If you’re considering submitting, here’s what you need to know: The Westchester Review reads throughout the year, with open periods posted on their website. They publish literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; simultaneous submissions are welcome; there’s no fee to submit; and while they’re not currently a paying market, they offer thoughtful editorial attention and a quarterly publication schedule. Average response time is 4–6 months, and all submissions are handled through Submittable.
You’ll find their full guidelines, social links, and listings below—along with Amy’s insights into what makes a piece stand out.
HOPKINSON: Tell me a little bit about The Westchester Review and how it was originally started.
RALSTON SEIFE: Our mission is to present previously-unpublished quality poetry and literary fiction whose language, humanity, and story-lines captivate and move us. We were founded in 2007 as an annual print journal publishing Westchester authors, but in March 2020, when it became impossible to print and distribute the book, we became a quarterly online international publication. Since then, our readership has increased exponentially, and we now have global visibility, publishing writers and attracting readers from all over the world.
HOPKINSON: Who is your target reader audience?
RALSTON SEIFE: Anyone who appreciates literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry.
HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for in submissions?
RALSTON SEIFE: We like to publish an eclectic mix of poems and stories in each issue. We look for carefully crafted work that uses language in unexpected and delightful ways. We are drawn to stories that stay with us, in which something (however subtle) happens with characters that we come to care about. We publish both free verse and poems that adhere to classic and invented forms. Our interest is piqued by the natural world and animals, as well as a wide range of pop culture, fashion, visual art, music, and the ways people treat one another.
HOPKINSON: What do you wish you’d see submitted, but rarely comes in?
RALSTON SEIFE: I’ll answer in a different way. We’re not fans of horror or post-apocalyptic stories. We appreciate creative nonfiction that is not simply anecdote or screed, but that has emotional resonance, and deeper thematic meaning.
HOPKINSON: What are some of your favorite lit mags/journals?
RALSTON SEIFE: So many! A few that come to mind: Alaska Quarterly Review, The Common, Crab Orchard Review, Lily Poetry Review, The Muleskinner Journal, Narrative, Rattle, SWWIM, Willow Springs Review.
HOPKINSON: What is your favorite part of being on staff with The Westchester Review?
RALSTON SEIFE: I often work with authors to fine-tune their stories and enjoy the give-and-take of the discussion as we work together.
HOPKINSON: Where can we send submissions?
RALSTON SEIFE: Submittable. https://thewestchesterreview.submittable.com/submit
HOPKINSON: If someone has a question, how can they contact you?
RALSTON SEIFE: We respond to questions sent to our email address which is westchesterreview@gmail.com. Please note that we do not consider submissions sent by email to this address.
Click here to read submission guidelines.
- SUBMISSION DEADLINE: July 31, 2026
- We have reading periods throughout the year, which are indicated on our website. We adjust these periods to reflect and manage the quantity of submissions we receive.
- THEME(S): Literary
- FORMAT: Online
- SUBMISSION FEE: None
- PAYMENT: We are not currently a paying market
- ISSUE FREQUENCY: Quarterly
- AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME: 4-6 months
- SUBMISSION METHOD: Submittable
- SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Yes, but please notify us immediately if a submission is accepted elsewhere.
- FORMS: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry
- LISTINGS: Chill Subs, Duotrope, CLMP
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, YouTube
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