Let this be the healing

& if not let it be

- Danez Smith

Submission Guidelines

Submissions are currently CLOSED.

Submission Windows:

February 2nd - April 2nd

May 2nd - July 2nd

August 2nd - October 2nd

November 2nd - January 2nd

ANNOUNCEMENT: Second Chance Lit is currently on an indefinite hiatus. Please do not submit at this time. Thank you!

The Basics -

What can I submit?

First a reminder that we only look at work that has been rejected (at least once) from other literary magazines and presses. In your cover letter, you may let us know from where your piece was previously rejected (just let us know one place if it has been rejected from multiple places), but it is not required. This stays confidential. While we default to trust, we do reserve the right to contact other lit mags if necessary.

We publish poetry and short (typically no more than 1,000 words) prose. Please do not send us longer stories or manuscripts. Our tastes are eclectic and we especially love reading pieces written by poets in marginalized communities. We aren’t looking for any particular themes or styles, though as the issue develops we may group accepted pieces into similarly themed collections for the issue. You may submit just one poem or short prose story during an open submission period, so make it count!

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know right away if your work is accepted somewhere else so we can send you a virtual high-five!

Please keep in mind that we do not want pieces that were rejected because they were deemed plagiarized, racist, ableist, homophobic, hateful, antisemitic, audist, sexist, overly graphic, transphobic, nsfw, etc. etc. etc. This is definitely not the place for any of that.

How do I submit?

Send all submissions to secondchancelit@gmail.com.

Your submission’s subject line should read: PoetrySubmission/LastName or ProseSubmission/LastName.

In the body of your email please include a short (25-50ish word) greeting letting us know who you are (and optional: one place where your submitted piece was not accepted. Again, this stays confidential). Please also include a short (25-50ish word) third-person bio and social media handle(s) so we can hopefully promote/tag you later!

We ask that your work be sent as an attachment in .doc(x) or .pdf file format.

A second chance, eh? So you accept every piece that’s submitted?

No, sorry - and we understand how devastating it can be to have your work rejected multiple times. Our standards are just as high as other literary magazines and presses. Remember, we are looking for high-quality pieces that were simply not the right fit or submitted at the right time for another press.

Why shouldn’t I just submit/resubmit to [insert name of mag here]?

Oh, you absolutely should! We are not trying to siphon away submissions from other lit mags - we just want to provide another outlet in case your piece is excellent but not the right fit for your original envisioned home (maybe your piece was for a themed issue and would not be right for re-submission, for example).

What’s the fine print say?

We try very hard to send out responses within a week or two, but please be patient and give us a little leeway as we are also people and writers and have other jobs and families and…

If your work is accepted, please do not publish it before it appears in our issue. After we publish your work all rights revert back to you. We do ask that you credit Second Chance Lit as the place your work originally appeared should you eventually have it published somewhere else.

We currently do not pay our contributors, but we will promote your work. We also nominate for the Best of the Net.

We sincerely can’t wait to read your poems and prose!

Listed at Duotrope

Submission Grinder:

Poetry | Prose

The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.

- Miguel de Cervantes