GUIDELINES
The Vagabond’s Verse publishes original creative literary and artistic works that reflect the complexities of living—which includes all forms of realist, speculative, dystopian, romantic, horror, etc., fiction, non-fiction (essays, philosophical takes, ranting), poetry, art, video and photography from creatives who have felt in some way, like Vagabonds, like wanderers in one way or another.
We kindly request that you follow the submission instructions to ensure a seamless publication process. We look forward to seeing all of your brilliant work.
Submissions for Issue #2 are now open and will close March 31st, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET.
We also accept submissions for our digital publication, Weekly Verses (year-round, no deadline).
Publication Rights
There is no fee for submission. We accept only original works from individuals aged 16 and above. Please do not submit work that is not yours for legal liabilities. We uphold First North American serial rights (FNASR), meaning we hold the right to publish your work first in North America (cannot be published anywhere else until after our own publication), and then the rights return to you. Let us know if your work has been selected for publication in another magazine before our release.
Our AI Policy
We do not publish AI-generated work. We value humanity and originality.
As part of the submission and acceptance process, all submitters will be required to confirm that AI has not been used to create their work beyond the basic function of grammar check. If your AI-generated work ends up getting published in our online and/or print publication after moving through our multi-step acceptance/publication process,
You will be legally liable for covering the magazine’s reprinting costs
We will notify the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP)
You will be banned from submitting to The Vagabond’s Verse in the future.
Email us if you have any questions about (rare) exceptions to using AI, such as for translations and accessibility/language support.
Language Requirements
Although we primarily publish in English, submissions in other languages are welcome and encouraged. They should be accompanied by an English translation, along with the translator’s name if it is not the author’s direct translation.
International Submissions
For our print issues, we accept submissions from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
For our digital publication, Weekly Verses, we publish international authors/artists.
Genre-Specific Guidelines
You can submit to up to TWO categories.
Please consult these guidelines when submitting to the specific categories. Any submission that does not adhere to these guidelines might get rejected.
Prose: Fiction, Nonfiction—No more than TWO submissions (per prose category), all in separate documents, a maximum of 2,000 words, double-spaced, PDF: Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins on both sides.
Poetry: No more than TWO submissions, all in separate documents, a maximum of two pages or 500 words or less.
Visual Art (Paintings, Digital Art, Photography, Audio, and Video)—Submit no more than five pieces. Ensure that you submit high-quality images. Each file should include the title of the work, and the medium/date created should be listed in the extra comments section, where applicable. We encourage you to submit art accompanied by an artist statement for pieces that you feel require one. It helps give the viewer perspective and meaning, but it is not required. If the Submission Form rejects your file because it is too large (most often for videos), please email it to us at thevagabondsverse@gmail.com.
Response Time
The response time varies, but we promise to respond to you as soon as possible (within three to five weeks). Should you not receive a response from us within that time, please regard the submission as declined.
If your work was rejected, please wait at least three months before submitting again. If we have previously published your work, please wait at least nine months before resubmitting another work.
Compensation
As a non-profit magazine, we currently do not have sufficient donations/funds to financially reward each selected writer or artist. However, if you are located in the United States and are published in any of our in-print issues, we will do our best to mail you a copy.
Please note that a free copy of our print issue is not guaranteed due to high printing costs.
It is simply an honorary token of our appreciation.