PLEASE NOTE: Taddle Creek is taking the summer off from reading submissions. Please do not submit until after Labour Day.
Taddle Creek’s most important submission guideline is that anyone submitting work to the magazine must first read the submission guidelines. With that out of the way…
A few things you should know:
- Taddle Creek accepts only submissions of fiction and poetry. If you have an idea for a non-fiction piece of some kind, please send a pitch to the editor, but know that with only two issues a year in which to publish such work, the odds of it being accepted are slim. If you’re a cartoonist, please find a way to get Taddle Creek’s attention, via an on-line portfolio or some such.
- There is no minimum or maximum length required of fiction or poetry submissions, though the magazine’s format usually doesn’t allow for poems of more than ninety lines.
- Taddle Creek does not publish book reviews.
- There are no submission deadlines. Taddle Creek is always reading.
- All work submitted to Taddle Creek must be previously unpublished.
- All work submitted to Taddle Creek must not be under consideration elsewhere. (Taddle Creek is well aware your submission most likely is under consideration elsewhere, even if you say it’s not. Don’t think you’re fooling anyone.)
- If you’re thinking of asking Taddle Creek what kinds of fiction and poetry it publishes, or what it looks for in fiction and poetry, the magazine does not have a good answer for you, as Taddle Creek really just publishes stuff it likes. The best thing to do is read a few issues of the magazine and decide for yourself (see below).
A few requests:
- Please read two or three issues of the magazine before submitting to see if your writing is in keeping with the type of work the magazine publishes. Please take this request very seriously.
- Please do not send more than two pieces of fiction or six poems at a time.
- Please—no earnest stories about your unresolved “daddy issues.”
- Please—no earnest stories about the absurdity of organized religion. Comical stories on this topic are another matter.
- The magazine does not care to read any more stories written from the point of view of a foetus. (For that matter, please also do not send stories about the Y2K bug, September 11th, the 2003 Toronto blackout, tsunamis, or the covid-19 pandemic.)
- Three words: no shaped poetry.
- The most important thing you’ll learn today: Leaving two spaces after a period isn’t something that happens in the real world in the twenty-first century. Everyone’s been laughing at you behind your back, and it’s making Taddle Creek sad. Please stop.
Obviously, you could not have gotten this far without reading all of the above guidelines, so Taddle Creek will now tell you where to send your submissions.
E-mail really works best for everyone involved, so that is Taddle Creek’s preference: editor@taddlecreekmag.com.
But, if you prefer to send your submission by post:
Taddle Creek
P.O. Box 611, Station P
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2Y4
- All submissions must include the author’s full name (no pseudonyms, please), address, daytime phone number, and, ideally, e-mail. This information should be included on the first page of every submission, not just your envelope or cover letter.
- Electronic submissions should be included in the body of your e-mail and as a Microsoft Word attachment or, if you must, text file. If submitting multiple poems, there is no need to save each one as a separate file.
- Posted submissions should include an e-mail address or a self-addressed stamped envelope for reply. If you would like your submission returned, the return envelope must be large enough to accommodate it.
- When asking a magazine to review your work, it’s always nice if you spell its name correctly. Taddle Creek is just saying.
- Taddle Creek tries to respond to submissions within two months, but sometimes that doesn’t happen. Please give the magazine six months before you start to write.
- Sadly, due to the volume of submissions received and the lack of volume of Taddle Creek staff, the magazine cannot provide feedback on your submission. Please don’t make things awkward for everyone by asking.
- If the magazine does not accept your work, you will receive the Taddle Creek Form-Rejection Slip. It will be the most enjoyable rejection of your life.
You may now submit to Taddle Creek. You’re welcome.