The Whisky Blot is a new online literary journal, dedicated to publishing short fiction, poetry, and haiku. They also will publish one annual “best of” print journal, and plan to split the profits between the contributors.
They say they are seeking work that is seriously literary, but without pretension. The short fiction they publish is 3,500 words or less, the flash fiction they publish is 1,000 words or less, microfiction must be less than 50 words in length. They are also open to poetry and have a specific interest in haiku.
They list the following in terms of what they are particularly interested in reading:
- literary fiction
- magical realism
- anything Hemingway related
- writing about nature
- your writing about writing
- writing about drinking
- summer-themed haiku and poetry
- fiction and poetry that is inspired by nature
They are not interested in the following:
- erotica
- anything depicting violence against women or children
- racially/hate motivated narrative
While open year-round to submissions, the deadline for consideration in their summer 2022 issue is July 3rd. They will publish work online on a bi-weekly basis. They also plan to distribute a PDF journal on a rolling basis.
They try to respond to non-expedited submissions within 30 days. They charge for expedited submissions which include feedback, but are free otherwise.
They have detailed submission guidelines on their website. Please follow them carefully, before submitting. It can also help to read what they’ve published previously, which is available here.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2021 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.
She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.
