Submissions

The Mythic Circle seeks contributions of fantasy- or mythic-inspired original stories, poems, and independent works of visual art. We are also looking for artists interested in creating text-dependent illustrations for poems and stories.

Founded in 1987, The Mythic Circle is a small literary magazine published by the Mythopoeic Society, an organization dedicated to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. These innovative writers drew upon a rich imaginative tradition including writers as different as Homer and H. G. Wells.

The Mythic Circle exists primarily for the benefit of writers trying to develop their craft in the Mythopoeic tradition. It publishes short fiction, poetry, and artwork. We have, as yet, no hard and fast length limits, but as a small publication, we must think very well of a story more than 5,000 words long to publish it. Shorter stories have a better chance. By editorial policy, we favor members of the Mythopoeic Society.

We look mostly for original work by authors following in the Mythopoeic tradition; this can include a certain amount of commentary and allusion to the works of other Mythopoeic authors (though such allusions and commentary are not necessary). We do not, however, wish to see “fan fiction” — stories that make use of characters and settings drawn from works by living or recently deceased authors whose material remains protected under copyright law.

Works submitted on paper should be typed and double spaced and should include a cover letter and a stamped, self-addressed envelope for the return of the manuscript. Email submissions are also available and are likely to get a faster reply. Simultaneous submissions should be clearly identified as such in the cover letter. It is our policy to respond individually to each submission.

As a small literary publication, we do not pay money. We can only reward our authors, artists, and illustrators with one complimentary copy of the issue in which the accepted work appears. Authors retain all rights to their submissions, except for the specific rights given to us for initial publication in The Mythic Circle, for future imprints of that issue in print or electronic (including online) formats, and for distribution of The Mythic Circle to third-party database partners which may be arranged by The Mythopoeic Society.

Aspiring contributors have several options for submitting work for consideration by the editorial staff of The Mythic Circle, as follows: Paper contributions and letters of comment — , Editor of Mythic Circle Email attachments of PDF files — mythiccircle@mythsoc.org Electronic uploads through our archive at the SWOSU Digital Commons — https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/submit.cgi?context=mcircle# The editorial staff looks forward to your contributions: , fiction and visual art Nolan Meditz, poetry and visual art Gwenyth Hood, editor emerita