Hippocampus wants to publish and promote YOUR TRUTH.

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Flash CNF submissions should be:

• No more than 800 words
• Double-spaced, with pages numbered
• Free of your name in header/footer, title page and file name. (We do realize that in creative nonfiction, your name might be necessary within the content. Please use your judgment.)

Other Information & Requests:

• Regular submissions come with a $3 submission fee. However, for those unable to cover the fee, we maintain a Submission Fund. To access the fund, contact us here.
• We’re happy to accept simultaneous submissions, but if your piece gets accepted by someone else, please withdraw it through Submittable as soon as possible!
• Take your time. We generally only publish each author once a year. We want to give everyone a chance to be heard.

Want to get in touch about an existing submission? It’s best to send an email to submissions@hippocampusmagazine.com; you may also use this contact form. We can’t guarantee that if you DM us on Twitter or send a Facebook message that we’ll see it and respond.

What are we looking for in creative nonfiction submissions?

True tales from your life. Honesty that possesses both the situation AND the story. Intensely personal experiences that reflect universal truths about what it means to be human. Firsthand accounts from the FULL spectrum of humanity – folx from the LGBTQIA+ community, Black writers, Indigenous writers, and writers of Color, disabled writers, writers of all ages, genders, backgrounds, experiences, lifestyles, and identities.

About our reading process: we generally read submissions in the order received and we use a concealed reading process; this means that our reading panel does not see a name or cover letter. The work is read and considered independent of identifying information and author bio.

What isn’t right for us?

Story pitches. Fiction, poetry, academic works, editorials, social/political commentary, satire, criticism. Timely pieces responding to a current event. Pieces that require special formatting/coding, including pieces that use footnotes/subscript. Pieces that are prescriptive or come with a lesson. Pieces that undermine, judge, marginalize, or “other” the voices and experiences of different individuals or communities.

Hippocampus Magazine is rooted in human truth and authenticity; we do not publish creative work that has used generative AI. We want work written by YOU.

Please note that we also do not solicit essays, and we do not accept essay placements from PR agencies. Everything we do comes through our standard queue, and all submissions are treated equally.

What will you get out of publishing with us? 

Hippocampus runs on volunteer energy, submission fees, and generous support from our Friends. We also believe that writing should be valued, and the labor of writers should be compensated.

We offer a $40 honorarium to authors who publish memoir/personal essays and flash nonfiction with us. Honoraria are paid via PayPal or Venmo within about 90 days of publication.

Writers who contribute to our book reviews, interviews, and craft & writing life columns are considered volunteer contributors and are not compensated.

All pieces are shared via our social channels (Facebook, Threads, Instagram, X/Twitter, BlueSky, etc.) after publication. All magazine contributors are also eligible for a discount to our annual creative nonfiction conference, HippoCamp (currently on hiatus).

Last Words

Remember that publishing is inherently subjective, and therefore, inherently imperfect. Like every other literary publication out there, we do our best to assume best intentions and publish and promote the work we’re moved and inspired by. Just because your piece wasn’t a fit for us doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable and worthy of publication at any one of these amazing platforms for creative nonfiction. Keep writing, keep editing, keep submitting.