We seek the full panoply of arts and letters created by all those who identify as Persian around the world, though the final product will be in the English language.

The creation of art is necessarily a political act, but we are less interested in pieces that are specifically about national and transnational politics or primarily scholarly works, as there are many outstanding publications that already serve this ground well. We’re especially interested in work that focuses on lesser-explored aspects of the Persian experience globally.

FICTION and NONFICTION

We prefer work under 2,500 words, but will occasionally publish longer pieces. Please query first.

POETRY

Please send us up to three poems in one document, with a maximum submission length of 5 pages.

ART

The world of Persian artwork and photography—visual, multimedia and video—is vast, and we are interested in all of it. Please query first.

TRANSLATION

It goes without saying that Nowruz Journal celebrates Persian literature, especially of those authors who may not be widely known in the Anglophone, diasporic world. We are interested in work translated into English in all genres, especially but not limited to poetry and prose. Excerpts from larger pieces are also welcome. Please follow the same guidelines as for works written in English, but also provide an account of the text and its author, a short biography of the translator, and any other relevant information. Please include the work in the source language, and of course, it is the translator’s responsibility to secure necessary permissions for publication.

Submissions for the 2023 issue are open from September 1—October 15, 2023, and should be sent to:

Please indicate both the title of the genre of your work—fiction, essay, poetry, translation etc.—in the subject line of your email: [GENRE] Title of the Work — Last Name, First Initial.

Please use traditional serif fonts, 12 pt., double-spaced (except for poetry).

We prefer .doc, .docx and .pdf formats only (except for art/photography).

The average response time for submissions is approximately 3-4 months, depending upon when you submit. If you have not received a response after 4 months, please contact us; emails sometimes do get caught in the ether.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

A brief cover letter is welcome. Tell us a little bit about yourself, why you’re interested in Nowruz Journal, where your work has appeared before, or anything else you think might be important for us to know.

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but do withdraw your submission immediately if your piece has been picked up elsewhere.

Please do not submit the same piece to multiple categories at the same time.

Please only send one submission to a given section at a time.

All work must be previously unpublished. This includes personal blogs and social media.