Who can submit to Nightingale & Sparrow?
We welcome submissions from all voices, both emerging and established, and from around the globe. Whether you’re a student or otherwise just starting out or you’ve been publishing for years, we would be honoured to consider your submission!
Additionally, we welcome any and all marginalized voices to submit their work for consideration. Within our staff, you’ll find individuals who are LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, disabled/chronically ill, and otherwise members of marginalized groups.
What can I send you?
Nightingale & Sparrow accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. Each issue has a theme but these themes can be interpreted in a unique way. Please review our submissions guidelines for more information and deadlines. Note that all submissions must be sent via our submissions form within the stated dates.
If you’ve taken a creative approach to one of those, though, (like a haibun, combining CNF & poetry, or a visual poem), that’s fine! Submit it under the category you’d prefer it to be published as, if accepted.
Will being well-known or friends with a staff member help me get published in Nightingale & Sparrow?
Unless explicitly solicited, all submissions are considered apart from their creator (once otherwise accepted, a piece may be denied publication if its creator is deemed harmful to the community). This is why it is important that all submissions be free of identifying information—we intend to publish work based only on its quality, not the reputation or connections of its author.
Why didn’t you respond to my submission?
Firstly, please ensure that your submission has followed our guidelines. While small mistakes are inevitable, we may choose not to respond to submissions that blatantly disregard our guidelines.
Secondly, have you waited the anticipated response time (always posted on the submissions page)? We very well may just be a bit behind—double-check that we haven’t posted an update here or on social media. Typically, we’ll post a note to Twitter once responses have been sent, too.
If your submission definitely meets our guidelines and the given response time has passed, please don’t hesitate to shoot us an email! We’re human (and technology is technology), so it’s possible that your submission got lost in the shuffle or the depths of our inbox.
Do you have a print copy of your issues?
We do publish print copies of our issues, in addition to the digital and web archive additions. PDF copies are also available for purchase.
At this time, we aren’t able to offer complimentary contributors’ copies. Unfortunately, even at print cost, it would require more funds than we bring in.
What’s the deal with micropoems?
In the days leading up to our publishing a new issue, we feature a series of tweet-sized poems across social media. We open micropoem submissions via a separate form for about two weeks soon after decisions have been made for the issue itself (in some cases, the two may overlap).
From these poems, we create graphics and share one per day for about two weeks before the issue’s launch. These pieces are published exclusively on our social media and linked to the website in the issue’s web archive—they aren’t a part of the issue, but share its theme and are a great way to get involved with N&S!
As online exclusives, micropoems are also eligible to be nominated for the Best of the Net anthology, unlike pieces in the issue! All accepted micropoems will also be considered for our annual Nightingale & Sparrow Micropoets: The Top Tenmicrochapbook.
Are you on social media?
Yes! You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Pinterest, Youtube, and LinkedIn with other platforms to come.
Why haven’t you replied to my email yet?
Our staff work with Nightingale & Sparrow on a volunteer basis—we all have “day jobs,” families, pets, et cetera (in short, other responsibilities). With rare exceptions, we aim to respond to all emails within a week or so; please be patient with us if it’s only been a day or two!
If it’s been longer and you haven’t heard from us (and we haven’t posted here or on Twitter about a delay), please do reach out—technology does like to rebel from time to time!
Why haven’t you replied to my DM yet?
The Nightingale & Sparrow social media team is responsible for answering direct messages across our online presence and will respond to these messages as soon as their able. Depending on the subject of a DM, they may need to consult other members of the team—as always, please be patient.
Nightingale & Sparrow staff are under no obligation to discuss N&S matters on their personal social media accounts.
Can I join your team or read for your next issue?
Nightingale & Sparrow is currently onboarding new members of the “nest” following our latest call for volunteers. We’ll share details here on our site and announce across social media when the time comes to grow the team further!
Which came first, the poem or the title?
Believe it or not, the title of the magazine came before the poem, “Nightingale and Sparrow!” I (Juliette, our EIC) have felt the most at home with poetry for a long time, and so in developing descriptions for our fledgeling publication, a poem just felt right. The lines from Romeo and Juliet and “Little Sparrow,” however, served to inspire both the magazine’s title and the poem. We’ve included all three on our home page to help you get a glimpse into what we’re all about.
Note: we own neither Romeo and Juliet nor “Little Sparrow.” All rights belong to the appropriate parties.
How does your press work?
Currently, we’re publishing microchapbooks, chapbooks, and full-length manuscripts through Nightingale & Sparrow Press, as well as charity projects through our activist imprint, Vociferous Press. In 2021, we’ll be opening submissions for our children’s imprint, Chickling Press.
We offer 50% royalties to all of our authors and currently plan to publish about a dozen books a year, in addition to our quarterly literary magazine. Our microchapbooks are handcrafted miniature books, cut and folded from standard paper. Our chapbooks and full-lengths are manufactured through Amazon’s printing service, allowing us to reach an international audience without additional fees in excess. We also provide Kindle and digital PDF editions of our books to allow for the most accessibility we can.
Note that, despite printing through Amazon, we offer expanded distribution of all of our chapbook and full-length titles—this allows bookstores, libraries, et cetera to order through major US distributors, just as they would with any “big” press!
We’re no Random House, but we’ll work with you to make the best possible product and do everything in our power to help you and your book succeed—we began N&S Press to help writers and artists bring their work into the world in the most accessible, cooperative way possible!
