The Astorian is accepting submissions of prose, poetry, and essays for our digital and print edition!
We publish writing attentive to form, cadence, and clarity, and animated by a belief that literature should aspire beyond the moment in which it is written.
Our interest lies in prioritization of craft over novelty: sentences that hold, structures that endure, and voices that recognize the weight of what has come before. We welcome fiction, essays, and poetry that engage seriously with style, whether through established forms or through new work that demonstrates a clear awareness of them.
A portion of proceeds from The Astorian supports Episcopal Charities of New York.
- Formatting Times New Roman, 12 pt. Double-spaced for prose; poetry may be single-spaced. No sans-serif fonts. Standard 1-inch margins. Include name and contact information on the first page. Pages should be numbered.
- Length Fiction and nonfiction: up to ~6,000 words. Poetry: up to 4 poems per submission (under ~1,500 words total).
- Style We favor work with a strong sense of form, proportion, and control. Both traditional and contemporary structures are welcome, but should demonstrate intentionality. Avoid excessive reliance on stylistic gimmicks or ephemeral trends.
- Simultaneous submissions Permitted, but please notify us promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.
- Response time We aim to respond within 1–2 weeks.
- Payment We offer a small stipend for accepted work.
Submissions placed under expedited review receive a guaranteed response from editors within 48 hours. Please note expedited review has no impact on a submission's chances of being accepted.
The Astorian is accepting submissions of prose, poetry, and essays for our digital and print edition!
We publish writing attentive to form, cadence, and clarity, and animated by a belief that literature should aspire beyond the moment in which it is written.
Our interest lies in prioritization of craft over novelty: sentences that hold, structures that endure, and voices that recognize the weight of what has come before. We welcome fiction, essays, and poetry that engage seriously with style, whether through established forms or through new work that demonstrates a clear awareness of them.
A portion of proceeds from The Astorian supports Episcopal Charities of New York.
- Formatting Times New Roman, 12 pt. Double-spaced for prose; poetry may be single-spaced. No sans-serif fonts. Standard 1-inch margins. Include name and contact information on the first page. Pages should be numbered.
- Length Fiction and nonfiction: up to ~7,000 words. Poetry: up to 5 poems per submission (under ~1,500 words total).
- Style We favor work with a strong sense of form, proportion, and control. Both traditional and contemporary structures are welcome, but should demonstrate intentionality. Avoid excessive reliance on stylistic gimmicks or ephemeral trends.
- Simultaneous submissions Permitted, but please notify us promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.
- Response time We aim to respond within 1–2 weeks.
- Payment We offer a small stipend for accepted work.
The Astorian is accepting submissions for our prose section ahead of our Fall/Winter publication.
We are looking for short stories between 2,000 - 6,500 words.
The contest winner will be announced on September 1st, 2026 and will be eligible for a $300 honorarium as well as publication in our Fall/Winter print edition. Runners-up are eligible for digital publication.
Themes we are interested in include but are not limited to: inheritance, things which remain, pilgrimages and long returns, ordinary miracles, coming-of-age tales, the inner lives of older women, masculinity as a wall, good deaths, faith and doubt, class tension, and the weight of names.
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We publish writing attentive to form, cadence, and clarity, and animated by a belief that literature should aspire beyond the moment in which it is written.
Our interest lies in prioritization of craft over novelty: sentences that hold, structures that endure, and voices that recognize the weight of what has come before. We welcome fiction, essays, and poetry that engage seriously with style, whether through established forms or through new work that demonstrates a clear awareness of them.
A portion of proceeds from The Astorian supports Episcopal Charities of New York. We are a proud member of CLMP.
Masthead
Editor-in-Chief: Naomi Leigh
Copy Editor: Cleo de Lasa
Cover art: Noelia Towers
- Formatting Times New Roman, 12 pt. Double-spaced for prose; poetry may be single-spaced. No sans-serif fonts. Standard 1-inch margins. Include name and contact information on the first page. Pages should be numbered.
- Style We favor work with a strong sense of form, proportion, and control. Both traditional and contemporary structures are welcome, but should demonstrate intentionality. Avoid excessive reliance on stylistic gimmicks or ephemeral trends.
- Simultaneous submissions Permitted, but please notify us promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.
- Response time Contest concludes 9/1/2026
- Payment $300 for winner