*please note: submissions are currently closed and will reopen in winter 2026
How to Submit
All submissions must be sent through our submission manager via Duosuma *
Submission Format
Attach your poetry or prose as a .doc or .docx file. Art and multimedia submissions must be in .jpg or .png
Please submit to only ONE CATEGORY at a time. You are free to resubmit to another category once you have received a submission response.
Simultaneous Submissions
Root Smoke welcomes simultaneous submissions. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify us through the submission manager so we can update our records.
*Having trouble with Duosuma? If you’re unable to submit through the submission manager, please email your submission to rootsmoke.lit@gmail.com with the subject line formatted as: SUBMISSION TYPE_Name | Example: Fiction_Suki Waterhouse
Category Guidelines
Poetry
Submit up to 5 unpublished poems per submission.
Fiction
We accept both flash fiction and short stories.
Please submit up to 3 unpublished pieces, totaling no more than 6,000 words.
Creative Nonfiction (CNF)
Submit up to 2 pieces, totaling no more than 6,000 words.
Art
Submit up to 6 images in high resolution.
(Please note: final publication may require additional formatting.)
Submission Review Process
Each piece is read in the order it is received. Response times may vary depending on volume.
If a submission is declined, it is promptly deleted to ensure the integrity and privacy of the work. If a submission is accepted, the author will receive an acceptance outlining publishing rights and requesting any additional details needed to appear alongside the work, including an optional author photo.
Please note: Submissions that do not follow the stated guidelines will either be declined without response or receive a form rejection.
Rights & Permissions
Root Smoke requests first publication rights for all accepted work. Upon publication, all rights revert fully to the author. Authors retain copyright to their work and are free to republish it elsewhere after it appears with us.
By submitting, authors grant Root Smoke non-exclusive rights to archive the work on Substack and any subsequent zines (both physical and digital) and to share excerpts for promotional purposes (newsletter, social media, or announcements related to the journal).
If a piece is republished elsewhere, we ask that Root Smoke be credited as the original place of publication.
Root Smoke Zine
At the end of each publishing month, contributor work is compiled into a free downloadable, printable zine.
Print Anthology
Depending on interest, select pieces may be considered for inclusion in a future Root Smoke print anthology. If an author’s work is chosen, they will be contacted in advance and will receive a contributor copy.