All submissions go through one form.
Read the guidelines below, then submit.
How to submit
All submissions except Visual Narratives are made through our online Google Form. Visual Narrative submissions are sent directly by email to [email protected]. You may submit one piece per genre per submission period.
Bio and photograph
Include an ~80-word bio written in the third person at the end of your submission. Include your photograph and social media handles. We use these for your contributor page and social media features.
Simultaneous submissions
We prefer exclusive submissions but understand if you submit elsewhere simultaneously. Please notify us immediately if another publication accepts your work before we respond.
Reprints
Work published in Usawa may not be reprinted elsewhere for six months after publication. After that period, please credit Usawa as the original publisher.
Response times
Due to the volume of submissions and limited staff, we cannot offer feedback on declined pieces. We will contact you only if we wish to publish your work.
Editing
Minor edits cannot be accommodated after an issue is published. For major errors, write to our Managing Editor at [email protected].
AI policy
Usawa does not accept AI-generated content or work produced through machine translation. Such submissions will be treated as plagiarism and will be disqualified. We recommend reading the Authors Guild’s AI best practices for authors before submitting.
What to submit
- Submit 3–4 poems in a single document
- We publish unpublished poems only
- Poems previously shared on the author’s own social media are acceptable
Previously published work
If you have previously published work that strongly resonates with our current theme, you may write to our Poetry Editor explaining why you’d like the piece considered. Please do this before submitting — do not submit previously published work through the form without prior approval.
What we look for
We are looking for poems that are formally inventive, emotionally honest, and thematically engaged with our current issue’s theme. We are particularly drawn to work that questions hierarchies and naturalized biases, that finds new angles on familiar experience, and that earns its images.
AI policy
We do not accept AI-generated or AI-assisted poems. Submissions found to use AI will be treated as plagiarism.
What to submit
- One piece of short fiction, 2,000–5,000 words
- Unpublished work only
- Submit as a Word document through the form
What we look for
Our primary focus is literary fiction that explores the depth and complexity of human experience. We are also open to exceptional genre fiction — speculative, horror, crime — that pushes boundaries and offers fresh perspectives. We are not looking for plot-driven stories that resolve neatly. We are looking for fiction that unsettles, that stays.
Speculative fiction
We actively welcome speculative submissions — the strange, the impossible, the satirical, the darkly comic. If you are writing about the present through a speculative lens, we want to read it.
AI policy
We do not accept AI-generated or AI-assisted fiction. Submissions found to use AI will be treated as plagiarism.
What to submit
- One piece of up to 5,000 words
- Unpublished work only
- We accept essays, memoir, hybrid forms, and creative non-fiction
What we look for
We look for honesty of experience — personal or from the point of witness. Show us the universality of the personal. What are you subverting? Why? We are drawn to pieces that are formally adventurous, that resist the predictable arc, that know why they are written.
We welcome essays, lyric essays, hybrid pieces, and any form of creative non-fiction that earns its structure. We are not looking for journalistic reportage or academic writing.
AI policy
We do not accept AI-generated or AI-assisted non-fiction. Submissions found to use AI will be treated as plagiarism.
What to submit
- At least 4 poems, or a prose text of 2,000–5,000 words
- The translation must be submitted alongside the source text
- You must have the original author’s written consent — state this clearly in your submission
- Include the original author’s short bio and photograph if possible
What we look for
We look for translations that make brave choices — that understand the difference between fidelity to the word and fidelity to the work. We are particularly interested in translations from languages underrepresented in English literary publishing. The translator’s voice matters to us as much as the source text’s.
AI and machine translation
We do not accept work produced through machine translation, including AI translation tools. Translations must be the original work of the human translator named in the submission. Such submissions will be treated as plagiarism.
What to submit
- One review of 1,000–1,500 words
- Reviews may be of fiction, poetry, or non-fiction books
- We prefer reviews of recently published books, though older titles are considered if the case for reviewing them now is clear
What we look for
We look for reviews that have a point of view — not just a summary of the book but an argument about it. A good review in Usawa tells the reader what the book is doing, whether it does it well, and why it matters right now. We are particularly interested in reviews that connect the book to a larger conversation.
Format
Please include the full title, author, publisher, year, and page count at the top of your review. If the book has not yet been published, note the expected publication date.
AI policy
We do not accept AI-generated or AI-assisted reviews. Submissions found to use AI will be treated as plagiarism.
What to submit
- One interview with a minimum of 5–8 questions
- State whether the interview was conducted in person, virtually, or through a questionnaire
- Include a short description of the interviewee — who they are and why this conversation matters
What we look for
We look for interviews of people from every sphere of society — writers, artists, activists, researchers, and anyone who embodies compassion, hard work, and change. We are not looking for celebrity interviews or promotional conversations. We want interviews that reveal something — about the person, about their work, about the world they move in.
A good interview for Usawa has an editorial perspective. The questions should build on each other. The conversation should go somewhere unexpected.
AI policy
Interview questions must be written by the interviewer. We do not accept AI-generated questions or responses.
What is a Visual Narrative?
Visual Narratives focus on narratives that emerge from a marriage of visuals and text. The visual is the dominant element — text simply complements and enriches the images. The narrative should work even with little text involved. If you are primarily a writer submitting photographs as illustrations to text, this is not the right section — consider Creative Non-fiction instead.
What to submit
- 6–8 stand-alone photographs or a photo essay
- JPEG format at 300dpi
- Both landscape and portrait orientations welcome
- Both colour and black and white welcome
- An artist statement or a short paragraph about the inspiration behind your piece
What we look for
We look for submissions that interpret the issue’s theme excitingly and uniquely through images. The visuals should function strongly as stand-alone pieces while also working as part of a series. We are particularly interested in images that question hierarchies, hegemonies, and naturalised biases — images that shine light on stories that would not otherwise be seen.
We look for images that see the world anew — the camera revealing what our gaze sometimes overlooks. We are interested in images moving beyond the picturesque and the obvious — images that capture the complexity of life rather than its aesthetics alone.
FAQ
What is the difference between Visual Narratives and Creative Non-fiction?
In Creative Non-fiction, text is primary and any images are supplementary. In Visual Narratives, the visual drives the narrative forward — the images articulate and convey much more than words sometimes can. The narrative should successfully work even if there is little text involved.
Can I submit a video or a mixed-media piece?
We primarily publish still image narratives. If you have a mixed-media or video submission, write to us at [email protected] before submitting so we can advise on suitability.
Do I need professional equipment?
No. We care about the image, not the device. Submissions shot on a phone are welcome, provided the images are in JPEG format at 300dpi.
Do I need to write text alongside the images?
An artist statement or short paragraph about your piece is required. Additional text — captions, a prose poem, an essay — is welcome but not mandatory. The images must be able to carry the narrative on their own.
AI policy
We do not accept AI-generated images or images where AI has substantially altered the original photograph. Minor post-processing (colour correction, cropping, exposure) is acceptable. If in doubt, disclose your editing process in your artist statement.