Submissions

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 (i.e., you can send work to other places 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  • For original work, we only consider unpublished writing.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 for our Summer 2026 Special Issue are currently open from October 1 – November 30.
  • The issue will focus on: Food in(security) in Pakistan, due to climate change, urbanization, and migration.
  • Please submit to only one category per submission period.
  • Please submit only once per submission period.
  • Email your submission to lakeer.submissions@gmail.com with FICTION, POETRY, ESSAY, ART/PHOTOGRAPHY, SHORT PLAY in your email subject.


    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
  • 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


    Reviews/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

  • If accepted, the artwork or photograph will be published alongside an essay or short story.
  • 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.

    Short Play
  • The play should be 10 minutes long.
  • Please include your name and email on the top.


    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.
  • The theme for 2025 is Borders/Boundaries – سرحدیں/حُدُود:
    Lines that define limits between a person and a place, between one place and another, between communities. When they’re necessary and when not. Transgression of those limits.
  • Submissions for the 2025 edition of the column are now closed.
  • Please submit to only one category at a time.
  • If your work isn’t accepted, you can submit two more times.
  • Please email your submission to chowk.submissions@gmail.com with ESSAY, POETRY or ART/PHOTOGRAPHY in your email subject.


    Fiction

  • 1000 to 2000 words.

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

  • Please only submit 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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