We are now reading for the Winter issue, which will be published in late December of 2024.

How to Submit:

Submit no more than three poems in a single .doc or .docx file attachment.  Your file should contain no identifying information, as all submissions are read blindly by our editors. A cover letter or biography is not necessary but we enjoy reading them.

We welcome simultaneous submissions, but please be a good poetry citizen by informing us promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.

All types of poetry are welcome, from formal to experimental. Emphasis is placed on the ideas conveyed, craft, language, the beauty of expression, and the picture that extends beyond the frame of the poem. Quality is paramount. No previously published poems, please.

Be sure to find and like us on Facebook. Something of yours could be featured someday and you wouldn't want to miss it.

New Publishing Model:

Our website now features poetry and fiction pieces accepted for publication or within a few days of their acceptance. This means you will now be able to share your good news and your work with the world right away.  If you have a piece accepted we encourage you to post the link on your social media - spread the news.
 

Publication Rights:

By submitting work to Third Wednesday, the author grants us First Right to publish the work in print and electronically (on our blog site).  Work that is accepted will be published in one print issue of Third Wednesday.  All copyrights revert to the author upon publication.

Here's what some of our editors have said about what they look for:

When a piece of work touches my ear lyrically or if the words jump at my eyes on the page, I’m excited. A writer needs to say something I haven’t heard a million times before. “The moon” has to be melting Velveeta to catch my attention. “My Soul” is a deal breaker, no matter how tortured it may be. I want a twist, a new perspective, an inventive thought, a word used in a freshly descriptive way. - Joe

What I look for in a poem is the sense that I am somehow being addressed. I want to see that the poet has the reader in mind. Equally important to me is the poet’s skillful and fresh use of contemporary language and imagery. Poets who don’t have a clue about craft should learn about it before submitting. Finally, I would encourage poets to write about something worth writing about, rather than leaving me with the urge to say, “So what?”  - Marilyn
 

I want to see poems that are outward-looking and accessible and material that is outside the individual psyche of the author. Many good poems end in ways that surprise the writer, who starts out attending closely to something and finds, through writing, what it means to him or her.  - Lynn
 

I look for an interesting story or a photograph within the poem. I look for layers of meaning and for what isn't said. In a love poem, for example, I look for the absence of words like love, heart, soul and all the other words or phrases that are expected. I want the unexpected.  - David

Regular Fiction Submissions:

Submissions for fiction are currently closed. We may reopen after the first of the year - 2025 for the spring issue.
 

Publishing Model:
      Our website now features poetry and fiction pieces accepted for publication within a few days of acceptance. This means you can share your good news and your work with the world right away.  If you have a piece accepted we encourage you to post the link on your social media - spread the news.

What We Publish:
      Third Wednesday publishes short-short fiction stories of up to 1,000 words. We do not print genre fiction, children's fiction or memoir. Send only one story per submission as a separate .doc or .docx file.
      Keep in mind that, due to limited space, TW can only publish about 3 prose pieces in each quarterly issue. That means we have to pass on many fine pieces.

Do not include identifying information within your file, as all submissions are read blindly by our editors.
      We welcome simultaneous submissions, but please be a good literary citizen and inform us promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere. We respond to fiction submissions within 3 months.
      Be sure to find and like us on Facebook. Something of yours could be featured someday and you wouldn't want to miss it.

      By submitting work to Third Wednesday, the author grants us First Right to publish the work in print and electronically (on our blog site).  Work that is accepted will be published in one print issue of Third Wednesday.  All copyrights revert to the author upon publication.

We are a token paying market but international authors should be aware that we do not have a mechanism in place for payments outside of The U.S.A. We also do not ship contributor copies outside of The U.S., but print copies are available from Amazon.com at a modest price in most countries.