As I sit here looking over the delightful offerings we have for you this issue, I can’t help but notice it’s getting dark. An hour or more of daylight has somehow been misplaced, and as we creep ever closer to winter, and the end of Daylight Savings Time, it seems I will lose several more before long. Something about this encroaching darkness fills me with a sadness every year. Something is ending, things are changing, and I can’t help but wrestle with a small sense of loss.

But change isn’t always bad. The temps are trying to cool down, the leaves are starting to color, and there’s pumpkin everything everywhere you look! I’ve been told that’s a good thing. It is also that most magical time of year when you can wear shorts and flipflops while shopping for candy corn and candy canes at the same time. 

The transition into the fall season brings with it other joys that are more eMerge specific, like fresh podcasts, several writing conferences, and Open Submissions! We cannot wait to see what you have been keeping up your sleeves and hidden away on your hard drives. October 1^st-31^st is your opportunity to send us all the short stories, brief essays, passionate poetry, tasty recipes, and striking photography you’ve been creating. Pour it all out like a pumpkin spice offering!

While the changing of the seasons can inspire in me a melancholy that fuels my poetry, we hope it inspires something in you also, and that you will share that with us and all our readers. We have more in common than not—during this season of transition, let’s remind the world, and ourselves, of that.

With all our love,

Aubrey Green

SUBMISSIONS OPEN

Writers and artists work in the loneliest of all professions, inside our heads. Those writers who are daring enough to create and reveal a small part of their souls, are to be lauded. The staff of eMerge, and the thousands of eMerge readers, salute your courage and thank you for your submissions.

Submissions are open now until October 31. SUBMIT HERE.

Submissions will be considered for inclusion in next year's issues of eMerge and submitters will be notified prior to publication.

You keep all the rights to your writing. We just need permission to be the first to publish it in North America. After that, the rights go back to you. If you publish it again later, please say that eMerge Literary Magazine published it first. We also ask that you grant us permission to permanently archive your work as part of the issue in which you are published including any print anthologies published at any time in the future.

THE PRINT ISSUE

eMerge Magazine – 2026 Print Edition Advertising Sponsorship Opportunities

Celebrating Voices. Preserving Words. Growing Community.

For the first time in its ten-year history, eMerge Magazine will publish a

curated print edition in early 2026 — featuring reader-selected work from

our final 2025 digital issues.

We invite you to support this milestone moment in our literary journey!

Print Edition Ad Tiers

1. Full Page Sponsor – $500

• Full-page ad in the print edition (premium placement: inside front,

• inside back, or back pages)

• Logo + sponsor mention on the eMerge website and in our digital

• newsletter

• Optional custom thank-you message or quote

• Ten complimentary copies of the print edition

• Acknowledgment in our Ten-Year Anthology in 2027

BECOME A FULL-PAGE SPONSOR

2. Half Page Sponsor – $250

• Half-page ad in the print edition

• Logo + mention on website and newsletter

• Five complimentary copies of the print edition

BECOME A HALF-PAGE SPONSOR

3. Quarter Page Sponsor – $125

• Quarter-page ad in the print edition

• Website and newsletter thank-you

• One complimentary copy of the print edition

BECOME A QUARTER-PAGE SPONSOR

4. Supporter Line Mention – $100

• Name or business listed under “Friends of eMerge” in the print

• edition

• A heartfelt thank-you on our website

• One complimentary copy of the print edition

BECOME A SUPPORTER LINE SPONSOR

If you would like to support eMerge by placing an ad in our print edition about your literary organization, new book release, etc, please CLICK THE LINKS ABOVE or contact Charles Templeton at cltempleton@gmail.com for more information.

VOTING GUIDELINES

eMerge Magazine – 2026 Print Edition

Voting for your favorites begins December 1, 2025.

A Note on Nepotism, Voting, and Your Grandma’s Book Club

Here at eMerge, we love democracy. We love your poems. We love your short stories. We even love your Aunt Linda, who just voted for your haiku 17 times from 14 different Gmail accounts.

But.

To maintain the integrity of our print edition—and to keep it from becoming a sentimental scrapbook of the poetically prolific Johnson clan of Des Moines—we’re assembling a Distinguished Committee of Reasonably Objective Humans to review the top vote-getters before they appear in the final, printed issue.

Yes, even if your cousin's barbershop voted. Twice. Yes, even if your mom laminated your story and put it in her purse next to her peppermints and pepper spray.

Translation: Getting the most votes earns you a nomination… not a guaranteed spot. Our committee will make sure every piece fits the tone, quality, and dignity of eMerge (a magazine that once published a poem about sock lint and still managed to win a Pushcart nomination).

So rally your friends! Vote with wild abandon! But remember—if your piece makes it to print, it’s because it stood out on merit, not just because your nephew runs a bot farm.

We thank you for your passion, your participation, and your willingness to survive editorial judgment with your sense of humor intact.

Long live poetry.

And long live the committee.

Contests

Take Note - Opportunities

Announcements from our Featured Partners

OWL (Ozark Writers League) is a regional organization dedicated to supporting writers, artists, and photographers in the Ozarks by promoting literacy and creative arts, connecting members with one another, and providing resources like conferences and writing contests https://ozarkswritersleague.com

WriterCon is a community of writers working together to build skills, exchange knowledge, make connections, and achieve their writing dreams. https://writercon.com/

Transformative Language Arts Network’s  mission is to foster the growth of the field and profession of Transformative Language Arts (TLA), by providing spaces, both physical and electronic, where people interested in TLA can share resources, network, learn, and enhance their capacity to practice it in their communities. Learn more at  https://tlanetwork.org/

Blue Clover Editing - Crafting your manuscript might be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. You don’t want unclear sentences or misplaced words to distract readers from what you’ve created. Let Blue Clover Editing be your secret weapon. Relax as a professional editor with years of experience ensures clarity, style, and grammar precision. You get peace of mind and time to draft the sequel. https://www.bluecloverediting.com/

Eureka Springs School of the Arts - Get creative! In the belief that art is vital to the human spirit, the Eureka Springs School of the Arts commits itself to cultivating, promoting, and encouraging artistic expression by providing art and fine craft education opportunities for students of all levels in a unique environment of beauty and creativity. Check out upcoming workshops at https://essa-art.org/

The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow - Writing residency programs are open to writers of all genres for short- or long-term stays in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Their individual writing suites are quiet, sequestered, and thoughtfully designed to help you stay focused and productive — whether you're starting something new or finishing a long-labored project. Learn more at https://www.writerscolony.org/