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We are looking for original, unpublished poetry and stories that reflect reality.  In terms of scope, the door is wide open, but still has some boundary.  A decent yardstick is the Bible.  Not the churchized version, but the real, gritty scripture:  Noah drank too much; Moses committed murder; David committed adultery, then tried to put his life back together; David’s daughter was horribly raped; poets expressed real doubt and exhilarating praise in the Psalms; Solomon spoke beautifully and unapologetically about sex; Jesus made fun of religious leaders, faced betrayal by a friend but still spoke highly of friendship, stared death down; Paul and Peter argued about race…

Christian authors need not only write expressly about God, faith, and church.  When Christ says “I send you out as a sheep among wolves,” he doesn’t say that we should shut our eyes and pretend they do not exist.  Relief is not opposed to stories about Christ or faith, and it is also not opposed to stories about raw, gritty, beautiful life.  We are looking for pieces that push the envelope; however, work that is gratuitously obscene or that has a message in clear contradiction with scripture will not be considered.

What types of work are you accepting? 

We are interested in three types of material:

• Short Fiction
• Poetry
• Creative Non-fiction
  

Short Fiction

Stories should not exceed 8,000 words.  An author can submit up to THREE stories per reading period.  Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your piece immediately if it is accepted elsewhere.  

Poetry

Poetry should not exceed 1000 words.  An author can submit up to FIVE poems per reading period.  Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please immediately withdraw your piece if it is accepted elsewhere.  We are looking for poetry that is well-written and makes sense.

Creative Non-Fiction

Creative Non-Fiction should not exceed 5,000 words.  An author can submit up to THREE pieces per reading period.  Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your piece immediately if it is accepted elsewhere. 

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