We are now reading for the Autumn issue, which will be published in late September of  2026.

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.

3rd Wednesday responds to most poetry submissions within two to three weeks.

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.

Our Publishing Model:

Our website features poetry and fiction pieces upon acceptance. This means you can share your good news 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 web site).  Work that is accepted will be published in one print issue of Third Wednesday.  All copyrights revert to the author upon publication.

We do not accept work generated by AI, in whole or in part.

What We Are Looking For:

We're drawn to poems and prose that trust concrete images over abstraction — a name, a gesture, an object doing the work a sentence about "feeling" would otherwise do. We publish across forms, so our most important issues are voice, craft and image control. Endings that land on something specific and physical interest us more than ones that resolve into reflection or moral. We see a lot of work about loss, and we welcome it, but it should arrive through a scene or an object, not as raw statement. We're not opposed to the occasional risk, but risk should earn its place through control, not indulgence. Humor is welcome when it's dry and plainspoken rather than broad. Above all: we're a generous, big-tent magazine that welcomes all voices. Here are some guiding principles you can use to decide if you’re right for us:

• Does the work trust one or two concrete images to carry the feeling, rather than naming the feeling directly?
• Does the ending land on something specific and physical, rather than summarizing or moralizing?
• If the subject is loss or grief, is it mediated through a scene or object rather than stated as spoken sentiment?
• If the piece takes a formal or tonal risk, is it controlled — does it earn the risk — rather than indulge?
• Is the form doing something, or just being followed for its own sake?

Regular Fiction Submissions:

We are currently reading for the Autumn Issue (September 2026). 

Publishing Model:               Our website features poetry and fiction pieces upon 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.

We do not accept work generated by AI, in whole or in part.

 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.

Our annual subscription rate is $28.00.  Subscriptions are available only within the United States.  Individual copies can be purchased world-wide through Amazon.com at $8 (U.S.) per copy plus shipping.