Submit Your Work to Dappled Things

Submissions will be accepted in accordance with the following requirements:

Written submissions

All text submissions should use 12-point Times New Roman font.

Manuscripts will be accepted as Microsoft Word or rich text files (*.doc, *.docx, *.docm, *.rtf) and must be double spaced. Writers should only use one space after periods and other forms of punctuation.

Poetry should be in the line format (including indentations) in which the poet wishes it to appear in publication, and may also be submitted as a Notepad file (*.txt).

In order to help organize and keep track of received submissions, we ask that all file names for written submissions use the following format: [author first initial(s)][author last name]-[submission category abbreviation]-[title of submission]. Category abbreviations are listed below with length requirements. For example, an essay by John B. Smith titled “Glory be to God” should have the following file name: [JBSmith-E-Glory be to God.doc].

Please send all submissions as separate files unless submitting more than five at once, such as a collection of poems. If this is the case, use the word “collection” with a corresponding number (if submitting more than one collection) in place of the title, e.g. [JBSmith-P-collection1.doc].

• Short Fiction (F): Up to 4500 words
• Poetry (P): No length requirements
• Drama (D): 1000 – 4500 words
• Essays (E): 1000 – 3500 words
• Book and Film Reviews (R): 1000 – 2500 words
• Interviews (I): 1000 – 2500 words
• Critical Analysis (CA): 1000 – 3500 words
• Literary Articles (LA): 1000 – 3500 words

Subject Content:

Dappled Things is a Catholic literary magazine, and this raises the question of what Catholic literature is in the first place. Rather than give you a pat answer, we invite you as a contributor to help us explore that question. You should, however, keep in mind the following:

• Catholicism has a profoundly rich history, we tend to favor pieces that seriously engage and are informed by those riches. At the same time, of course, we seek work that does not simply put old wine into new wineskins. Rather, we encourage innovation that is in conversation with the riches of Christianity’s tradition in art, thought, and practice;
• We cherish wit, but have little patience for pretentiousness, cynicism, or sneering. We expect that, at their core, pieces published in the magazine will grow out of a love and understanding of the cardinal virtues of wisdom, justice, temperance, and fortitude; the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love; and the redemptive theme that transpires from the Nicene Creed.
• At the same time, we value work that is truthful through and through, meaning that it explores reality honestly and unflinchingly, without whitewashing or sugarcoating. To unveil the truth about the beauty and goodness of the world, one must not hide the facts of the Fall;
• Pieces need not be overtly religious to be eligible for publication. Remember that Catholic means universal;
• Whatever else your piece succeeds in doing, quality of craftsmanship is a sine qua non.

Art and photo submissions

File names should use the following format: [artist first initial(s)][artist last name]-[title of submission]. If submitting a collection in *.zip format, use the word “collection” in place of the submission title. If submitting multiple collections, add a number at the end of each file name, e.g. [JBSmith-collection1.zip], [JBSmith-collection2.zip].

• Cartoons: Must be black and white (jpeg, gif, tiff formats)
• Photography: Jpeg, gif, or tiff formats; Color (minimum 300dpi) or Black and White (minimum 600dpi)

Submissions can be sent to dappledthings.editor at gmail.com. The subject line should read [Title of your submission]: Submitted for Consideration. Your submission should be attached in the appropriate file format (see above) and the body of the email should include your name, mailing address, and one or two sentences with your biographical information as you would like it to appear in the journal.

Persons interested in contributing to the magazine must submit their own original work.

Pieces that have been previously published in other periodicals will not be eligible for publication unless the writer has received permission from the editor.

All copyrights for submitted and published work will remain in the possession of the author. By submitting a piece, the author grants Dappled Things permission to publish the work, and reprint it in future editions or anthologies of work published in the magazine. Unfortunately, at the present time we are unable to remunerate authors for their work; however, we do send a sample printed issue to published authors.