumpus!
Writers: contribute to The Rumpus by submitting your writing (check our Writer’s Guidelines) to keep our pages filled with goodness.
The Rumpus supports and stands with Black Lives Matter. You can learn more, and access BLM-endorsed strategies to enact change locally and worldwide, at blacklivesmatters.carrd.co.
You can find our TOS and privacy page here.
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Who Are We
Where did you get the name The Rumpus?
Legend has it that it was Katie Crouch’s idea. Rumpus is the name of the dog in her novel Men and Dogs. After launching The Rumpus, our founders were informed there is also a humor magazine at Yale called Rumpus Magazine. You can check them out here.
Do you run original fiction and poetry?
We do run original fiction and poetry, and you can find our reading periods for both here. Please note that we do not accept unsolicited fiction and poetry outside of those reading periods.
How do I submit my work?
We accept submissions through our submissions manager powered by Submittable. Please read our Writer’s Guidelines before sending us your work.
Does The Rumpus pay for writing?
The Rumpus is a lean organization with only one paid part-time
employee. But being able to pay writers is one of our most important
goals. Beginning May 2016, we began to pay feature writers and book
reviewers. Each month, we set aside $300. All eligible contributors are
able to opt in for payment at the end of the month, and the money is
divided between those writers who opt in. Payments average $10-25 per
writer each month. We know that this amount is not enough, and we are
working toward being able to pay a standard industry rate to all feature
contributors and book reviewers. We also hope to be able to pay our
bloggers, illustrators, and volunteer editorial staff one day.
Where do I buy Rumpus swag?
We’ve got your swag right here!
Beginning May 2016, we began to pay feature writers and book reviewers. Each month, we set aside $300. All eligible contributors are able to opt in for payment at the end of the month, and the money is divided between those writers who opt in. We know that this amount is not enough, and we are always working toward being able to pay a standard industry rate to all feature contributors and book reviewers.
Submissions must be directed to our submission manager powered by Submittable. Please submit to the appropriate category. Please note the draft you submit is considered final, excepting suggested changes by our editorial staff. Submittable only displays categories that are open for submission. If you do not see a category, please reference the below reading periods for information on when you can submit.
Please do not submit the same piece to multiple categories at the same time. All work must be previously unpublished. This includes personal blogs and social media. Please only send one submission to a given section at a time; when we’ve responded with a decision, you are welcome to submit to that section again.
Response time can vary from a few days to a few months. Please allow three months before sending submission status queries for essays, reviews, and ENOUGH, and eight months before sending queries for fiction, poetry, and our Funny Women column. Your patience is appreciated.
We are often overwhelmed by the breadth and quality of our submissions. To allow our volunteer editorial staff better handle the workload and respond to your work in a more timely fashion, we’ve instituted reading periods for certain sections of The Rumpus.
Essays
Our reading periods are January 1 through February 28, June 1 through July 31, and September 1 through October 31.
Agents and publicists: we strongly prefer that writers submit their own work to us. The Rumpus has an exceptional and diverse editorial team; bypassing Submittable results in fewer readers and editors looking at your work.
Rumpus Original Fiction
Our reading periods for 2022 are February 1 through February 28 and August 1 through August 31.
Rumpus Original Poetry
Our open reading periods are January 15 through January 31.
Want to submit your essays, fiction, and poetry all year round? Consider becoming a Rumpus Member. Win-win.
Book Reviews
These are accepted year-round; please note that reviews of poetry
collections are categorized separately from prose titles in Submittable.
Interview pitches and finished interview submissions are also accepted year-round and should be sent directly to our Interviews team (interviews@therumpus.net). We are no longer using Submittable for interviews.
The ENOUGH series will be open for new submissions in January and July of each year.
GUIDELINES FOR PUBLISHERS
If you would like The Rumpus to consider a forthcoming or recently published book for possible review, you may query us with a full description of the book at either chelsea@therumpus.net for fiction and nonfiction titles or leena@therumpus.net for poetry collections.
For editorial concerns and general inquiries, please contact alysia@therumpus.net.
For customer service issues, please contact wendy@therumpus.net.
For advertising inquires, please contact ads@therumpus.net.
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