Submission Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in submitting to MOUTHFUL. Please carefully review the guidelines below before sending us your work.

We are looking for strange, intense, experimental writing from ages 18-25 that is too alive for table manners.

MOUTHFUL is looking for work that can't find a home anywhere else. The strays. The mutts. The dogs with too many teeth, with drool dripping from crowded mouths.

MOUTHFUL is for the undomesticated who refuse to be dumbed down into clean lines that everyone has read already. We're looking to spill fresh blood.

More simply put, we value experimental work that is high-risk and high-reward.

Current Issue

We are currently accepting submissions for our first issue. This is an unthemed issue, so we are accepting any submissions that fit our magazine's mission without a particular theme in mind.

Submissions for Issue 01 close November 30th, 2026, at 11:59 P.M. Central Time.

Who Can Submit

MOUTHFUL accepts submissions from writers ages 18-25 only.

Writers must be at least 18 years old and no older than 25 years old at the time they submit. We are not currently considering work from writers outside this age range for regular issues.

Submissions are open internationally. We warmly invite work from writers from historically marginalized and underrepresented groups.

What to Submit

Poetry

You may submit up to 5 poems in one submission. Poetry submissions must not exceed 10 total pages.

Fiction

You may submit either up to 2 flash fiction pieces totaling no more than 2,000 words, or 1 short story up to 5,000 words.

Hybrid Work

You may submit hybrid work of up to 5,000 words or 10 pages. Please choose this category for work that intentionally blends genre, form, or structure.

Submission Limits

Please submit no more than one submission per category at a time, and please submit only once per category per reading period.

This means you may not submit multiple poetry submissions, multiple fiction submissions, or multiple hybrid submissions at the same time.

However, you may submit to more than one category at once. For example, you may submit one poetry submission and one fiction submission at the same time.

Language

Submissions must be primarily written in English.

Brief use of other languages is welcome when it is part of the work.

Formatting

Please submit your work as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file. Image files are also accepted if necessary but are not preferred. Use a readable 11- or 12-point font. Prose should be double-spaced. Poetry may be formatted as intended.

Cover Letter

Cover letters are optional. If included, they may be brief. Please include a short third-person bio of at most 150 words with your submission.

Contributor Bio

We will ask for a contributor bio with your submission. Please keep your bio under 150 words, and include your pronouns in parentheses after your name.

We're more interested in learning about who you are as a person and what your work is truly about than merely your credentials. Be creative!

AI Policy

We do not accept AI-generated or AI-assisted work.

All submitted work must be written by the submitting writer without the use of AI tools for drafting, rewriting, generating, or substantially editing the piece. Basic spelling and grammar tools are fine.

Content Policy

Dark, strange, intense, and experimental work is welcome! However, we do not accept work that is hateful, exploitative, plagiarized, or written primarily to shock, offend, or spread hate without artistic purpose.

Simultaneous Submissions

Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

If your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify us as soon as possible by contacting us at mouthfulmag@gmail.com.

Previously Published Work

We do not accept previously published work.

This includes work that has appeared in another magazine, journal, anthology, website, blog, or public social media post. Work only shared in private, such as in workshops, classes, or personal documents, is fine.

If you are unsure whether something counts as previously published, please contact us at mouthfulmag@gmail.com before submitting.

Submission Fee

Submissions are free. There is no fee to submit work to MOUTHFUL.

Payment

At this time, we are not able to pay contributors.

How to Submit

All submissions must be sent through our Google Form.

Please make sure your submission follows the guidelines before submitting, including category-specific guidelines.

Submissions sent by email will not be considered unless we have specifically requested them.

Rights

If accepted, MOUTHFUL asks for first publication rights and the right to archive the work on our website. After publication, the author is free to republish the work elsewhere, with credit to MOUTHFUL as the place it first appeared.

Copyright remains with the author.

Withdrawals

If you need to withdraw a submission, please contact us at mouthfulmag@gmail.com. If you are withdrawing only part of a submission, please specify which piece(s) are no longer available.

Editing

We may make minor edits for grammar, spelling, or formatting. Any edits that affect meaning, style, or structure will be discussed with the writer before publication.

Response Time

We aim to respond to all submissions within 8-12 weeks after you submit, but we will probably respond sooner.

Please be patient while we read and consider submissions.

If it has been more than 3 months since you submitted and you have not received a response, you may contact us at mouthfulmag@gmail.com to check on the status of your submission.

Contact

For any questions about your submission or the submission process, please contact us at mouthfulmag@gmail.com.