What we publish

Personal essays and creative nonfiction about the hard, strange, and beautiful parts of being alive: grief, family, the body, desire, rage, love that didn't hold, love that held too tightly. We are not interested in suffering that exists only to be overcome, or epiphanies that arrive too cleanly. We want essays that trust the reader enough to leave some things unresolved.

If your essay ends with a bow, untie it first and start again.

Read us before you submit. You'll know within two essays whether you're in the right place.

What we don't publish

Inspirational content. Writing that mistakes confession for craft. Fiction. Poetry.

The mechanics

• 2,500 words maximum. This is a real limit, not a suggestion.
• One submission at a time. Wait to hear from us before sending another.
• Simultaneous submissions are fine. Withdraw promptly if accepted elsewhere.
• Previously published work is considered case by case. Tell us where it ran and why you're bringing it here. If we accept it, we'll ask you to take it down from its original location.
• All rights revert to you. If you republish, credit TMS.
• Photos — of yourself or something that fits the piece — are welcome but not required.
• We respond to everything. Give us 90 days before following up.

A note on AI

The work we publish comes from specific human lives. By submitting, you confirm that the writing is yours — that the words, sentences, and structure originated with you, not with a generative AI tool. Basic spelling and grammar tools are fine. Everything else should be disclosed in your cover letter. Undisclosed AI use is grounds for rejection or retraction.

Why we're still here

We've been publishing since 2011, and we've stayed on every platform — including the ones you've sworn off — for one reason: words matter more when they're harder to say. We seek to publish writers who take up space they weren't sure they were allowed to take.

If that's you, send us something.

— Angela & Amy