Manqué accepts submissions on a rolling basis. That said, a formal launch will take place in May. Women, writers of color, and members of the LGBTQIA community are especially encouraged to send their work.

Above all else, Manqué prioritizes writing that gets to the heart of things. But we also love to laugh, and we can’t underscore that enough. We encourage writers to send us their strange whimsy and their brutal satire. We are also always open to column pitches.

All submissions should be sent to monicaerinbusch@gmail.com and begin with the subject “Manqué Submission,” followed by the genre. That would be either nonfiction, visual, or fiction. If you’d like to add more specifics such as “personal essay” or “satire,” be our guest.

We are a fledgeling publication that, very unfortunately, is not currently able to pay its contributors. We hope that changes soon. If that’s a deal-breaker, we completely understand.

Otherwise, here is what we are interested in:

Visual
We want your cartoons and your doodles and your comics strips. Have a drawing all about the anxieties that manifest while you grocery shop? About the very best meal you’ve ever cooked? About your Great Aunt’s porcelain doll collection? Send it our way. Please submit in the highest image quality you can muster. Visual submissions may also be featured on our Instagram.

Nonfiction
The age of the personal essay is dead, you say? We object. We don’t want the canned or the formulaic, to be sure. But we do want to hear about your experiences with identity, personal growth, and relationships, however they manifest. We are flexible about length, but please include the word count at the top of your submission. For your consideration: if your piece is longer than 4,500 words, it may be too long for us.

We are also interested in accessible cultural criticism, humor, and opinionated reviews. (Of what, you ask? Oh, I don’t know. Your coffee maker, discounted nail polish, books — feel free to be creative.)

Fiction
We kindly ask that fiction submissions err on the shorter side. Less than 2,000 words is ideal. That number can be negotiable in the right situation.

In this genre, we are looking for short stories that point to a greater truth outside of themselves. If your submission is an excerpt, please let us know.

A Couple More Things

We only accept previously unpublished work. If your piece has appeared in a blog or newsletter, it is not eligible to appear in Manqué.

With all submissions, a sense of humor is strongly encouraged, albeit not required. We look forward to reading your work.