Submission Guidelines
Send your pitches and essays to writinglife@hippocampusmagazine.com. Your piece should detail a specific aspect of your writing life and should have an arc. Aim to answer: How did this item/event/person/technique change my writing life? What did it mean to me?
Submissions should be 800-900 words double spaced in a word document (.docx) or a Google doc. Submit a 100-word bio and a color photo. Shorter titles are preferred; our title convention is WRITING LIFE: [your title here] by [your name here]. Columns go live the first week of the month. If you find an error, email me and I’ll fix it right away. Contributors do not receive compensation; nor do I.
Hippocampus Magazine receives tens of thousands of page views per month and maintains a strong presence on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The Writing Life column represents as many different aspects of writing life, and as many different kinds of writers, as possible, from emerging writers to experienced authors. We’re interested in honest pieces by writers willing to mine stories that may be uncomfortable, unsettling or painful. We love humor too. See what we’ve recently published. Some topics we’re curious about:
Your favorite pencil
How producing a podcast has changed your writing
Why you hate writing prompts
Contributor Promotion and Support
In 2021 contributors who plan to attend HippoCamp will receive a 20% discount. Both the editor and publisher promote contributors’ work throughout the month on social media. We rely on contributors to publicize their work through their social media channels. Opportunities occasionally arise for the editor to nominate a column for a special issue of the magazine. Staff keep in touch with contributors and regularly posts contributor updates on their website.