Spank the Carp is an established online publication of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They publish approachable writing that appeals to a broad audience, and they avoid writing that’s pretentious or frustratingly perplexing. They aim to, “invite readers to wade into the literary stream, not make them afraid of water for fear it’s too cold.”

Since 2014, Spank the Carp has been published six times a year online. Each edition contains writing from eight contributors. You can read the journal online to get a sense of what they publish.

Spank the Carp accepts submissions year-round from unpublished, emerging, and established authors. Submitting authors can expect a response within 60 days.

Poets may submit up to three poems. Spank the Carp prefers lyrical poems that tend to both sound and meaning, and they have a special love for concrete/shape poetry.

Authors of fiction may submit one short story, 5,000 words or fewer, or one flash, 800 words or fewer. Spank the Carp accepts almost all genres of fiction, including hard science fiction, but they do not accept fantasy, erotica, or romance. They also do not accept chapters or sections from longer works. They do like humor writing though.

Authors of creative nonfiction may submit one piece, 5,000 words or fewer. Spank the Carp accepts all forms of creative nonfiction except biography.

Spank the Carp accepts submissions via email, not online or by post. They accept simultaneous submissions but ask that authors withdraw writing published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published work; however, they will consider for reprint writing published on personal websites or blogs.

Spank the Carp 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 Spank the Carp, 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.