What We're Looking For
We publish work that takes risks, finds its voice, and speaks with honesty. We're interested in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, essays, cross-genre and hybrid work across a wide range of genres including humor, mystery, horror, thriller, suspense, sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction, and feminist writing.
We value craft, originality, and emotional truth. We welcome emerging and established writers alike.
Submission Categories & Fees
Standard Anthology & Magazine Submissions
Reading Fee: $5
What's Included: Editorial consideration for publication in our anthologies or Emergent magazine.
Genres Accepted: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction/memoir
Previously Published Work: We accept only unpublished, original work (including work not published on blogs, social media, or other platforms).
Teaching Program Submission Packages
Fee: $35
What's Included:
- A developmental editorial feedback report on your submitted work
- Consideration for publication in our anthologies and magazine
If Accepted for Publication:
- Free developmental editing services during the revision process
- Two (2) complimentary copies of the anthology you appear in
- Promotion through Garden of Neuro's marketing channels
- Consideration for Pushcart Prize nomination
Single-author collections are handled separately. Contact us to be considered for teaching package.
Learning-Writing Cohort Members
Writers who participate in one of our Learning-Writing Cohorts receive all anthology submission fees waived for the year. This is our way of investing in writers who are actively developing their craft with us.
Cohort members still receive the full benefits of acceptance if their work is selected for publication.Learn more about our Learning-Writing Cohorts →
Fee Waivers & Scholarships
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, accessibility is core to our mission. We offer full and partial fee waivers for writers experiencing financial hardship.
To apply: Send a brief email to Susan.Brearley@GardenofNeuro.org with the subject line
Fee Waiver Request. Please include your name, which submission opportunity you're interested in, and a short statement (2–3 sentences is sufficient) describing your circumstances. No detailed financial documentation is required. Requests are reviewed promptly and kept confidential.No writer should be prevented from submitting their work due to financial constraints.
Publication Terms
We believe in full transparency with our contributors. Here are the complete terms of publication.
Rights Acquired
First English-language anthology publication rights in print and electronic formats (including ebook and PDF). After a twelve (12) month exclusivity period, contributors may republish their work in any format, provided Garden of Neuro is acknowledged as the original publisher.The publisher retains non-exclusive, perpetual rights to continue selling the anthology containing the work. Contributors retain copyright ownership and all rights not expressly granted.
Compensation -
Contributors receive:
- Two (2) complimentary copies of the anthology, shipped at no charge
- Professional publication credit
- Developmental editing support during the revision process
- Promotion through Garden of Neuro's marketing channels
- Consideration for Pushcart Prize nomination (not guaranteed)
- Author discount on additional copies
No cash payment, honorarium, or royalties are paid for contributed work. This is consistent with industry standards for nonprofit literary anthologies.
Editorial Process
We may request reasonable revisions to meet editorial standards, with reasonable notice and time provided. If no edits are received within stated time, we may forgo its publication. No substantive changes are made without contributor approval. Minor copy-editing and formatting may be applied to conform to our style guide.
Use of Proceeds
Garden of Neuro Publishing is a nonprofit organization. All proceeds from submission fees and anthology sales support our mission: scholarships and programs for writers, developing voice in the world.
EMERGENT, VOLUME 2 A Garden of Neuro Literary Anthology
Reading Period: April 20-- August 30, 2026
ABOUT THIS ANTHOLOGY
Emergent is Garden of Neuro Institute's flagship literary anthology, published through Garden of Neuro Institute Press, the publishing arm of Garden of Neuro Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to developing writers and the craft of writing.
Volume 2 continues what Volume 1 began: publishing work that takes risks, finds its voice, and speaks with honesty. We are looking for poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, essays, and cross-genre and hybrid work that demonstrates craft, originality, and emotional truth. We welcome emerging and established writers alike.
See Volume 1 and read what we've published.
Genres accepted include literary fiction, mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction, humor, feminist writing, memoir, and creative nonfiction.
Selected works will be considered for Pushcart Prize nomination.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
Standard Submission -- $5 Editorial consideration for publication in Emergent, Volume 2. Includes all genres listed above.
Teaching Program Submission Package -- $35 Includes a developmental editorial feedback report on your submitted work, consideration for publication, and -- if accepted -- complimentary developmental editing during the revision process, two complimentary copies of the anthology, promotion through Garden of Neuro marketing channels, and Pushcart Prize consideration. Make inquiry at Susan.Brearley@gardenofneuro.org
Garden of Neuro Learning-Writing Cohort Members -- Free All submission fees are waived for writers currently enrolled in a Garden of Neuro Learning-Writing Cohort. Cohort members receive the full benefits of publication if selected.
