Submit

Please note that these guidelines have recently changed.

Thank you for your interest in contributing to The Milk House.

The Milk House seeks to help authors find new audiences, as well as serve as a place where readers can come to find high-quality writing.

To provide you with information efficiently and anticipate some of your inquiries, here are the answers to several frequently asked questions.

What type of material should I submit?

The Milk House publishes creative work: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, music, drama and photography. The word count is open, and at the discretion of the author.

Because we are not yet in a position to pay writers (only promote their work) and our principal interest is publishing strong writing, it is acceptable to submit previously published work. However, prose (fiction and nonfiction) can’t have been published elsewhere more than a year from the date of submission. At the moment, poetry may have been previously published longer than one year. Please let us know if any submission has already appeared somewhere else.

Does the submitted work have to be rural-themed?

The Milk House has carved out its place by serving those connected to rural communities. However, we understand that our readers don’t want to read about any one subject exclusively, as, like everyone, they have many facets to their individual experience. Instead, it is more important to both them and us that the writing makes one think, introduces one to new ideas, and forces one to feel human. We search out work that engages rural subjects, and it is the bulk of what we publish, but we don’t limit ourselves to it.

Are there fees to submit to The Milk House?

Starting in 2025, there is a $3 fee for regular (non-contest) submissions to The Milk House. This is to help cover the maintenance of running the project.

However, a writer may submit directly to the Best in Rural Writing Contest, which now accepts submissions all year round. That submission will be considered for both The Milk House website—and read within the usual reading period—as well as the contest. The contest fee in 2025 is $10, with a deadline of September 15th, 2025. Be sure to select “contest-fiction” or “contest-nonfiction” as the submission’s genre. Whether a submission is accepted or not for The Milk House site has no bearing on the contest. More details about the contest can be found here.

Note that “Writer” or “Supporter” level subscribers to The Milk House can submit once per year to The Milk House for free, whether a contest or non-contest submission. When submitting, please choose the genre listing with the word “Subscriber” in it (ex. “contest-subscriber” or “poetry-subscriber”). These submissions will be verified as coming from “Writer” or “Supporter” level subscribers.

Is my submission eligible for the 2026 Best in Rural Writing print anthology?

All prose submissions are eligible.

Starting in 2025, The Milk House will seek to collect the best fiction and nonfiction to include in the 2026 Best in Rural Writing print anthology. All regular and contest submissions will be read with considerations towards inclusion in the anthology. The results of the Best in Rural Writing Contest have no bearing on the selection for the anthology.

Alternatively, if you have been published elsewhere (2024 or later) and the story or essay is rural-themed, you may have the editor of the journal submit it to The Milk House (RyanDennis@themilkhouse.org) for free. Please note that it must come from the editor directly, or be submitted through the submission manager to The Milk House.

Where should I submit my piece for consideration?

Please use our submission manager to submit your work and be sure to choose the appropriate “genre” nomination from the pull-down menu.

When will I hear back on my submission?

While it varies, most submissions will be read within two months, although at times it may reach three months. Feel free to contact us if you have not received a decision in 90 days. Contest entrants will learn if they’ve been shortlisted within 1-2 months of the contest deadline.

What awards does The Milk House enter work in?

In order to help our contributors gain exposure and showcase the writing we publish, The Milk House submits fiction, nonfiction and poetry to relevant awarding bodies. Every year an independent panel chooses original pieces that first appeared on The Milk House to send to the following awards: