Welcome to Asymptote’s submission portal. For full submission guidelines, please go to our Submission guidelines page here. Categories below pertain to sections in our quarterly issues, accessible from our archive here. Fiction and Poetry submissions may be considered for the Translation Tuesday showcase at the blog if not deemed suitable for our issues—and may be published there after permission from the submitter has been sought.
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You may submit short fiction, literary nonfiction (in both cases, send no more than 5,000 words by one author in total), or poetry (send up to ten pages by one poet only). For this Special Feature, we will make an exception and consider works originally written in English as well as works translated into English.
“Import the third world. Become the third world.” = the latest ghastly meme courtesy of Trump. As a journal of translation that gathers new writing from upward of 30 countries in each issue, the very essence of “linguistic hospitality” (as coined by Paul Ricœur) is very much in our DNA; now, for an upcoming Special Feature, we would like to extend this spirit of hospitality to the figure of the outsider—be it a migrant, refugee, or anyone otherwise othered. We seek fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction—written originally in English or translated into English—centering the figure of the outsider.
You may submit creative work of no more than 5,000 words by one author in total. For this Special Feature, we will only consider works translated into English.
With the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature going to Han Kang and one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies backsliding into short-lived martial law less than a week ago, all eyes are on the cultural juggernaut that is South Korea at this moment of great uncertainty. In partnership with LTI Korea, we call for submissions of contemporary Korean literature to our third Korean Literature Feature, with translated writings that shed light on the current politicized moment especially welcome. Translators whose work we publish will receive an honorarium of USD50 per article. No submission fee. We will consider any creative text, regardless of topic or genre. Regular guidelines apply. Deadline: February 15th, 2025
You may include one or more works of short fiction or excerpts of a longer work translated into English, but please send no more than 5,000 words by only one author in total.
For works of literary nonfiction such as memoir and travel writing, submissions must be work translated into English. Despatch typically must involve some translation from a foreign language (e.g. excerpts from an interview). However, essays about translation may be written in English. We will also accept the occasional essay in English about literature that takes into account the global context we live in.
When submitting, please send a single document with the following materials in the following order: the original text, the translated text, and bios for both the author(s) and translator(s). And please use single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font with non-indented paragraphs.
Please send up to 10 pages of poetry by one author translated into English. If the originals are included in the submission, the length of the entire document may reach 20 pages (that is, a maximum of 10 pages of translated work accompanied by 10 pages of original material). Please start each poem or section of a long poem on a new page unless the work absolutely demands to be read without page breaks.
This portal may only be used for contributors either based in sub-Saharan Africa or translating work from this region only. Please make sure that the genre of your submission is stated clearly in your submission. Microsoft Word attachments must be labeled with the last names of the author and translator: authortranslator.doc.
The work of literature, as Umberto Eco said, is “a sweet mission in this world dominated by disorder and decay.” In that spirit, the Asymptote blog is looking for fellow thinkers and readers in furthering our mission, by contributing to the global conversation on literature and the arts in translation.
Showcasing new writings on world literature and culture, the Asymptote blog is on the constant lookout for individual voices, probing analysis, and topicality in our postings. We have published pieces on topics ranging from global cinema, to the ethics of review, to the literature of revolution. Apart from essays, we run dispatches from international literary events, interviews, book reviews, and more. Like our journal, we are looking for creative, original, and highly engaging work that considers the role of translation in literature, the arts, and the fabric of everyday life.
We encourage writers of all stripes and colors to engage with global issues as well as particular interests. At Asymptote, we’re all about breaking borders and boundaries, and are looking for writing that does the same. (IMPORTANT: Please note that literary translations should still be submitted via the Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry or Drama portals, as all work will be considered first for the issues before they are then considered for the blog.) Rolling deadline.