Submissions

A few of the benefits of becoming a Clarion contributor:

1. We never go offline! Our institutional affiliation with Boston University means our site is going to be around for a good long time.
2. We commit to an ongoing relationship with our contributors, and are always working to connect their work in Clarion and other venues to new readers.
3. We are discerning. We accept less than 10% of submissions we receive, meaning an appearance in Clarion means your writing somehow stands out from the crowd.

Clarion publishes less than 8% of the submissions we receive. Due to the large submissions volume, we'd ask that authors please specify if they'd like feedback on their rejected submission, or if they'd prefer only to be notified with a yes/no decision. We will supply feedback to all authors who request it, but it will take a little longer.

We do request a US $3 reading fee for all unsolicited submissions, to be paid via our Submittable account; or by sending the fee directly via Venmo (@bonfirebooks) or PayPal (bostonpoetryunion@gmail.com). This fee helps to underwrite our work of reviewing submissions, corresponding with authors, and producing and promoting our contributors. Persons for whom this reading fee would present an insurmountable obstacle are welcome to write to the editors directly, explaining the situation. Our principles are such that we should not wish for economic circumstances to present a barrier.

Authors seeking to publish in Clarion do not need to have any affiliation with Boston University. The editors will read simultaneous submissions, and ask only that authors adhere to common-sense etiquette in notifying them promptly of acceptance elsewhere. We tend not to publish work by the same author in consecutive issues, except in the cases of serializations. Note that we do not consider submissions originating from the litpubmail.com domain, or from placement agencies.

Works of poetry, prose, and verse may be submitted via our Submittable account. Hard-copy submissions may be sent to the magazine mailbox at the Pen & Anvil office, c/o Boston Poetry Union, 139 Mt. Vernon Street, Fitchburg MA 01420. Please include an e-mail and street contact address with your submission. If you're supplying your e-mail address, there is no need to include a SASE.

Submissions may be of any length or genre. Translations into English may be submitted, provided the translator has secured reproduction rights. Contributors are compensated with two copies of the issue in which their text appears, and a 25% discount on up to 5 additional copies.

Clarion is published at least annually, with some years of double publication. Response time varies, but should not in any case be longer than six months. Please ask about your submission if you have any concerns.