SUBMIT TO MER!
GUIDELINES
Note: Scroll to the bottom of the guidelines to submit to MER.
MER – Mom Egg Review will be open from April 23, 2023 to July 15, 2023 for literary submissions for our annual print issue. We publish poetry, fiction, creative prose/nonfiction, and hybrid works whose lens or focus is mothering or motherhood. We also seek mother-themed art. You need not be a mother to submit. MER vol.22 will be a themed issue.
Theme - AGES/STAGES
Some examples: AGES Newborn. Sixth-grader. Teen. “Don’t Wear This After Thirty.” Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic. The Anthropocene. STAGES The Terrible Twos. Midlife Crisis. Maiden, Mother, Crone. Trainee, Assistant, Associate, Manager. Instagram, Broadway, The Art World.
Please give us your most original creative takes on ages and/or stages. Think locally and globally, metaphorically and literally. We can’t wait to read your work!
Calendar
Early Bird Submissions (Free) April 23--30 or until we reach Submittable limit.
NOTE: SUBMITTABLE LIMIT HAS BEEN REACHED: EARLY BIRD SUBMISSIONS CLOSED
Regular Submissions ($3 fee) April 23 to July 15, 2022.
We will respond by November 2023. The issue will be published in April 2024.
Contributors receive a complimentary PDF copy of the issue.
What to submit
Your submission should reflect this year’s theme and and our general focus on motherhood.
Please read our print journal and online quarterly to get an idea of the kind of work we publish. Current and back issues of the journal are available here, as well as PDF copies of the current and recent issues for $5 each.
- Submit work that has not been published previously online or in print.
- Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know promptly if your submission is accepted elsewhere, by using your Submittable.com account to add a note to your submission telling us which titles are no longer available for consideration.
- Submissions will be considered for the print issue and for MER Online on our website unless you specify that you are only submitting for one or the other. If you have previously submitted to MER (or Mom Egg Review), we request that you submit work other than that previously submitted.
- If your work was included in Mom Egg Review Vol. 21, please wait until next year to submit to our print issue. If you submit work, it will be considered for online publication only.
How to submit
We use Submittable for online submissions, and do not accept paper or email submissions.
Cover Letter
Please include the title(s) of each individual work in the submission and a brief (50-75 word) third person bio.
All Genres: Name your submission document “Last name, First name, Genre.”
(docx. preferred; pdf okay for specific formatting).
Poetry
Please submit up to 4 poems in a single word or text document of no more than 6 pages with the file name Last name, First name, Poetry. Please number your pages and start each poem on a separate page. Formatting request: Please left justify your poem without indenting and single space (unless indenting or extra spacing is an integral part of the poem).
Fiction, Creative Prose, Hybrid
Please submit one piece up to 1000 words, or several short-short pieces that total fewer than 1000 words in all, in a single word document. Please double space, number your pages, and put title of the submission on top of each page.
Visual Art
Please submit up to four works of art (drawings, paintings, photos, etc.) that relate to mothers or motherhood, in a .jpg file at 300 dpi. (MER cover is color; interior art is black and white. If your art is selected, we will request a larger file.
*We have a limited number of submission scholarships available. If the submissions fee is a hardship, you may submit during the “Early Bird” period or email us at MERsubmissions @gmail.com with your submission, cover letter and bio. Please put “Scholarship Application” as subject line.
Contact: MERsubmissions@gmail.com
Note: We add submitters to our mailing list but feel free to unsubscribe if you wish.
MER Terms of Publication
You represent that you are the author of the piece, that you own the rights to the piece, and allow us to publish it. MER acquires first-time publication rights to the piece. We also reserve the right to republish it in a future electronic and/or print collections. Back issues are archived indefinitely. Rights return to the authors after publication; after the contributions have appeared in MER, the authors may republish their pieces in any manner they wish but it is requested they acknowledge prior publication in MER. We are a volunteer organization, and are unable to pay for pieces at this time. A complimentary PDF contributor copy of the complete issue will be emailed to contributors prior to the launch date. Contributors will also have the opportunity to purchase hard copies at reduced contributor rates.
Thanks for submitting to MER. We look forward to reading your work.
Copyright © 2023 MER and Mom Egg Review
Fiction or Cross Genre
Please submit one piece of 1000 words or fewer, or several short-short pieces that total fewer than 1000 words in all, in a single word or text document .
Please name your file Last Name First Name Fiction
Please double space, number your pages, and put title of the submission (but not your name) on top of each page.
Poetry
Please submit up to 4 poems in a single word or text document of no more than 6 pages total. If a poem continues on to another page, please put the poem's title (con'd.) above the continuation.
Please label your file Last name First name Poetry.
Please number your pages but do not put your name on the pages.
Please justify to the left margin (without indenting) and single space (unless indent or spacing is an integral part of the poem).
We seek images that relate to mothers, motherhood, or women's lives. Please submit up to 4 images in .jpg or .png format. If your image is selected, we will ask for a larger one for print or online use. (MER's cover is color; interior art is black and white). Please list the titles of your submissions in your cover letter.