Pearl Diving Column
October 2019
by Ingrid Bruck
Where Can I Submit Nature Writing?
Do you write nature poems, stories or essays? You may be experiencing difficulty finding publishers of nature writing. I know I did. Rest assured, you are not alone. Renowned poet, Mary Oliver, wrote fine nature poetry yet publishers and even many critics treated her work as less-important than writing by post-modern authors.
Writers write best about what they cherish. You know this. You’re a nature lover, one who appreciates the wonders of the natural world. This understanding transforms you into a nature witness and defender. You acknowledge forest bathing as a Muse without apology. You depend on nature as a source of strength, draw on its energy and wouldn’t have it any other way.
A prejudice still exists about the dubious merit of nature inspired writing. But you write about nature because it offers a well-spring of creativity and close observation of the planet leads to the discovery of details that enrich and enliven your writing. You appreciate the value nature provides and refuse to give it up just because it’s not the current fashion.
Changing trends favor nature writing. Rest assured there’s a growing market for it. A sub-set of journals seeks nature writing of witness and a celebration of place and all that inhabit it, animal, vegetable and mineral. They publish nature poetry, fiction, non-fiction and art. Some calls for for eco-literature include: climate change, animals, endangered species, clean water, animal rights, healthy food. If you write about subjects like these, check out online literary journals that share a passion for nature and preservation of the environment.
I recommend an essay on this subject titled, “Not Your Grandfather’s Nature Writing: The New "Nature" Journals” by Andrea Nolan. https://fictionwritersreview.com/essay/not-your-grandfathers-nature-writing-the-new-nature-journals/
For a list of eco-literary journals, see: “ Literary Outlets for Environmental Writing.” Included is a list of 64 publishers of eco-lit writing. https://www.ecolitbooks.com/resources/literary-outlets-for-environmental-writing/
As a writer of haiku and short nature poems, I know how difficult it can be to find nature-friendly publishers. Below is a short list of online literary journals that favor nature writing:
BER: Blue Earth Review: MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO’S LITERARY MAGAZINE. Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, art. http://blueearthreview.mnsu.edu/submissions/
ecotone: reimagining place. Magazine publishes writing and art that reimagine place, explores the ecotones between landscapes, literary genres, scientific and artistic disciplines, modes of thought. https://ecotonemagazine.org/submissions/
The Fourth River: A Journal Of Nature And Place-Based Writing Published By The Chatham University MFA Program Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and visual art, that explore the relationship between humans and their environments, both natural and built, urban, rural or wild. https://4thriver.submittable.com/submit
The Future Fire: Social Political & Speculative Cyber-Fiction. Short stories, poems, art. http://futurefire.net/guidelines/index.html
Terrain.org Online Environmental Magazine of Literature. Poetry, fiction, non-fiction. https://www.terrain.org/submit/
https://www.betweentheseshoresbooks.com/archives
Date Published: October 1, 2019