Based in Hong Kong, Cicada is a new international literary journal publishing writing that is “generative, nuanced, experimental, and inclusive.” They publish poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and international writing in translation.
They’re especially interested in writing that offers a transnational perspective or comments on the global narrative. They want to read writing by everyone, from everywhere, and they aim to showcase marginalized voices.
Cicada is published year-round, on a rolling basis. Submitting authors can expect a response within two months.
Poets may submit three to five poems, totaling ten pages or fewer. Authors of fiction may submit one short story, 5,000 words or fewer. Cicada welcomes flash fiction, as well as experimental styles. Authors of nonfiction may submit one essay, 3,500 words or fewer. Cicada publishes a wide range of nonfiction, from personal essays to original reporting. Cicada also welcomes English translations of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from any language.
The editors of Cicada have taken care to give specific stylistic guidelines for each genre. It’s a good idea to read these guidelines, along with writing published in Cicada, before submitting.
They also state “Please read the journal before submitting, in order to get a sense of what we publish and what we’re looking for. We are not interested in texts that engage in exotic tourism of Asia.”
Cicada accepts submissions via email, not by post or through an online submission manager. They accept simultaneous submissions but ask that authors withdraw work published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published work; however, they do consider excerpts of forthcoming publications.
Cicada only accepts submissions that follow the guidelines they’ve posted online. Please read these guidelines in full before submitting.
If you would like to learn more or submit to Cicada, please visit their website here.
Bio: Ella Peary is the pen name for an author, editor, creative writing mentor, and submission consultant. Over the past five years, she’s written hundreds of articles for Authors Publish, and she’s also served as a copywriter and copy editor for a wide range of organizations and individuals. She is the author of The Quick Start Guide to Flash Fiction. She occasionally teaches a course on flash fiction. You can contact her at ellapeary@gmail.com.
