Submission Guidelines

Each issue of MIDLVLMAG is thematic. Your work should be inspired by that theme, but does not have to be dead on with it. Let the theme speak to you and the writing you will create from it. Upcoming theme(s) will be announced ahead of time and posted first on Twitter and then on our website. If you’re unsure of the tone of MIDLVLMAG and whether or not your work will fit in with what we’re publishing, read our home page to get acquainted, and then any published issue. We publish two – three times a year, and maybe more as we’re able.

Submission Windows:

Follow us on Twitter for updates of when we open up our submission window. We’ll update the website afterwards. Please note, some issues will have a predetermined number of publication slots which will be announced at the same time as that issues theme.

Current Theme:

Submissions are OPEN for issue no. 4: Supply Chain (read description below)

Submission window: March 1st, 2023 – April 30th, 2023

Response window: March 1st, 2023 – May 15th, 2023

Publication: May/June 2023

Supply Chain is about people. The essential components, both individual and collective, that make up the links in the chains that keep our economic systems afloat.

Migrant labor, day labor, agriculture, farm, contract, household, domestic, facilities, industrial, dirty work. People working jobs that don’t get seen, that we turn a blind eye to. Jobs that regularly exploit and abuse.

The invisible integral.

First, second, third generation families grinding it out to make something better for themselves. Willing to take the work others spit at, willing to break themselves physically, spiritually, just for the chance at something better.

Supply Chain is the dream that can’t be denied and the need to see it through, despite the odds.

Supply Chain is the dynamics of love and longing in the face of what seems insurmountable. It is the tenderness of being with one another, finding hope and existing.

Supply Chain is a beast, a puzzle, and a mechanism of many parts. It fools us into forgetting the cost of convenience. It lulls us into submission with its wonders.

Simultaneous Submissions:

Yes! Just let us know if you’ve got your work out to other publications so we don’t step on any toes in the process.

Payments:

MIDLVLMAG is volunteer run and free-to-read. Because of this, we are not currently in a position to pay contributors.

Our eventual goal is to generate funds through donations/patronage and merch sales to pay contributors. We want the best for you and for ourselves and that requires some money to make it happen. We’ve got a donations page set up here – https://ko-fi.com/midlvlmag – and will have merch available at some point in the future. If you like what you see and believe in what we’re doing, consider donating to all the future managers out there!

Rights:

If accepted for publication, you grant us first electronic rights and non-exclusive archival rights.

All submissions remain the intellectual property of the author. Rights revert back to the author upon publication.

MIDLVLMAG would love a shoutout if your work is republished in the future.

If your work is rejected, we ask that you wait until the next open submission period before sending us something new.

Submission Criteria:

MIDLVLMAG publishes short/flash fiction, poetry, prose, and CNF/essays.

Send your submissions to info@midlvlmag.com

Your submission email must include the following in the subject line:

MIDLVLMAG – SUBMISSION – [CURRENT SUBMISSION THEME] – [STYLE OF WRITING] i.e. MIDLVLMAG – SUBMISSION – Snacks – Flash Fiction

If you’re submitting multiple styles of writing, you will need to send them as separate emails.

Your submission must be included as an attachment (PDF, or .DOC file type).

Your submission must include a header with the following information:

Your name – title of piece – MIDLVLMAG – submission theme – form of writing i.e. (Henry Krinkle – hot dogs: a discourse – MIDLVLMAG – Snacks – CNF)

Please include an author bio with your submission email. Tell us about your managerial experience, your time in the trenches of the stock room, the unspoken dignity in slinging fast food to make ends meet. Feel free to include any of your social media accounts so all the managers out there can follow you!

Suggested Word Counts
(unless otherwise stated for a specific issue):

Poetry: Send up to three poems at a time. No word count limits.

Short Fiction / Essays / CNF: 1500-3000 words.

Flash Fiction / Prose: 500 – 1000 words.

Response Time:

Typically within 30-60 days of the date of submission. If you haven’t heard from us in a bit, don’t hesitate to reach out.