Themes

Raving Dove's mission is to share thought-provoking poetry and prose that champions human rights and social justice, and opposes physical and psychological violence in all its forms, including war, discrimination against sexual orientation, and every shade of bigotry. Please submit work that coincides with one of these themes. We publish material about the ramifications of violence, along with messages about kindness and hope as it pertains to one of our themes.

Please send original poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction. Original means that you are the author. Fiction may be up to 2,000 words (shorter submissions are preferred), and nonfiction may be up to 1,000 words. Poetry content is more important than technical perfection, and free verse is preferred over other forms. International submissions are encouraged.

Raving Dove is not a political publication. Material for or against one specific person or entity will not be considered, nor will lobbying of any kind. Our messages are universal in nature.

Tips from the editor: We are seeking intelligent reflections as a path to greater understanding. No rants with obscenities, please.


Publishing Rights

Poetry and Writing: One-time North American and Internet serial rights, exclusive (cannot appear elsewhere) for the duration of the edition in which the work appears (three months). Unpublished work is preferred, but reprints are considered, as is work from the writer's personal blog or Web site.

All work will be included in our archives on a non-exclusive basis.

We ask that Raving Dove be acknowledged on reprints of work first published at this journal.


Simultaneous Submissions

Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. Write "retraction" in the subject line of your e-mail.


Multiple Submissions

We accept up to five poems (sent at once), one short story, and/or one creative nonfiction story per reading period. Feel free to send work in each genre, but please send in separate e-mails.


The following must be included with your submission

*Submission genre, i.e., fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, in the e-mail subject line.

*Full name, general location, and brief byline (bio) of 100 words or less, written in third person. Please submit this information regardless of previous publication at this site.

*Submission, with title, in the body of the e-mail. Word attachment is acceptable, if necessary.

Nonfiction and fiction may be copyedited for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.


Submission address


We regret that submissions sent by postal mail will not be considered.


Compensation

Compensation is based on available funding. This space will be updated in the event of successful funding. In the meantime, Raving Dove always offers a chance to present a bio with Web links, plus the opportunity to make an important statement that will be read in a high-quality, reputable publication—in an international arena.


Publication Calendar, Reading Period, Notification of Submission Status

Spring edition, published March 15
Reading period: December 11 through March 10

Summer edition, published June 15
Reading period: March 11 through June 10

Fall edition, published September 15
Reading period: June 11 through September 10

Winter edition, published December 15
Reading period: September 11 through December 10

Receipt of your submissions will be acknowledged immediately by automatic responder. You can then expect to hear from us within three months with a publication decision.

If you'd like a handle on where we are in the submission process for any given edition, sign up for Twitter. Sometimes we'll post an alert for a specific genre need; other times we might let you know that poetry for the next edition is full, and we're reviewing for the subsequent edition.





Awards

January 2008, January 2009: Ranked #1 for poetry in an online journal in the Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll.

Raving Dove also participates in the Pushcart Prize, the Best New Poets award, and storySouth's Million Writers Award for Fiction, all annual recognitions. Pushcart allows us to submit six works of poetry or fiction, or a combination of both. Best New Poets accepts two nominations from Raving Dove for emerging poets that do not have book-length poetry anthologies in publication. And storySouth's Million Writers Award for Fiction accepts three nominations from online publications for stories over 1,000 words.


Disclaimer and Privacy Policy

All submissions are subject to our Disclaimer and Privacy Policy.