share your words with the world.

We publish poetry, short stories, flash fiction, and personal essays from emerging and established writers worldwide. Every issue published directly funds youth creative writing access in West Africa. We encourage writers of all age or stage to submit.

Submissions are currently: OPEN

Current submission window:
October 15th, 2026 - February 6th, 2027 (11:59pm CST)

Submit to The Pencil Post
Submit to The Pencil Post
Black and white photo of newspapers laid out on a surface, with headlines and articles visible.

Submission FAQs

  • Expect to hear back from us within about 3 weeks after submissions close.

  • Nope!

  • While we cannot offer monetary payment at this stage, every accepted contributor receives:

    • A free all-access digital pass to the issue featuring their work.

    • An exclusive discount code to purchase physical print copies at a reduced cost.

    • Recognition in our contributors page of the issue featuring their work.

  • Yes! You can submit as many pieces as you like, granted they all follow the guidelines.

  • Yes, as long as you have the rights to it.

Guidelines

  • We currently only accept the following kinds of work:

    • poetry

    • short stories

    • flash fiction

    • personal essays

  • All submissions should be original works created solely by the author.

  • Works may be simultaneous submissions, but we encourage writers to ensure that submitting to The Pencil Post will not hinder their ability to be published by another magazine.

  • By submitting to The Pencil Post, you give us rights to share and distribute your work through our magazine

  • Submissions must be written in English or mostly English.