Parabola Journal Is Accepting Submissions/ How To Submit (Pay: $400)

Parabola Journal is a quarterly journal devoted to the exploration of the quest for meaning as it is expressed in the world’s myths, symbols, and religious traditions, with particular emphasis on the relationship between this store of wisdom and modern life.

Each issue of Parabola is organized around a theme. Examples of themes they have explored in the past include The Quest, Happiness, The Wild, and Presence.

Submission Guidelines For Parabola Journal

• Parabola welcomes original essays and translations. They look for lively, penetrating material unencumbered by jargon or academic argument.
• They prefer well-researched, objective, and unsentimental pieces that are grounded in one or more religious or cultural tradition; articles that focus on dreams, visions, or other very personal experiences are unlikely to be accepted.
• All articles must be directly related to the theme of an upcoming issue.
• Entries that do not follow submission guidelines cannot be considered.
• Send your submission to the email or physical address listed below, along with a brief autobiography (2-3 sentences). Emails should include the article attached as a .doc, .txt, or .rtf file.
• Email Submissions are to be sent to [email protected].
• Mail Submissions are to be sent to:

Editor

Parabola

P.O. Box 193

Lincolndale, NY 10540

• Mailed submissions are to be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed return envelope, #10 or larger. Submissions without SASE will not be returned.
• Unfortunately, owing to the volume of submissions they receive, they are unable to respond unless a submission is accepted for publication

Poetry

Poetry must be submitted as email attachments in the following file formats:

.doc (MS word), .txt (standard text file) or .rtf (formatted text file).

• Submissions in other formats will not be considered.
• Submissions are also limited to a maximum of five (5) poems per author.
• The file must be transmitted under the author’s last name, with all poems in a single file, separated by page breaks. Each page must have the author’s name on it.
• Submissions should be sent by email to [email protected]
• Please note that Parabola rarely accepts original fiction.

Tangents

Parabola Journal occasionally publishes extended reviews of books, movies, videos, performances, art exhibitions, and other current programs or events in a section called “Tangents.”

These reviews are intended as a bridge between the theme-related front half of the magazine and the reviews in the back. Tangents should bear some connection to the theme of the issue, although it does not have to be as direct as an article.

Required Word Count

• Articles: 1000-3000 words
• Book Reviews: 500 words
• Retellings of traditional stories: 500-1500 words
• Forum contributions: no longer than 500 words

Biographical Information

Please include a brief (2-3 sentence) biography with your subscription. Fit the description to the subject matter of the article, e.g., for an article on Tibetan Buddhism, “Smith spent three years travelling in Tibet.” Or, a publication credit: “Smith is the author of Pilgrimage in Tibet (W. W. Norton, 1987).” Always include your publisher.

Author Rights At Parabola Journal

Parabola purchases the right to use an article in all substantially complete versions (including non-print versions) of a single issue of our journal.

They also request the right to use the piece in the promotion of Parabola, and to authorize single-copy reproductions for academic purposes. All other rights are retained by the author.

Themes And Their Deadlines

Their upcoming themes are:

Fall 2023: SAINTS & SINNERS (submission deadline: June 01, 2023)

Winter 2023/2024: COMFORT & JOY (submission deadline: September 01, 2023)

Spring 2024: FREEDOM (submission deadline: December 01, 2023)

Pay Rate

They pay contributors $400.