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. Our messages are universal in nature.
Please make sure to read the work presented at this site to get a feeling for the style that we prefer.
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 Unpublished work is preferred, but reprints are considered, as is work from the writer's personal blog or Web site.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, one short story, and/or one creative nonfiction story per reading period. Please send multiple poetry submissions in
one e-mail or
one attachment only.
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
Please make sure your e-mail account does not treat gmail as spam. Some comcast accounts will block gmail unless you instruct them otherwise.
We regret that submissions sent by postal mail will not be considered.
Compensation
Raving Dove is currently a nonpaying publication. Instead, we offer 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. In addition, we participate in several writing awards (see below). And coming soon: Contributors' books and anthologies
that are for sale will be featured on a special page.
Reading Period: Year-round
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.
Publication Calendar
Spring edition: March 15
Summer edition: June 15
Fall edition: September 15
Winter edition: December 15*
*
Please note: The winter 2009-2010 edition will be published on 12/31/09.
Raving Dove participates in the following writing awards:
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.