WHAT WE ACCEPT
- Poetry: Up to 3 poems per submission. Each poem no longer than 2 pages. Longer works or sequences: query first.
- Fiction: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Must be self-contained (no novel excerpts unless fully standalone).
- Creative Nonfiction, Memoir, Essay: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Personal essay, memoir, literary journalism, and hybrid forms welcome. No academic papers.
One piece per genre per submission. Submit one document with all pieces. Each piece starts at new page after page break. Writers may submit up to three pieces per anthology (one poem, one fiction, one nonfiction). The same piece may not be submitted to more than one Garden of Neuro anthology project simultaneously.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS
- File format: .docx or .doc preferred; No PDFs or Google Docs links. Up to three pieces in one .doc file, separate with page break and start at top of next page for each new piece.
- Font: Times New Roman, 12-point
- Prose: Double-spaced. Poetry: Single-spaced acceptable.
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides
- Blind reading: Do not include your name anywhere in the manuscript.
- File name: LastName_Title.docx
- Word count below the title on the first page
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK
We accept only unpublished, original work. This includes work not previously published on blogs, social media, personal newsletters, or other platforms. If you are a Garden of Neuro Editor or regular contributor and your work has appeared in a Garden of Neuro publication, contact us before submitting.
COVER LETTER
Include a brief cover letter (100 words maximum) with:
- Title and word count
- One sentence describing (not summarizing) your piece
- Previous publications, if any
- Confirmation the work is unpublished elsewhere
FEE WAIVERS
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, accessibility is central to our mission. Full and partial fee waivers are available for writers experiencing financial hardship. To apply, send a brief email to Susan.Brearley@GardenofNeuro.org with the subject line Fee Waiver Request. No detailed financial documentation required. Requests are reviewed promptly and kept confidential.
No writer should be turned away because of finances.
ENTROPY, VOLUME 1 A Dark Literary Anthology from Garden of Neuro Press
Reading Period: April 20 -- August 30, 2026
ABOUT THIS ANTHOLOGY
Entropy is Garden of Neuro's dark literary anthology, published through Garden of Neuro Press, the publishing arm of Garden of Neuro Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to developing writers and the craft of writing.
Volume 1 launches with a simple premise: we want writing that stares into the abyss and does not look away. Dark literature with intelligence, craft, and nerve. We are looking for work in mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, sci-fi, and speculative fiction -- genre work that takes itself seriously without taking itself too seriously. Gothic atmosphere, noir instincts, existential dread, absurdist humor in the dark. If it unsettles us and earns it, we want to read it.
We value craft, originality, and emotional truth above all. We welcome emerging and established writers alike.
Selected works will be considered for Pushcart Prize nomination.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
Standard Submission -- $5 Editorial consideration for publication in Entropy, Volume 1. Includes all genres listed above.
Teaching Program Submission Package -- $35 Includes a developmental editorial feedback report on your submitted work, consideration for publication, and -- if accepted -- complimentary developmental editing during the revision process, two complimentary copies of the anthology, promotion through Garden of Neuro marketing channels, and Pushcart Prize consideration. Make inquiry at Susan.Brearley@gardenofneuro.org.
Garden of Neuro Learning-Writing Cohort Members -- Free All submission fees are waived for writers currently enrolled in a Garden of Neuro Learning-Writing Cohort. Cohort members receive the full benefits of publication if selected.
WHAT WE ACCEPT
Genres: Mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, sci-fi, speculative fiction, dark fantasy, noir, gothic, absurdist, existential. Cross-genre and hybrid work welcome.
- Poetry: Up to 3 poems per submission. Each poem no longer than 2 pages. Dark, weird, strange -- welcome. Longer works or sequences: query first.
- Fiction: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Flash fiction under 1,000 words accepted. Must be self-contained. No novel excerpts unless fully standalone.
- Creative Nonfiction, Memoir, Essay: 1,000 to 5,000 words. True crime adjacent, survival narrative, literary journalism with dark edge, hybrid forms -- all welcome. No academic papers.
One piece per genre per submission. Writers may submit up to three pieces per anthology (one poem, one fiction, one nonfiction). The same piece may not be submitted to more than one Garden of Neuro anthology simultaneously.
WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR
We are not looking for gratuitous gore, shock for its own sake, or darkness without purpose. The best dark writing earns its horror. If the only thing your piece has going for it is how disturbing it is, it is not for us. Craft is non-negotiable.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS
- File format: .docx or .doc preferred; .rtf accepted. No PDFs or Google Docs links.
- Font: Times New Roman, 12-point
- Prose: Double-spaced. Poetry: Single-spaced acceptable.
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides
- Blind reading: Do not include your name anywhere in the manuscript.
