Submissions

General Guidelines

  • Lakeer Magazine and Chowk publish work by writers with a connection to Pakistan.
  • We consider work in Urdu, Saraiki, Punjabi, Sindhi, and English.
  • Please submit to either Lakeer Magazine or the Chowk column during a reading period, not both at the same time.
  • We consider simultaneous submissions to places outside the Lakeer space (i.e., you can send work to other journals at the same time as submitting to Lakeer Magazine or Chowk).
  • For original work, we only consider unpublished writing. Please do not submit work that has been previously published, including material published online including on social media, or in anthologies or chapbooks.
  • For translations, the above doesn’t apply.
  • Response time for submissions is three to six months from the end of the submission date (often sooner).
  • We seek essays that look at old problems in a different way, or talk about something completely new. We are not looking for diary entries or pieces that vent.
  • We do not accept work that’s been AI generated.
  • Work accepted undergoes an editorial process in collaboration with the writer.

Guidelines for Lakeer Magazine

  • Submissions are currently open, both themed and general. We are also considering submissions for a special poetry folio. Please see details below.

  • Themed submissions: Climate, hunger/fullness, urbanization.
    Fiction, essays, poetry, and artwork/photography on the above ideas.

  • General: Fiction, essays, poetry, and artwork/photography on any theme you like.

  • Special Poetry Folio: Poems with a visual art component.

    These can be:

    – Ekphrastic poems
    – Shape/Pattern poems
    – Poems in conversation with other art forms (painting, photography, sculpture, video, and architecture)

  • Please submit to only one category per submission period – fiction, essay, poetry, or artwork/photography.
  • Please submit only once per submission period.
  • Email your submission to lakeer.submissions@gmail.com with FICTION, POETRY, ESSAY, or ART/PHOTOGRAPHY in your email subject, as well as THEME, GENERAL, or FOLIO.


    Fiction

  • 1000 to 7000 words. Longer work might be accepted if it is strong.
  • Please include your name, email, and word count, on the top.
  • MS Word file labeled: your name_title
  • Please submit only one short story per submission period.


    Essay

  • 1000 to 5000 words.
  • Please include your name, email, and word count on the top.
  • MS Word file labeled: your name_title
  • Please submit only one essay per submission period.

    Poetry
  • Send us up to 3 poems, sent in a single file.
  • Please include your name and email on the top.
  • MS Word file labeled: submitter name_title


    Book Reviews/Book Review Pitches

  • We are seeking reviews of contemporary works by Pakistani authors.
  • You can submit a review or a pitch for a review.
  • A review can be from 900 to 1000 words.
  • Please include your name and email, as well as the title of the book, author name, and the book’s publication date.
  • If submitting a complete review, please submit only one time per submission period.


    Art/Photography

  • 1 work of art or photograph attached as a jpg or png.
  • A brief description of the piece.
  • Please include your name and email.
  • File labeled: submitter name_title.
  • If accepted, the artwork or photograph will be published alongside an essay or short story.

    Interview
  • 3000–5000 words, including the introduction.
  • The interview should be of an artist or a writer/translator with a connection to Pakistan.
  • We’re looking for in-depth conversations that cover a specific work by the artist/writer, or their body of work.
  • Please include your name, email, and word count on the top.

Guidelines for Chowk

  • Chowk is a column of flash fiction, essays, poetry, art and photography.
  • The column is published on a rolling basis.
  • We are open for submissions. Our current theme is Transformations: of the self, of a city, of the climate or technology.
  • Please submit to only one category at a time.
  • Please email your submission to chowk.submissions@gmail.com with FICTION, ESSAY, POETRY or ART/PHOTOGRAPHY in your email subject.

    Flash Fiction

  • 1000 to 2000 words.

  • Please include your name and email on the first page.

  • Please only submit only one story at a time.

    Essay

  • 1000 to 3000 words.

  • Please include your name and email on the first page.

  • Please submit only one essay at a time.


    Poetry

  • One poem, original.

  • Please include your name and email on the first page.

  • Please submit only one poem at a time.


    Art/Photography

  • Original artwork or photograph, or a series of related photographs (not more than 3) along with a brief note about the photo(s).

  • Please include your name and email.

  • Please submit only one artwork or photograph/series of related photographs at a time.

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed at Lakeer, including Lakeer Magazine and Chowk, are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of the website, its affiliates, or any persons associated with them.

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