Submissions
Underground Bookshelf accepts prose and poetry on a rolling basis. Please review the guidelines below before submitting your work.
Restrictions
Most genres of prose and poetry are accepted. I generally request that submissions are 2,000 words or less. However, you can get as creative as you want within that word count. All kinds of flash fiction (like two-sentence stories), poems, and short stories are accepted. I'll even accept the first chapter of longer works as long as it fits within the word count.
I like to think of Underground Bookshelf as a way to showcase your work. This can be as simple as sharing a short haiku or it can be a way to promote an upcoming book you plan on publishing (contact me directly if you would like to be featured in "Book Release Radar" section of the monthly newsletter).
I encourage submissions by all artists, especially writers that are part of underrepresented communities, including but not limited to black, brown, and indigenous communities, LGBTQ2IA+ folks, women, gender minorities, and people with disabilities. This platform is designed to uplift readers typically excluded from literary spaces and promotes representation in the arts. The primary exceptions include works that are pornographic or hateful in nature. Please consider this when submitting to Underground Bookshelf.
Submit Your Work
Your work could be featured on Underground Bookshelf! The purpose of this website is to support diversity in literature and fight back against book bans by telling diverse stories and making them accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
As a child, I remember aching to read stories about people like me, but I never found them. These days, more and more writers are working to get "own voice" stories in front of readers, but book bans, book challenges, and publishing barriers continue to limit those stories from reaching readers.
You can be part of fighting back against these barriers by sharing stories of your own. If you've got a short story, poem, flash fiction, or other short form literary work hiding in your portfolio, a piece you've wanted to share but weren't sure where it belonged, or simply had a story idea percolating in the back of your mind, I hope you will consider sharing it through this platform.
Because Underground Bookshelf is a free resource, this is not a paid writing opportunity, but it is a way to drive diversity and connect with readers who need stories like yours to help them feel seen and understood. You do not need to be a published author or even be pursuing a writing career to be considered for inclusion as a guest writer. All are welcome to submit their work. Please review the guidelines below to learn how to submit your story. Happy writing and thank you for supporting Underground Bookshelf!
When submitting your work, please include:
- the title of your work,
- the name you would like to be credited under,
- your pronouns,
- a short bio (50 words or less),
- a headshot to include with your bio (not required),
- a tag line for your short story (optional),
- your short story, poem, flash fiction, or other short form work in its entirety
- your social media handles (if desired),
- where to find more of your writing (if applicable).
Submissions can be sent to contact.undergroundbookshelf@gmail.com. Please write "Guest Writer Submission" in the subject of the email so that it can be easily distinguished from other subjects. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis.
*Guest writers are not paid and I am not a publishing company. You retain the rights to your work. Submissions are not guaranteed to be posted, but I will do my best to review all submissions in a timely manner.
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