- File name: LastName_Title.docx
- Word count below the title on the first page
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK
We accept only unpublished, original work. This includes work not previously published on blogs, social media, personal newsletters, or other platforms. If you are a Garden of Neuro EIC or regular contributor and your work has appeared in a Garden of Neuro publication, contact us before submitting.
COVER LETTER
Include a brief cover letter (100 words maximum) with:
- Title and word count
- One sentence describing (not summarizing) your piece
- Genre
- Previous publications, if any
- Confirmation the work is unpublished elsewhere
FEE WAIVERS
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, accessibility is central to our mission. Full and partial fee waivers are available for writers experiencing financial hardship. To apply, send a brief email to Susan.Brearley@GardenofNeuro.org with the subject line Fee Waiver Request. No detailed financial documentation required. Requests are reviewed promptly and kept confidential.
No writer should be turned away because of finances.
WOULDN'T YOU RATHER BE LAUGHING?, VOLUME 2 A Humor Anthology from Garden of Neuro Institute Publishing
Reading Period: April 1 -- August 30, 2026
ABOUT THIS ANTHOLOGY
Wouldn't You Rather Be Laughing? is Garden of Neuro Institute Publishing's dedicated humor anthology, published through the publishing arm of Garden of Neuro Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to developing writers and the craft of writing.
Volume 2 builds on what Volume 1 proved: funny is hard, and writers who can do it well deserve a serious home. We are looking for comedy and humor writing that earns its laughs -- satire, absurdism, comic essays, humorous fiction, wry poetry, parody, and anything else that makes us laugh, wince-laugh, or snort something through our nose. Light, dark, dry, deadpan, slapstick on the page, pitch-black with a punchline. Make us laugh. That is the only requirement that is non-negotiable.
We value craft, originality, and comic timing above all. We welcome emerging and established writers alike.
Selected works will be considered for Pushcart Prize nomination.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
Standard Submission -- $5 Editorial consideration for publication in Wouldn't You Rather Be Laughing?, Volume 2. Includes all genres listed above.
Teaching Program Submission Package -- $35 Includes a developmental editorial feedback report on your submitted work, consideration for publication, and -- if accepted -- complimentary developmental editing during the revision process, two complimentary copies of the anthology, promotion through Garden of Neuro Institute marketing channels, and Pushcart Prize consideration. Make inquiry at Susan.Brearley@gardenofneuro.org.
Garden of Neuro Institute Learning-Writing Cohort Members -- Free All submission fees are waived for writers currently enrolled in a Garden of Neuro Institute Learning-Writing Cohort. Cohort members receive the full benefits of publication if selected.
WHAT WE ACCEPT
Genres: Humor, satire, absurdism, parody, comic fiction, humorous memoir and essay, wry poetry, dark comedy, literary humor, and cross-genre work with a strong comedic voice. If it is funny and crafted, it belongs here.
- Poetry: Up to 3 poems per submission. Each poem no longer than 2 pages. Funny, wry, absurd, satirical -- all welcome. Longer works or sequences: query first.
- Fiction: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Flash fiction under 1,000 words accepted. Must be self-contained. No novel excerpts unless fully standalone.
- Creative Nonfiction, Memoir, Essay: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Comic personal essay, humorous memoir, satirical journalism, absurdist hybrid forms -- all welcome. No academic papers, even funny ones.
One piece per genre per submission. Writers may submit up to three pieces per anthology (one poem, one fiction, one nonfiction). The same piece may not be submitted to more than one Garden of Neuro Institute anthology simultaneously.
WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR
We are not looking for jokes. We are looking for writing. There is a difference. Humor that relies entirely on a single punchline, shock value, or cheap irony is not what this anthology is built for. We want comic writing with a beating heart underneath it -- work that uses humor to reveal something true. If it is funny and it means something, we want to read it.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS
- File format: .docx or .doc preferred; .rtf accepted. No PDFs or Google Docs links.
- Font: Times New Roman, 12-point
- Prose: Double-spaced. Poetry: Single-spaced acceptable.
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides
- Blind reading: Do not include your name anywhere in the manuscript.
- File name: LastName_Title.docx
- Word count below the title on the first page
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK
We accept only unpublished, original work. This includes work not previously published on blogs, social media, personal newsletters, or other platforms. If you are a Garden of Neuro Institute EIC or regular contributor and your work has appeared in a Garden of Neuro Institute publication, contact us before submitting.
COVER LETTER
Include a brief cover letter (100 words maximum) with:
- Title and word count
- One sentence describing (not summarizing) your piece
- Genre
- Previous publications, if any
- Confirmation the work is unpublished elsewhere
FEE WAIVERS
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, accessibility is central to our mission. Full and partial fee waivers are available for writers experiencing financial hardship. To apply, send a brief email to Susan.Brearley@GardenofNeuro.org with the subject line Fee Waiver Request. No detailed financial documentation required. Requests are reviewed promptly and kept confidential.
