We’re looking for stories that exude honesty and earnestness from the writer. We love creative, fresh ideas and unique spins on old tropes, but most of all we care about the passion and voice of the storyteller. Even tales as old as time can feel new when told with sincerity and truth.

The beauty of the short story lies in its ability to weave compelling narratives and build characters within a small space. A great short story is self-contained, with a beginning, middle, and end, yet it can also offer a snapshot—a small window into a life, an emotion, or a world. These pieces are avenues of experimentation, where one idea or even a single scene can stand as a complete and meaningful work.

Our focus is on literary and contemporary fiction, though we also welcome nonfiction, personal essasys, and genre stories—fantasy, sci-fi, horror, suspense, romance, and more—if they fit the overall mood of the magazine. Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction will only be considered for our “Teen Reader” issue, published at the end of each summer.

Pocket Stories also features visual art alongside our writing. We welcome illustration, comics, photography, and other visual work that complements the spirit of the magazine.

As with our stories, we’re drawn to work that feels sincere, expressive, and memorable. Artwork may be selected to accompany a story, appear as a standalone piece, or be commissioned for a future issue. Artists may submit individual pieces or share portfolios for us to review.

While we do not believe in censorship, we will not accept work involving excessive gore, extreme violence, sexual violence, animal cruelty, explicit erotica, or hate speech. We also will not accept work that promotes harassment, discrimination, or the dehumanization of individuals or groups. Ratings or content warnings may be applied to stories that contain adult situations or strong language. Final decisions about content and suitability are made at the editors’ discretion.

To commemorate the debut of Pocket Stories and its celebration of convenience and accessibility, our first issue embraces the theme Short & Sweet. This isn’t a traditional theme in terms of subject matter; rather, it highlights the spirit of brevity. Stories can be about anything, but they should be short, concise, and impactful, putting the short in short story and reflecting the “pocket-sized” experience at the heart of the magazine.

We’re asking for stories with a soft cap of 2,500 words. Keeping submissions brief allows us to feature more voices and publish more stories. There are no restrictions on genre or theme, though our final selections will aim to create a cohesive flow across the issue. Although we're just starting off, we plan on compensating published material with a small monetary prize and complimentary editions of the magazine. Our submission deadline for this issue is March 31, 2026.

Check out our Submission Page for more details!