Thank you for your interest in writing for The Pomegranate! Before submitting, please read through some of our archives to get a feel for our typical content. We publish nonfiction and personal essays with an emphasis on empathetic storytelling with a touch of humor. We are also seeking Day in the Life entries and are open to reviewing books that relate to parenting. More details about what we are looking for can be found at this post (but please keep reading below for the nuts and bolts of our submission parameters):
Please adhere to the following guidelines as you submit a piece for publication:
Submissions are accepted only from authors who identify as mothers. We value and welcome diverse perspectives that can fit under this broad umbrella term– foster mothers, unofficial adopted mothers, mothers of grown children, mothers who have lost children, expectant mothers, grandmothers, and stepmothers are all encouraged to submit. We do not accept unsolicited submissions at this time from fathers or any parent who does not identify as a mother. Additionally, we love our pets, but the author must be a mother of a human child.
We will only consider one submission from an author at a time. Subsequent submissions before your first submission is reviewed will be deleted.
Choose a clear title that conveys the topic of your piece, and a single-sentence subtitle.
Include a photo you would like to use as the header image (stock photos are fine, with permissions, and your own photo is also acceptable provided that children’s faces are not prominent) as an attachment when you email your essay. No AI-generated images.
Pieces should not be graphically sexual, and any cursing should be relevant to the content of the piece.
Essay submissions should generally be at least 1000 words, and our sweet spot usually lies between 1200 and 1500, though we will consider longer pieces if the content demonstrates a need for additional length. Humor pieces are often shorter, around 750-800 words.
Include a short bio we can feature at the end, as well as a link to your website or Substack, and any socials.
We accept only submissions that have not been previously published elsewhere (this includes your personal blog or Substack).
Your finished draft should be pasted in its entirety into the body of an email to [email protected]. Our editorial team will communicate via email with you about any edits that may be necessary.
Our typical turnaround for submissions is about 4-6 weeks. Please do not contact us about your piece until 6 weeks have elapsed.
Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know if a piece was accepted elsewhere as soon as possible.
Publication in The Pomegranate includes agreement to the following terms:
For essays, a single $25 honorarium paid to you via Venmo or PayPal once the full piece has been finalized for publication. For Day in the Life pieces and short humor, the pay rate is $15. At this time we are only able to pay via Venmo or Paypal.
If your essay is selected to appear behind our paywall (with your permission), you will receive 1 year’s comped subscription in addition to the $25 payment.
Once your free, non-paywalled piece is published, please give it four weeks to “marinate” on The Pomegranate. After that time, you are welcome to republish on other platforms if you wish. If you republish, we ask that you include a credit at the top stating that the piece was originally published in The Pomegranate with a link to http://the-pom.com. If your piece was published behind the paywall, it may not be republished before 6 months have elapsed since its initial appearance at The Pomegranate.
Please promote your piece on social media only after The Pomegranate has announced and linked to it. After that has happened, go crazy and share it everywhere!
Thank you so much! We look forward to hearing from you.