What we hunger for:

The Hunger publishes visceral writing. The theme of “hunger” is not confined only to food, but hungers and thirsts of all kinds: the craving for connection, the human need to be filled or emptied, the devastating desires that define our most alive moments. Hungers can be sexual, romantic, familial, individualistic, spiritual, creative, sorrowful, conflicted, humanistic, and/or existential. 

We are excited by the lyrical, the experimental, the strange, the uncomfortable, the vulnerable, and just plain, motherfucking honesty. Send us work that bleeds. We want to be devoured. 

We nominate for Best of the Net and aim to widely promote our contributors’ work. We strive to create a writing community that is founded on principles of inclusion and diversity, and gives a platform to a wide range of voices. We encourage all people, regardless of race, gender identity, faith, sexual orientation, or political affiliation to submit.

Feed us:

Fiction (up to 5,000 words)
Poetry (3-5 poems, in one document)
Nonfiction (up to 5,000 words)
Hybrid/Experimental (no specified word count)
Art/Photography (send up to 5 images in .jpg format)

We also accept submissions for “The Glutton’s Digest,” a column within each issue of The Hunger, dedicated to filling the emptiness. “The Glutton’s Digest” features one piece of writing that sets the table for the work that follows. It can take the form of a traditional restaurant/food review, a recipe, an experience of eating (or not eating), or any wild experiment in food writing. We encourage weirdness; we are starving for your strange.

Reading Periods:

In 2023, in lieu of a general reading period, we will be accepting submissions for a micro-issue on the theme of “Collaborations.”

Submission Reading Period: September 15-November 1

The Hunger began as a collaboration between two best friends. Now, as we prepare to publish its final issue, we want to honor the spirit of our inception by inviting submissions of artistic and literary collaborations of all kinds: poems, stories, essays, hybrid work, visual art, and everything in between. The collaborative aspect can take whatever shape makes sense for the creation of the work; the only rule is that the piece(s) must be created by 2 or more people working together.

The submission window is open Sept 15 - Nov 1. The final issue will be published in December 2023.

Each selected contributor will receive a token compensation of $20, to be paid via Paypal, Cashapp, or Venmo.

To cover the cost of paying writers and artists for their work, there is a $3 submission fee for journal submissions.

Send all submissions via the Submittable link below!

The Hunger claims First North American Serial Rights, with rights reverting back to the author upon publication. We kindly ask that if the work is reprinted in a full collection or anthology it is credited as first appearing in The Hunger.