TIFERET: Fostering Peace Through Literature and Art
There are presently no open calls for submissions.
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JUNE 30, 2021.
Thank you for your interest in TIFERET. We will be accepting submissions for our contest from May 1 - June 15, 2021. Please read the submission guidelines below and prepare to send us your best work.
TIFERET publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, interviews, and art. We look for high-quality creative work that expresses spiritual experiences and/or promotes tolerance. Our mission is to help raise individual and global consciousness, and we publish writing from a variety of religious and spiritual traditions.
We strongly urge you to read an issue of Tiferet to increase your chance of acceptance. Order a print issue here or an online issue here.
Tiferet editors are also now offering manuscript evaluations for a reasonable rate. Email the editors (editors [at] tiferetjournal [dot] com) for more details.
Fiction: We interpret the word “spiritual” broadly. First, we seek well-written stories, pure and simple, that engage us in some small pocket of humanity. The first page will tell us if the writer has a command of story, of character drive, of description, of language & syntax & voice. Or not. And we’re fans of imagination in fiction, so let yours emerge in the stories you send us. We’re not necessarily interested in religious-oriented stories, nor are we interested in sermons disguised as stories or as stories with overt religious “messages.” NOTE: We only accept and publish previously unpublished work. Please use regular submission formatting: double spaced, an easy to read font (such as Times New Roman or Arial), and 12 point font size. Please make sure your manuscript does not exceed 3,000 words (this will often, but not always be about 12 double spaced pages). Manuscripts that are over this cap will not be read.
Nonfiction: We like to publish essays and interviews that shed light on personal experiences of grappling with the invisible… or different aspects of spiritual traditions. Our readers like to learn about different cultures and a writer’s unique journey. Clear, concise writing with good concrete visual detail is required. NOTE: We only accept and publish previously unpublished work. Please use regular submission formatting: double spaced, an easy to read font (such as Times New Roman or Arial), and 12 point font size. Please make sure your manuscript does not exceed 3,000 words (this will often, but not always be about 12 double spaced pages). Manuscripts that are over this cap will not be read.
Poetry: Tiferet receives a huge volume of poetry submissions, of which only a small percentage are accepted. We look for the highest quality poems that display mastery of content and craft. Technical proficiency is extremely important, along with clear expression of various aspects of the human spirit. We do not accept poetry that is self-consciously “religious.” We publish poems with striking imagery and strong sonic impression, and we look for engaging voices that do more than simply tell a story or display intellectual cleverness. Emily Dickinson wrote, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” This is how the poems we publish make us feel! Please submit between 3-5 poems. Send only your very best work. NOTE: We only accept and publish previously unpublished work.
Art and Photography: We seek original art and photography which in some way captures the spiritual or contemplative in a visual representation. You must own the copyright to your work. If it has appeared elsewhere we require permission from the original publisher for us to reproduce it. Please submit your work as a jpg Image or OmniPage Image no smaller than 640x840 pixels and no larger than 2400x1600.
We accept online submissions only. Hard copy submissions made through snail mail will not be considered or returned.
Please submit one story, one essay, one interview, or six poems at a time. Poems should be submitted in one document with each poem on a separate page and each page/poem titled. All submissions must be made in Word or in a Text Document.
Please note that you should not submit a piece that includes track changes. When submitted, your word document is converted to a pdf and all track changes are revealed. Please submit a clean document that has not recorded your changes as these mark ups can be distracting while considering your piece and may affect our decision in an otherwise strong piece.
We acquire first-time North American rights in print and digital format; non-exclusive, one-time anthology rights; and the right to run the story, essay, interview, poem or art on our website, Facebook page, or through a Twitter link. After publication all other rights revert to the author and the work may be reprinted as long as appropriate acknowledgment is made to TIFERET.
Authors proof their work before print publication. Due to the pandemic, we are currently publishing only in digital format. Therefore, authors and artists receive a complimentary digital issue in which their work appears.
We look forward to reading your work!