Vast Chasm Magazine publishes bold work that explores the expansive human experience, including flash short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and other nonconforming work.

It was established in 2021 as an extension of the literary community its three founders discovered in one another. They wanted to make a space that feels like a place—one where people can come together, share words, and seek knownness. Here, everyone can gather to shine a light into the vast chasm of human experience.

Chasm Magazine is their first project: a quarterly online magazine publishing bold work from diverse voices. Their first issue was published in January 2022.

Eligibility

• Entry is free
• People from any nationality can apply.

Submission Details For Vast Chasm Magazine

Genre-specific submission guidelines are as follows:

• Flash Fiction: one piece, up to 1,200 words.
• Fiction: one piece, up to 5,000 words.
• Flash Creative Nonfiction: one piece, up to 1,200 words.
• Creative Nonfiction: one piece, up to 5,000 words.
• Poetry: one poem.
• Other Nonconforming Work: one piece, mindful of the limits detailed above; use this submission category 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 they have not seen before.

• Submission Requirements

• They care about content, not formatting, but if you’re wondering what they consider readable, 12-point Times New Roman works well.
• If there is anything you want them to know about your submission, please include a note at the top of the document (e.g. content warning, excerpt, greater context).
• They strive to cultivate a safe and inclusive literary community. 
• Please email them if you run into any issues while submitting or accessing our content. They believe art should be accessible.
• They read year-round, on a rolling basis, for their quarterly online issues.
• Submissions are reviewed only through Submittable, where specific guidelines for each genre are provided.
• Submit one piece to a single submission category.
• Please wait to hear back before trying us again.
• They do not charge a submission fee.
• They happily consider simultaneous submissions.
• Please let them know if your work is accepted elsewhere, so they can update their queue and celebrate your success.
• Send your previously unpublished work as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf in an easily readable format.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.
• They will thoughtfully consider your work and typically respond within 3 months.
• If you do not hear from them within their usual response time of 3 months, feel free to check with them by emailing Editors@VastLiteraryPress.org.
• If they already read and declined a piece, please do not submit revisions unless specifically requested.

Copyright

For Vast Chasm Magazine, Vast Literary Press acquires First North American Serial Rights and Archival Rights. Following publication, the copyright reverts to the author.

Payment

Vast Chasm is a paying market. Currently, they can offer $50 per published piece, payable via Paypal or Venmo.