No writer should be turned away because of finances.
BREAD A Themed Anthology from Garden of Neuro Institute Publishing
Reading Period: April 1 -- August 30, 2026
ABOUT THIS ANTHOLOGY
Bread is Garden of Neuro Institute Publishing's first fully themed anthology, published through the publishing arm of Garden of Neuro Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to developing writers and the craft of writing.
Here is what we know about bread: it is the oldest story humanity tells. Before there were novels, before there were poems scratched onto cave walls, there was someone leaning over a fire watching dough transform into something that kept people alive. Bread is sustenance. Bread is ritual. Bread is the thing you break with someone when words are not enough. Bread is what your grandmother made on Sundays and what your mother burned every single time and what you learned, finally, in the pandemic when the world stopped and the sourdough starter became a kind of religion.
We want all of it.
The baking obsessive at 3 a.m. watching a boule for signs of life. The bread riot that changed a city. The communion wafer that meant everything or nothing depending on the day. The Wonderbread sandwich that was somehow, inexplicably, home. The metaphor you have been carrying for years that turns out to be exactly the shape of a loaf. The recipe your family has never written down because no one needed to until now.
Literal bread. Metaphorical bread. Bread as memory, bread as grief, bread as class, bread as comfort, bread as religion, bread as the argument you had with your sister at the kitchen table with flour on both your hands. We want the full range -- funny, heartbreaking, strange, sharp, tender, hungry.
Surprise us. That is the only instruction that matters.
We value craft, originality, and the kind of emotional truth that smells like something good coming out of the oven. We welcome emerging and established writers alike.
Selected works will be considered for Pushcart Prize nomination.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
Standard Submission -- $5 Editorial consideration for publication in Bread. Includes all genres listed above.
Teaching Program Submission Package -- $35 Includes a developmental editorial feedback report on your submitted work, consideration for publication, and -- if accepted -- complimentary developmental editing during the revision process, two complimentary copies of the anthology, promotion through Garden of Neuro Institute marketing channels, and Pushcart Prize consideration. Make inquiry at Susan.Brearley@gardenofneuro.org.
Garden of Neuro Institute Learning-Writing Cohort Members -- Free All submission fees are waived for writers currently enrolled in a Garden of Neuro Institute Learning-Writing Cohort. Cohort members receive the full benefits of publication if selected.
WHAT WE ACCEPT
The theme is bread. Everything else is wide open.
- Poetry: Up to 3 poems per submission. Each poem no longer than 2 pages. If it is about bread in any form, literal or reaching, we want to read it. Longer works or sequences: query first.
- Fiction: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Flash fiction under 1,000 words accepted. Must be self-contained. No novel excerpts unless fully standalone.
- Creative Nonfiction, Memoir, Essay: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Recipe essays, food memoir, cultural history, lyric essays, hybrid forms -- all welcome. If bread is in it, we are reading it. No academic papers.
One piece per genre per submission. Writers may submit up to three pieces per anthology (one poem, one fiction, one nonfiction). The same piece may not be submitted to more than one Garden of Neuro Institute anthology simultaneously.
WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR
Work that uses bread as a throwaway detail rather than a genuine through-line. If you can remove every mention of bread from your piece and nothing changes, this is not the anthology for it. Bread should be doing work in your writing -- thematic, emotional, structural, or literal. We will know the difference.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS
- File format: .docx or .doc preferred; .rtf accepted. No PDFs or Google Docs links.
- Font: Times New Roman, 12-point
- Prose: Double-spaced. Poetry: Single-spaced acceptable.
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides
- Blind reading: Do not include your name anywhere in the manuscript.
- File name: LastName_Title.docx
- Word count below the title on the first page
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK
We accept only unpublished, original work. This includes work not previously published on blogs, social media, personal newsletters, or other platforms. If you are a Garden of Neuro Institute EIC or regular contributor and your work has appeared in a Garden of Neuro Institute publication, contact us before submitting.
COVER LETTER
Include a brief cover letter (100 words maximum) with:
- Title and word count
- One sentence describing (not summarizing) your piece
- Genre
- Previous publications, if any
- Confirmation the work is unpublished elsewhere
FEE WAIVERS
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, accessibility is central to our mission. Full and partial fee waivers are available for writers experiencing financial hardship. To apply, send a brief email to Susan.Brearley@GardenofNeuro.org with the subject line Fee Waiver Request. No detailed financial documentation required. Requests are reviewed promptly and kept confidential.
No writer should be turned away because of finances.