The Basics

  • Vast Chasm Magazine publishes bold work that explores the expansive human experience, including flash and short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and other nonconforming work.
  • We read year round, on a rolling basis, for our quarterly online issues.
  • Submissions are reviewed only through Submittable. Please refer to specific guidelines provided for each genre.
  • Submit only one piece at a time, regardless of category. Please wait to hear back before trying us again.
  • We do not charge a submission fee.
  • We happily consider simultaneous submissions. Life is short. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere, so we can update our queue and celebrate your success.
  • Send us your previously unpublished work as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf in an easily readable format. For a nontraditional piece, you may opt to submit a .pdf.
  • Please include a 3rd-person bio of no more than 100 words.
  • We will thoughtfully consider your work and typically respond within 3 months.
  • If we’ve already read and declined a piece, please do not submit revisions unless specifically requested.
  • Vast Chasm is a paying market. Currently, we are able to offer $50 per published piece.

Additional Details

  • We care about content, not formatting, but if you’re wondering what we consider readable, 12-point Times New Roman works well.
  • We strive to cultivate a safe and inclusive literary community. You can read our statement on the topic on our website.
  • Please email us if you run into any issues while submitting or accessing our content. We believe art should be accessible.
  • If you haven’t heard from us within our usual response time of 3 months, feel free to check with us by emailing editors@vastliterarypress.org.
  • For Vast Chasm Magazine, Vast Literary Press acquires First North American Serial Rights and Archival Rights. Following publication, copyright reverts to the author. If your piece is published elsewhere in the future, we appreciate crediting it as first published in Vast Chasm Magazine. We require non-exclusive print rights for potential annual anthologies and promotional materials. All other rights remain yours.


Vast Literary Press is a Nebraska-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 

We do not charge submission fees and we pay our contributors. Our content is free for anyone to access online. If you’d like to financially support us, we promise we’ll put your donation to good use furthering this community. 

Donate Here. 


  • Vast Chasm Magazine publishes bold work that explores the expansive human experience.
  • Please send only one piece, of no more than 1,200 words, at a time and wait to hear back before trying us again.
  • We happily consider simultaneous submissions. Life is short. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere, so we can update our queue and celebrate your success.
  • Send us your previously unpublished work as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf in an easily readable format. For a nontraditional piece, you may opt to submit a .pdf. We care about content, not formatting, but if you’re wondering what we consider readable, 12-point Times New Roman works well.
  • Vast Chasm is a paying market. Currently, we are able to offer $50 per published piece, payable via Paypal or Venmo.
  • Please email us if you run into any issues while submitting or accessing our content. We believe art should be accessible.


  • Vast Chasm Magazine publishes bold work that explores the expansive human experience.
  • Please send only one story, of no more than 5,000 words, at a time and wait to hear back before trying us again.
  • We happily consider simultaneous submissions. Life is short. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere, so we can update our queue and celebrate your success.
  • Send us your previously unpublished work as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf in an easily readable format. For a nontraditional piece, you may opt to submit a .pdf. We care about content, not formatting, but if you’re wondering what we consider readable, 12-point Times New Roman works well.
  • Vast Chasm is a paying market. Currently, we are able to offer $50 per published piece, payable via Paypal or Venmo.
  • Please email us if you run into any issues while submitting or accessing our content. We believe art should be accessible.
  • Vast Chasm Magazine publishes bold work that explores the expansive human experience.
  • Please send only one piece, of no more than 1,200 words, at a time and wait to hear back before trying us again.
  • We happily consider simultaneous submissions. Life is short. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere, so we can update our queue and celebrate your success.
  • Send us your previously unpublished work as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf in an easily readable format. For a nontraditional piece, you may opt to submit a .pdf. We care about content, not formatting, but if you’re wondering what we consider readable, 12-point Times New Roman works well.
  • Vast Chasm is a paying market. Currently, we are able to offer $50 per published piece, payable via Paypal or Venmo.
  • Please email us if you run into any issues while submitting or accessing our content. We believe art should be accessible.




  • Vast Chasm Magazine publishes bold work that explores the expansive human experience.
  • Please send only one piece, of no more than 5,000 words, at a time and wait to hear back before trying us again.
  • We happily consider simultaneous submissions. Life is short. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere, so we can update our queue and celebrate your success.
  • Send us your previously unpublished work as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf in an easily readable format. For a nontraditional piece, you may opt to submit a .pdf. We care about content, not formatting, but if you’re wondering what we consider readable, 12-point Times New Roman works well.
  • Vast Chasm is a paying market. Currently, we are able to offer $50 per published piece, payable via Paypal or Venmo.
  • Please email us if you run into any issues while submitting or accessing our content. We believe art should be accessible.


  • Vast Chasm Magazine publishes bold work that explores the expansive human experience.
  • Please send only one poem at a time and wait to hear back before trying us again.
  • We happily consider simultaneous submissions. Life is short. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere, so we can update our queue and celebrate your success.
  • Send us your previously unpublished work as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf in an easily readable format. For a nontraditional piece, you may opt to submit a .pdf. We care about content, not formatting, but if you’re wondering what we consider readable, 12-point Times New Roman works well.
  • Vast Chasm is a paying market. Currently, we are able to offer $50 per published piece, payable via Paypal or Venmo.
  • Please email us if you run into any issues while submitting or accessing our content. We believe art should be accessible.
  • Vast Chasm Magazine publishes bold work that explores the expansive human experience.

Photography

  • Photography: We accept photography submissions on a rolling basis. Images must be original work. In general, we are not looking for portrait photography. 
  • Any photograph selected will be paired with an artist who will reimagine a swath of the image, resulting in a collaborative piece. Please see our website header for an example.
  • Previously published photography will be considered. Send your image as a .jpeg or .png file.

Nonconforming Work

  • You may use this submission category for writing if you feel your work does not conform to the other genres listed. For example, you might submit a hybrid piece, a hermit crab essay, or anything we haven't seen before. We won't impose a strict word or page limit, as we don't know what you might have created; however, we ask that you be mindful of our usual guidelines of up to 1,200 words for flash or up to 5,000 words for longer pieces. 
  • Send us your previously unpublished work as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf in an easily readable format. For a nontraditional piece, you may opt to submit a .pdf. We care about content, not formatting, but if you’re wondering what we consider readable, 12-point Times New Roman works well.

General Guidelines

  • Please send only one piece at a time and wait to hear back before trying us again.
  • We happily consider simultaneous submissions. Life is short. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere, so we can update our queue and celebrate your success.
  • Vast Chasm is a paying market. Currently, we are able to offer $50 per published piece, payable via Paypal or Venmo.
  • Please email us if you run into any issues while submitting or accessing our content. We believe art should be accessible.
Vast Literary Press