Submissions

Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience. We appreciate a sensibility that is open and thoughtful rather than didactic. We seek diversity in experiences, backgrounds, and spiritual perspectives, as well as in genres and art disciplines. We also welcome cross-genre, cross-discipline, or multimedia experimentation. Those interested in submitting are encouraged to read previous issues to gain a sense of the kind of work we're looking for.

*We will be closing submissions Aug. 1, 2026, and reopening Nov. 1, 2026. We're currently reading for our Autumn 2026 issue, which will be published in print format in the fall and online in early 2027.

During our open submissions window, Nov. 1 - July 31, we accept submissions in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual arts, multimedia,reviews, interviews, and contemplative practices.

For reviews, please see full guidelines and suggested review titles on our website here, and reach out to our Reviews Editor Brandon James O'Neil at james@vitapoetica.org.

For interviews, please send queries to our Interviews Editor Christopher Honey at christopher@vitapoetica.org. Include a brief bio and 1-2 writing samples.

For contemplative practices, please see full guidelines on our website here, and send queries and submissions to our Contemplative Practices Editor Deb Baker at deb@vitapoetica.org.

Creative submissions (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual arts, and multimedia) must be sent through our submissions management platform, Submittable, which requires an account. If you don’t already have one, you can create a free account here. Use the button below to submit through Submittable.

We do not accept previously published work, including web-published or self-published material. Simultaneous submissions are welcome provided you notify us immediately if the work is placed elsewhere.

We ask for first-time rights of publication and request acknowledgment as the first place of publication. All rights revert to the author/artist after publication.

Please allow up to 3 months while we review your submission. We publish on a quarterly cycle, and it can sometimes take a bit longer if the submission arrived in between issues. If you sent a query or pitch, we will confer as a team and respond in about a month.

We regret that we’re unable to offer payment for publication at this time. Vita Poetica is a nonprofit organization and relies on a small team of volunteers who read every submission carefully. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for sharing your work with us.