Submission Guidelines

The Shed publishes essays, profiles, poetry, and visual work that offer sharp, surprising examinations of contemporary culture.

We are interested in work that is skeptical, political without being dogmatic, and realizing how funny everything is now. We welcome submissions from both emerging and established writers and artists.

General Submission Guidelines

Previously published work: We accept only unpublished work. If a piece has appeared on a personal blog or small Substack, please disclose.
Simultaneous submissions: Yes. Please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
Payment: Currently unpaid. We hope to change the model as the publication grows.
Rights: The Shed requests first digital publication rights. All rights revert to the author upon publication.
Formatting: Prose submissions should be double-spaced and include a word count on the first page.
How to submit: Send submissions as a PDF to readtheshedbiz@gmail.com with the category in the subject line and whether this submission is for the website or magazine.

What We Want

Cultural criticism; Literary criticism; Film criticism; Personal Essays; Essays that widen outward; Profiles of artists, writers, musicians, or anyone you find important; Interviews; Criticism with personal perspective; Essays about subculture, scenes, or communities; Poetry of any type; Visual Art; Photography; Collections of photographs with an essayistic frame.

Essays & Nonfiction

Word count: 1,500–3,500 words (up to 3,000 preferred)

We publish cultural criticism, hybrid nonfiction, and analytic work that moves beyond opinion and toward observation.

We are interested in essays that:

Engage culture, politics, media, art, or everyday life
Situate subjects within larger economic or social systems
Avoid academic jargon while retaining intellectual rigor

Profiles

Word count: 1,200–3,000 words

We publish profiles of various artists. We encourage a proximity to the artist, whether that be friendship or familial. We would avoid making their art outweigh them as a person.

Strong profiles:

Situate the subject within their work
Acknowledge their humanity
Pay attention to setting, voice, and form

Pitches should include who the subject is, why they matter now, and your access (if any).

Poetry

Length: Up to 6 poems per submission

We publish poetry of any length. These will appear at the beginning of each section of the magazine, but do not need to have any correlation with the section.

Visual Art & Photography

We welcome photography, drawing, and painting. These collections will appear with a 500-word explanation of your work and its context.

Submission requirements:

Up to 10 pieces
JPEG or PNG format
A short artist statement (approximately 150 words)

We are drawn to visual work that documents, interrogates, or reframes contemporary life rather than simply aestheticizing it.

Final Notes

We read every submission carefully. Rejections are often about fit, timing, or balance rather than quality.