L’Esprit Literary Review accepts short fiction, creative non-fiction, novel extracts, literary criticism, autotheory, and book reviews. Pieces incorporating research, footnotes, and/or a works cited page are especially welcome.
Please include the following with each submission:
- A third-person bio, to be used as the contributor’s note should your work be accepted.
- Social media handles (Twitter and Instagram), if you’d like to be promoted online.
- An optional cover letter to introduce the work, yourself, or provide some context to your submission; please note that this in no way impacts the likelihood of publication.
- Finally, we would appreciate knowing how you found the journal (social, ad listing, database search, reference, etc).
L’Esprit does not discriminate based on the background, education, or identity of those who send work to us. All work is evaluated solely on merit, without regard for any other consideration whatsoever. We encourage those of all backgrounds and experiences to send in their work, and look for writing exploring the range of the human condition.
Both simultaneous and multiple submissions (across genres or within the same genre; no more than two at a time) are welcome; please do let us know if a piece is under consideration elsewhere, and if it is accepted. We welcome work in translation; it is the translator’s responsibility to secure all necessary permissions before submitting. Similarly, we accept previously published work, so long as the author has full rights and informs us of the original publisher so that we may credit them. Please only submit once (up to two pieces) before hearing back. To ensure we remain equally open to all, we must limit contributors to one publication per issue, but are happy to feature further work by past contributors in future issues.
We aim to reply to all submissions within six weeks. All entries are judged by the editorial staff. L’Esprit reserves all publication rights for each issue’s design and content, as well as for first North American publishing rights. The journal also retains rights to use works for promotional and publicity pieces. We nominate for the Pushcart and other literary awards. Authors and artists retain their rights for future publication and use, but we ask that L’Esprit be credited with original publication.
Edits will be done collaboratively, between the editorial staff and the author. All final decisions are at the discretion of the author. We accept pieces on an intermittently rolling basis. Submissions will open and close at the discretion of the Editor, and these announcements will be made both here and on social media. We currently offer a modest honorarium of $10 per published work as payment. Issues are published online in April and October. We encourage work to be read in the order in which it appears on the table of contents, as each issue is put together with consideration to theme, rhythm, and an overall narrative-stylistic progression.
We look for ambitious, voice-driven literary fiction and criticism that emphasizes consciousness and interiority in the Modernist tradition. Please no genre work. We seek writing that takes risks on the sentence level and is propelled by dynamic, poetic language. We also look for criticism that engages literary work on a critical, technical, mechanical, and/or theoretical level, including book reviews and essays. For an overall indication of what we seek, see previous issues and the essay “100 Years of Modernity”, originally published here and reprinted in Issue Zero, which serves as our aesthetic manifesto.
General Submissions to Issue Five
Publication Date: Mid-October, 2024
L’Esprit Literary Review publishes writing that is fearless, risk-adept, and revolutionary. We accept short fiction, creative non-fiction, novel extracts, drama, literary criticism, autotheory, and book reviews. Pieces incorporating research, footnotes, and/or a works cited page are especially welcome.
We invite simultaneous submissions and work in translation. Please do let us know if a piece is under consideration elsewhere, and if it is accepted; it is the translator’s responsibility to secure all necessary permissions before submitting.
L'Esprit does not discriminate based on the background, education, or identity of those who send work to us. All work is evaluated solely on merit, without regard for any other consideration whatsoever. We encourage those of all backgrounds and experiences to send in their work, and look for writing exploring the range of the human condition.
There is no strict word limit and no fee for submitting.
Please include the following with each submission:
- A third-person bio, to be used as the contributor’s note should your work be accepted.
- Social media handles (Twitter and Instagram), if you’d like to be promoted online.
- An optional cover letter to introduce the work, yourself, or provide some context to your submission; please note that this in no way impacts the likelihood of publication.
- Finally, we would appreciate knowing how you found the journal (social, ad listing, database search, reference, etc), and your answer to the following: What is the most overlooked novel of all time?
All submissions will be considered for both Issue Five, which will be published in print, digital, and online formats, and upcoming Quarterly Features, which will appear online only. Accepted pieces will be placed in one of these releases, with all such decisions made at the sole discretion of the editors.
See our complete guidelines--including genre-specific notes and details on paid submission options--on our website.
Thank you for your support of fearless writing.
L'Esprit considers book reviews and critical essays, be it a pitch or the finished product.
*This is for proposals of book reviews and critical work. For completed pieces, please submit via the Reviews and Critical Essays form*
For a pitch, no secret formula is required; simply describe the piece in mind with a fair amount of detail and vision. Reviews can be of books new or old, and critical essays should engage with one or multiple works on a theoretical-technical level (scholarly pieces using citations are especially welcome).
L'Esprit is open to critical work of ambition and scope; we understand that these pieces are hard to place in the current literary landscape, and as such welcome pitches in hopes of being considerate of the writer's time and energies. We review all proposals carefully, and while we cannot guarantee publication based on a pitch, will work to come to a shared vision before asking for the finished product.
Please include (a) sample(s) of previously published work with all proposals.
If you have a piece which in some way engages smartly with literature but may not fit easy definition, pitch us; we’re likely interested. Please see our previously published essays for an idea of what we're after–but note, too, that we're always open to something new.
Word count is flexible–approximately 800-1,200 for reviews; essays need what they need.
L’Esprit Literary Review accepts visual art to accompany stories in print, digital, and online.
We are currently closed to other types of submissions, including fiction and personal essays (CNF). This form is for artwork and photography only.
Images should be high-resolution, 300+ DPI images, in black-and-white. Both landscape and portrait orientation accepted.Please see past issues (beginning with Issue One) for a sense of the type of work we seek.
Please include the following with each submission:
- A third-person bio, to be used as the contributor’s note should your work be accepted.
- Social media handles (Twitter and Instagram), if you’d like to be promoted online.
- An optional cover letter to introduce the work, yourself, or provide some context to your submission; please note that this in no way impacts the likelihood of publication.
- Finally, we would appreciate knowing how you found the journal (social, ad listing, database search, reference, etc).
Thank you for your support of fearless writing.
**This form is only for complete manuscripts of previously accepted proposals**
----
Please indicate the title as listed in your initial proposal, along with the following with each submission:
- A third-person bio, to be used as the contributor’s note should your work be accepted.
- Social media handles (Twitter and Instagram), if you’d like to be promoted online.
- An optional cover letter to introduce the work, yourself, or provide some context to your submission; please note that this in no way impacts the likelihood of publication.
- Finally, we would appreciate knowing how you found the journal (social, ad listing, database search, reference, etc).
L’Esprit does not discriminate based on the background, education, or identity of those who send work to us. All work is evaluated solely on merit, without regard for any other consideration whatsoever. We encourage those of all backgrounds and experiences to send in their work, and look for writing exploring the range of the human condition.
Note that while we engage in a substantive dialogue with proposal writers before agreeing to consider a complete manuscript, we cannot guarantee publication until after editorial review of the finished work has taken place.