Subject Content:
Dappled Things is a Catholic magazine of ideas, art, and faith, and this raises the question of what Catholic culture is in the first place. Rather than give you a pat answer, we invite you as a contributor to help us explore that question. You should, however, keep in mind the following:
- Catholicism has a profoundly rich history; we tend to favor pieces that seriously engage and are informed by those riches. At the same time, we seek work that does not simply put old wine into new wineskins. Rather, we encourage innovation that is in reverent creative conversation with the riches of Christianity’s tradition in art, thought, and practice;
- We cherish wit, but have little patience for pretentiousness, cynicism, or sneering. We expect that, at their core, pieces published in the magazine will grow out of a love and understanding of the cardinal virtues of wisdom, justice, temperance, and fortitude; the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love; and the redemptive theme that transpires from the Nicene Creed.
- At the same time, we value work that is truthful through and through, meaning that it explores reality honestly and unflinchingly, without whitewashing or sugarcoating. To unveil the truth about the beauty and goodness of the world, one must not hide the facts of the Fall;
- Pieces need not be overtly religious to be eligible for publication. Remember that Catholic means universal;
- Whatever else your piece succeeds in doing, quality of craftsmanship is a sine qua non.
Dappled Things accepts simultaneous submissions. If you are submitting your work to other journals at the same time, please explicitly state that in your cover letter, and notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
At this time, fiction and poetry submissions will be open within an annual reading period of February 1 to May 31 (subject to adjustment). Nonfiction, book reviews, and guest blog posts continue to be read and accepted on a rolling basis.
We do NOT accept AI-generated work. (This ought to go without saying. Alas.)
HONORARIUM UPDATE (2023): Honoraria for publication are as follows:
- Fiction, nonfiction, & interviews receive $100 per piece (with the exception of J.F. Powers Prize stories: as of 2023, the first-place winner receives $700; second place receives $300).
- Each issue's featured visual artist will receive $100.
- Reviews receive $50 for longer pieces (over 900 words), $20 for shorter (under 900).
- Blog posts on Deep Down Things receive $50 per post regardless of length.
Unless otherwise specified, the rights Dappled Things requests for all print works are standard rights of first North American serial publication. This covers print and digital formats, since magazine subscriptions and individual copies are offered in both. Authors retain all other applicable rights to their work. Dappled Things does appreciate credit as the journal of first publication. There is no required period of exclusivity after publication, as some journals have, but the editors do request that a piece submitted to us and accepted by us not be published elsewhere before our date of publication even if there is a long lead time. We build issues up to a year ahead of release, and planned production dates are subject to change. Please contact our editor in chief directly with any specific questions: dappledthings.ortiz@gmail.com.
Do you want to help us reach new readers on social media? Video testimonials from subscribers are a great way to spread the word. No need to get fancy: just point your phone at yourself, and in 15 seconds or less, finish this sentence for us:
"I love Dappled Things because . . ."
You may submit one fiction piece at a time. Please wait until you have received a response before sending more work. We recommend that you look through previous editions of the journal to get a sense of the type of work we tend to favor. You may use this category to submit short stories, flash-fiction, and drama. Dappled Things pays $100 per published piece in this category.
Please include a byline in your cover letter that we can use in our contributor notes if your piece is selected for publication.
PLEASE READ ALL OF THE GUIDELINES BELOW BEFORE SUBMITTING
Essays published in Dappled Things receive a payment of $100. In addition, all pieces submitted to our nonfiction section will automatically be considered for our yearly Jacques Maritain Prize for Nonfiction. The three prize winners will be selected by an independent judge from among all the nonfiction pieces published in the magazine during the previous year. The prize winner will be announced in March 2025, with winners being selected from among the preceding four issues of the journal.
The prize amounts are as follows:
First prize: $500
Second prize: $300
Third prize: $200
All text submissions should use 12-point Times New Roman font. Writers should only use one space after periods and other forms of punctuation.
We are not interested in work that uses an overly academic tone. Avoid jargon and send us work that will be of interest to the well-informed non-specialist. Instead of including a list of works cited, include any citations in journalistic style, as a part of the piece itself. We are open to a wide range of topics and approaches; take a look through past editions of the journal to see what sort of nonfiction we publish. You may use this category for submitting essays, memoirs, interviews, and other nonfiction articles, but please submit book reviews through the category specifically designated for them. Note that neither interviews nor book reviews are eligible for the Jacques Maritain Prize.
Please send only one non-fiction piece at a time and wait for a response before making a new submission.
Please include a byline in your cover letter that we can use in our contributor notes if your piece is selected for publication.
If you are interested in submitting and interview to Dappled Things, we encourage you to first pitch your idea by emailing dappledthings.aparicio [at] gmail [dot] com to see if we are interested. Please note that your interview should not only include questions and answers, but also an introduction of around three paragraphs that introduces readers to your interview subject and the topic you will discuss (we encourage you to read interviews in our archives for reference). All interviews published in Dappled Things receive a payment of $100.
All text submissions should use 12-point Times New Roman font. Writers should only use one space after periods and other forms of punctuation.
We are not interested in work that uses an overly academic tone. Avoid jargon and send us work that will be of interest to the well-informed non-specialist. Instead of including a list of works cited, include any citations in journalistic style, as a part of the piece itself. We are open to a wide range of topics and approaches; take a look through past editions of the journal to see what sort of nonfiction we publish. You may use this category for submitting essays, memoirs, interviews, and other nonfiction articles, but please submit book reviews through the category specifically designated for them. Note that neither interviews nor book reviews are eligible for the Jacques Maritain Prize.
Please send only one non-fiction piece at a time and wait for a response before making a new submission.
Please include a byline in your cover letter that we can use in our contributor notes if your piece is selected for publication.
You may send us up to five poems at a time. Please wait until you have received a response before sending other work. Upload separate files for each poem, unless the poems should be considered together as a collection.
All text submissions should use 12-point Times New Roman font.
Poetry should be in the line format (including indentations) in which the poet wishes it to appear in publication.
Persons interested in contributing to the magazine must submit their own original work.
Pieces that have been previously published in other periodicals will not be eligible for publication unless the writer has received permission from the editor.
Copyrights for submitted and published work will remain in the possession of the author. By submitting a piece, the author grants Dappled Things permission to publish the work, and reprint it in future editions or anthologies of work published in the magazine. Unfortunately, at the present time we are unable to remunerate authors for their work; however, we do send a sample printed issue to published authors.
Please include a byline in your cover letter that we can use in our contributor notes if your piece is selected for publication.
You may submit up to ten images at a time. Please look through previous editions of the journal to get an idea of the type of work we have published in the past.
Dappled Things pays $50 for reviews over 900 words and $20 for shorter reviews. Send only reviews of books no older than two years. Feel free to send a query to DTbookreviews [at] gmail [dot] com if you want to know whether we'd be interested in a particular book.
You may submit up to two non-fiction articles at a time for consideration on the "Deep Down Things" weblog. Essays, memoirs, interviews, and book reviews are all welcome. The Catholic literary philosophy of the magazine should be respected. We offer $50 per accepted submission.
Please include a biographical note.