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If you’re a writer who’s ever felt frustrated or intimidated by the submissions process for literary journals, you’re not alone. It can be harrowing enough just trying to figure out where to submit your work, but then come the rejection letters. Although they can sting, literary rejections are an essential part of the process, one that no writer can escape, not even widely published authors. There’s a good reason why common writing wisdom tells writers to aim for 100 rejections per year: Submitting your work — and getting rejections — can actually help make you a better writer.
This 90-minute webinar will cover basic points of submitting to literary journals, such as choosing journals to submit to, preparing your work and following guidelines, and, perhaps most importantly, understanding rejection and how to use it to your benefit. We will also look at some of the nuances of the submissions process and will offer some tips and tricks of the trade, including how to create a submissions routine and maintain motivation, and how to track submissions. The webinar is meant to lift the veil on the complex and sometimes overwhelming world of literary journals. Attendees should leave this webinar feeling hopeful and motivated—and ready to start submitting their work!
This webinar is aimed at creative writers of all levels who are serious about both writing and publishing but may not know how to proceed and/or have been disheartened by the submissions process. It will also be useful to anyone who wants to learn more about the literary journal submissions process.
Jessica Klimesh (she/her) is a creative writer and the owner of JEK Writing Studio, where she coaches creative writers and edits a broad range of work, from blogs and technical reports to poetry manuscripts and memoir. She previously taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and Rhetoric at the University of Iowa. Jessica holds an MA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing, and has over twenty years of creative writing-workshop experience, both as a participant and facilitator. Jessica’s own creative work has been published in around 100 literary journals, and, most recently, she’s had stories selected for Best Microfiction 2025 and Best of the Net 2025. She has also received nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best Small Fictions, and her stories have won or been short- or long-listed in a number of flash fiction contests.
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