If you’re looking to be published by Aphor, you're in the right place.

Forms

I am interested in poetry, fiction, philosophical writing and essays, and other forms of non-fiction. I encourage you to read the works published on this website before submitting, as that is the only way to get a sense of our style..

Formatting

Submissions are free. Please submit to submit (at) aphor.org. At minimum, please inform me of the title of your work, genre, and your name. In the PDF document title, please include the word “Aphor” for my convenience. Include a biography in the body of the email, and, of course, attach the file. At maximum, you might say hi to the editor and recommend a film, music, or something from another art form which inspires you. Some of my favorites are Bergman’s Winter Light and Bach’s St. John Passion, for example.
Please use Times New Roman or any similar serif. Do not use Courier New or any similar serif. Please omit the laundry list of previous publications in your biography. I prefer biographies with a little more personality, such as including the name of your childhood cat or favorite Tolstoy tome, for example. We care less about where your work has been and more about where you’re going. Otherwise, you will be asked to rewrite your bio.

Policies

I accept simultaneous submissions. Please let me know as soon as possible if your work is accepted elsewhere. Failure to do so will make me sad. When not working on the magazine, I am a graduate student with a heavy workload. Please allow me grace if it takes longer than you expect to hear back from me.
There are no demographic restrictions on submitting work. If you are under the age of 18 or still in high school, please CC your guardian and writing or art teacher on your submission email. Work published in this journal is not always “safe for work.” Your parents will also need to consent to publication if approved.
It should go without saying, but please do not submit AI-generated or assisted works. There should be no AI revision that informs your style or structure, even though some word processors, such as Google Docs, have this feature built-in. Minor revisions, of course, are inconsequential enough that built-in spelling or grammar correction is okay. However, I ask that each writer uses a conservative approach to these features; moments of ‘imperfection’ can be a compelling source of humanity and creativity in a written work.
It is standard that I will ask for edits to conform to certain conventions that I like to keep across work I publish, such as removing majusculation in poems. Poems requiring unconventional spacing are unlikely to be published given the limitations of the website. When an offer for publication is made, it will be clear whether edits will be made. All edits will be reviewed and approved by the writer before publication.
While I don’t prefer it, I’m okay with work that has been previously published on a personal website or has been somehow orphaned. Please let me know in your cover letter by linking to the original publication so that I can consider that factor ahead of time. Even if a piece could be republished, there could be many reasons why it shouldn’t be; the more context I have, the better.
I do not ordinarily provide feedback on accepted or rejected work. Please know that I enjoy many of the works that I ultimately reject, as the magazine has a particular editorial voice apart from my personal taste. If you would like to receive some feedback along with your submission outcome, please donate a few dollars to the Ko-Fi for site maintenance (be sure to include your name), and note that you have done so in your cover letter with the intention for feedback. Payment of any form does not influence publication decisions.
Feel free to send me a few submissions, but don’t flood my inbox. Submit new work as frequently as it suits you. Please give us a follow on Instagram and Twitter at @aphormagazine to keep up with us while you wait to hear back! If your work is declined, I encourage you to look at the work on our website to get a refreshed sense of our taste before submitting again (at least a week later). I handwrite every rejection letter, so please take pride in any compliments and take notice if I ask you to keep considering us!
To read more about my terms of publication, look here at the nitty-gritty. All writers, if their work was solicited, are subject to the same terms as non-solicited work. I reserve the right to rescind an offer of publication, or to remove a publication from the magazine website or affiliated social medias, for any reason at any time.