Literary Journal

Emerald City Ghosts

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About the magazine

Emerald City Ghosts is a digital literary and arts platform, operating primarily through a Substack newsletter, that emerged from the creative milieu of Seattle—often called the Emerald City. Founded with an ethos of haunting the margins of mainstream publishing, it serves as a gathering place for voices that linger in the liminal spaces between memory and place, the spectral and the everyday. The project is dedicated to publishing work that is atmospheric, unafraid of the uncanny, and attentive to the ghosts—personal, historical, or ecological—that shape our landscapes. Its core mission is to foster a community of readers and writers who find beauty and meaning in what is often overlooked or left behind.

Editorial focus

Emerald City Ghosts is a horror and paranormal literary magazine inspired by life in the gloomy Pacific Northwest.

PoetryFiction

Submitting your work

Reading periodJan 1 to Dec 31

Reading feeNo

PaymentNo payment

Response timeLess than 3 months

Simultaneous submissionsYes

Unsolicited submissionsYes

Writers and artists should first immerse themselves in several issues to understand the platform's tonal and thematic inclinations. Submissions are typically open for short fiction, poetry, essays, and visual art that engage with the spectral, the haunted, or the deeply place-bound. Avoid generic genre tropes; instead, offer work that is formally considered and emotionally resonant. Since the publication is curated and often themed, it is advisable to check the current call for submissions for specific prompts or deadlines. Include a brief cover letter that contextualizes your work within the journal's aesthetic, and be patient—responses may take several weeks given the independent nature of the project.

Read official guidelines