Poetry, Fiction, Creative nonfiction

WordSwell Journal

WordSwell Journal takes up to three poems totalling nine pages or less, or one piece of prose between 500 and 2,500 words with the word count noted at the top of the document. Accepted writers retain copyright, reprints are welcome if you hold the rights, and the current response time is about six months to a year.

🟢 Currently accepting Verified 2026-09 Researched by BRYME Editorial Desk.

The docket

The nine things that decide whether a pitch is worth sending. Every answer below is either taken from the publication’s own guideline or computed by BRYME from the 288-publication desk. Where the publication does not say, the docket says so instead of filling the gap in.

Payment: Not statedNot stated on the public submissions page. The publication publishes no figure BRYME could record. That is not the same as unpaid — but you cannot price the work from this page.
Length: Prose 500–2,500 words, double spaced; poetry up to 3 poems totalling 9 pages or less in 12-point font
Who can submit: Not statedNo stated country restriction on the guidelines page.
Reading period: Not yet assessedBRYME has not recorded a reading period for this market from its guideline page. That is our gap rather than the publication's silence: it does not mean the window is open, and it does not mean there is none. Read the guideline linked on this page before you send.
Response time: About six months to a year
Simultaneous submissions: You may submit elsewhere at the same timeWe accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us as soon as possible if your work is accepted elsewhere. — https://www.wordswelljournal.org/submissions.html (read 2026-09-30)
AI policy: Not statedThe guideline is silent. BRYME records that 127 of the 288 publications on this desk do restrict AI-assisted work, so silence here is not permission — ask.
Rights: StatedIf your work is accepted, you retain the copyright.
Experience: Not yet assessedBRYME has read this publication's guideline but has not yet put the experience question to it, so this row is untouched rather than unanswered — it is our gap, not theirs. Treat it exactly as you would an unstated policy.

What this record does not tell you

This publication leaves 5 of the nine questions unanswered. BRYME publishes that gap instead of filling it — a generated answer would look complete and cost you a pitch.

Payment — pitch only if you are comfortable negotiating the fee itself, or ask before you write.
Who can submit — the guideline leaves this open, so ask before you spend an evening on the pitch rather than assuming a yes.
Reading period — no window recorded yet, so check the guideline before you pitch rather than assuming it is open.
AI policy — assume disclosure is expected unless the editor says otherwise.
Experience — BRYME has not assessed this one yet, so do not read the blank as either a welcome or a bar. Look at who the publication normally publishes before you pitch.

Record last human-checked 2026-09-30. Sources listed at the foot of this page. This record holds no figure BRYME could compare, so no ranking appears above it. Where a rate is quoted per word, it is never ranked against a flat fee.

Quick facts

Payment: Not stated on the public submissions page
Word count: Prose 500–2,500 words, double spaced; poetry up to 3 poems totalling 9 pages or less in 12-point font
Submission: Email — “Submission” plus genre and name in the subject line
International writers: Yes
Status: 🟢 Currently accepting
Last verified: 2026-09

🟡 Research only. BRYME has researched this opportunity but has not yet submitted to it. Nothing here should be read as a claim of acceptance, publication or payment.

What this publication wants

This is BRYME's summary of the publication's focus — not a copy of their website. Type of writing: Poetry, Fiction, Creative nonfiction. Official guideline: WordSwell Journal guidelines.

Topics, themes and styles they look for

Prose of 500 to 2,500 words, double spaced, with the word count noted at the top of the document.
Up to three poems totalling nine pages or less, in 12-point font.
Reprints, provided you hold the copyright.
Writers at any stage — the journal says explicitly that whether you are new or previously published, it wants to hear from you.

Subjects they avoid

Prose outside the 500 to 2,500 word band.
Reprints where you no longer hold the copyright.

Key requirements

Email your submission with "Submission" in the subject line plus your genre and name — for example "Submission – Poetry – Jane Doe".
Double-space prose and put the word count at the top.
Set poetry in 12-point font, three poems and nine pages at most.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but notify the journal immediately if a piece is accepted elsewhere.
After six months you may send an inquiry with "Inquiry" in the subject line.

Who can submit

No stated country restriction on the guidelines page.

Rights

If your work is accepted, you retain the copyright.

AI policy

Not stated in the guideline

How to write for them

Official requirement: always follow the publication's own guideline exactly.

BRYME's practical advice: write for the publication's audience, use a clear structure, keep paragraphs short, lead with a specific angle, and confirm the word count before submitting. These are practical suggestions — they are not the publication's official rules.

How to pitch

Where a pitch is required, this is the general pattern BRYME recommends — always adapt it to the publication's guideline.

Research the publication and read several recent pieces.
Choose a specific idea that fits their beat and audience.
Write a concise subject line naming your idea.
Introduce yourself in one or two lines (who you are, where you publish).
Explain the proposed piece in a short paragraph — angle, structure, length.
Say why it fits this publication.
Include 2–3 relevant clips or links.
Close professionally and thank them for their time.
Send through the official channel only.

Open Last verified 2026-09-30 Official submission page

Accepting submissions now, with no stated closing date.

Track this pitch

How to submit

Email — “Submission” plus genre and name in the subject line

Apply through the official channel below. BRYME only records submission destinations it has verified.

Official guideline: opens the publication guideline (new tab)
Submission: Email — “Submission” plus genre and name in the subject line

What the guideline asks you to prepare

Read https://www.wordswelljournal.org/submissions.html before sending.
The subject line format is specific — follow it.
Budget for six months to a year before inquiring.

Safety note. Never pay to submit your work. A legitimate publication does not ask writers to pay a fee or provide identity documents to be considered. If you are asked to, do not proceed.

What happens after submission

Expected response: About six months to a year

If the publication does not state a response time, BRYME records that it is unknown. A follow-up is generally reasonable after a couple of weeks; if there is still no response, treat that as a likely non-acceptance rather than a rejection. Acceptance is normally communicated by the publication. If they accept, they will tell you exactly how to submit the final piece and, for most, how and when payment is made.

OFFICIAL

Read the official guideline

Open the publication's own page and confirm everything on this record before you pitch.

Open → GUIDE

How to write a pitch

A step-by-step structure for a pitch that a busy editor can act on.

Open the guide →

Check, question or correct this record

BRYME publishes its working, not just its conclusions. Last human check: 2026-09.

What do these statuses mean? Every badge on this page explained — open, closed, researched, tested, paid. Report an outdated listing Guideline changed, link dead, or submissions closed? Tell the desk and it gets rechecked. How BRYME verifies The editorial standard behind this record: sources, dates, corrections and limits.