Friends Journal welcomes articles, poetry, art, photographs, and letters from our readers. We are also helped by your comments and questions. We are an independent magazine serving the entire Religious Society of Friends. Our mission is “to communicate Quaker experience in order to connect and deepen spiritual lives,” which allows for a variety of viewpoints and subject matter. We welcome submissions from Friends and non-Friends alike.
Read our full editorial guidelines and learn about the different types of articles we publish on our Submissions Page.
Upcoming General Submissions Deadlines:
- 2024: Jan. 22, May 20, July 22, Nov. 18.
- 2025: Jan. 20, May 19, July 21.
Many issues of Friends Journal are set aside for specific themes. Every 18 months or so we poll readers and dream up ideas for future issues (you can see the current list on our submissions page).
We also keep four issues a year open: no theme and no expectations. Most of our unsolicited articles go into a “General Submissions” list that we hold for these issues. Sometimes a choice is easy: we’ll get a blockbuster article that we know we just have to print. But just as often we’ll run some quiet piece of Quaker life that is offered to us without regard to our schedules.
The first bit of advice is to give our editorial submission guidelines a good once-over. The introduction to what we’re looking for is instructive.
We prefer articles written in a fresh, non‐academic style. Friends value an experiential approach to life and religious thought. Our readers particularly value articles on: exploring Friends’ testimonies and beliefs; integrating faith, work, and home lives; historical and contemporary Friends; social concerns and actions; and the variety of beliefs across the branches of Friends.
You should also study our tips for writing for Friends Journal. This is our list of the most-common pitfalls for incoming submissions—problems like length, structure, and tone.
The next thing to ask when writing or pitching an article to us is “why Friends Journal?” There are very few places where someone can write on the Quaker experience and see their work published. This scarcity weighs on us as we select an open issue’s mix. Authors don’t need to be Quaker, but the piece should have a strong Quaker hook. We’re not above doing a control-F on a submission to see how many times “Quaker” or “Friends” is mentioned. If it’s just a tacked-on reference because you’re shopping a piece written for another publication, it probably won’t work for us.
When you’re ready to send us something, please use the Submittable service so that we will have all of your information on file. “General Submissions” is the category for material that we consider for non-themed issues.
Link to share: Writing for General Submissions
Please note: All poetry should be submitted separately here.
The Quaker way is something that can be explored in isolation through books or correspondence, but it attains deeper context with the ongoing relationships, either in-person or online. I’ve attended memorial services for a few dear Friends and mentors this spring, and I’ve found something humbling about being around people who knew me decades ago.
September’s issue of Friends Journal will be all about Relationships—intimate ones, mentorships, friendships. How do they help you to be a better Quaker? A better human being? Are there ways in which friendships and your Quaker life conflict?
Some ideas we’d like to see:
Many families are like mine: religiously mixed, with partners and kids following different religious paths (I suspect this has actually become the norm). There are also so many forms of families, from the traditional nuclear ones to blended families, and co-parented families, to single-parent families and ones headed by grandparents or some other custodian. How do we manage the logistics of Quaker life—the Sunday morning trips to meetings, the evening committee Zoom sessions, the extended Quakers gatherings?
We’d also like to hear about romantic partnerships. How easy is it for single Quakers to date these days? What forms of non-traditional relationships are some Friends experiencing, like poly couples or non-monogamy? For those with toxic families of origin, how do we construct chosen families that will help us learn healthier forms of relationships? How do we navigate intimate relationships through tools like couple and family therapies or peer groups like the Friends Couple Enrichment program?
Another possible set of stories could include relationships within your meeting community. Both of my recently deceased Friends were particularly talented in hospitality to newcomers and adopted a succession of fledgling Friends over the decades, introducing them to new people and ideas. Who has done that in your life? I’d love to hear more stories of cross-generational Friendships from readers.Fast Facts
- Features run 1200-2500 words.
- Submissions close June 17, 2024.
- Questions? Email editors@friendsjournal.org
Learn more general information at Friendsjournal.org/submissions.
In November 2024 we will publish our fourth annual issue of Quaker Fiction (you can read through our first and second issues here). It’s open to all genres—crime, fantasy, romance, science fiction and horror, young adult, and more. Surprise us with your work! For this special issue, we’re seeking short stories from 500-2000 words, and flash fiction of less than 500 words. We’re seeking stories of Quakers and their experiences outside of what is true of the world we inhabit today. We welcome submissions from Friends and non-Friends alike. While we’re casting a wide net, we’re not the right market for erotica or extreme horror. We are also not a market for fan fiction or other works that use other folks’ intellectual property. We are a queer-affirming publication and will not be accepting any work based in homophobia, transphobia, or general racism, sexism, bigotry, or fascism. Fast Facts
- Submission length: 500-2000 words
- Submissions close August 19, 2024.
- For our fiction issues we use a slightly modified version of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) Model Magazine Contract, Version 3.1.
- Pay: $0.12/word
- Questions? Email editors@friendsjournal.org
Learn more general information at Friendsjournal.org/submissions.
One of the greatest spiritual divides we see these days doesn't seem to be theological or even political but related to our enthusiasm for the future. Is climate change hurtling us to an unlivable planet and extinction of humanity or are we in the beginning stages of a new age of sustainability? Is democracy advancing across the world with isolated backlashes or is an authoritarian future turning the screws on us? The last 50 years have brought us undeniable advances in race relations, more mainstream LGBTQ+ acceptance than we might ever have imagined, and improved health and environmental standards yet there is plenty to be worried about.
How do we balance out spiritual optimism vs. spiritual pessimism? How do Friends in the 2020s look at the future?
Fast Facts
- Features run 1200-2500 words.
- Submissions close September 16, 2024.
- Questions? Email editors@friendsjournal.org
Learn more general information at Friendsjournal.org/submissions.
Money is a source of a lot of tensions in our Quaker communities. Where has it come from and what do we use it for? How much of our budgets should go to maintaining our own meeting infrastructure vs. aid in the world. There's a lot of "dead Quaker" money still in investments but there are also smaller meetings and Quaker ministries going begging. There's also some calls for reparations, which opens another set of questions about how decisions are made.
How do we make, store, and decide on the use of our money?
Fast Facts
- Features run 1200-2500 words.
- Submissions close October 21, 2024.
- Questions? Email editors@friendsjournal.org
Learn more general information at Friendsjournal.org/submissions.
How can we make our meetings more inclusive for neurodiverse Friends and seekers? Are there expectations or models we should explore? We'd like to hear what meetings are doing and also what neurodiverse Friends think we should be doing?
Fast Facts
- Features run 1200-2500 words.
- Submissions close December 16, 2024
- Questions? Email editors@friendsjournal.org
Learn more general information at Friendsjournal.org/submissions.
There is an acute house shortage throughout much of the U.S. and wider world, creating ever-rising living costs. It is affecting us in myriad ways. One, many Friends have less time or resources to devote to their Quaker life because they work extra jobs to make the rent or mortgage every month. The rising prices are also increasing the number of unhoused neighbors, a tragedy for them and a strain on our wider community.
How is the housing crisis impacting our meeting community, our families, and our neighbors?
Fast Facts
- Features run 1200-2500 words.
- Submissions close February 17, 2025.
- Questions? Email editors@friendsjournal.org
Learn more general information at Friendsjournal.org/submissions.
Revival is a funny concept if you think about it too hard. It can mean many things: a quickening of spiritual fervor, an increase in numbers, a return to some earlier golden age. Quakerism began as a revival of sorts—a brash new religious outlook that didn't have much regard for other denominations—and we have had many revivals in the 350 years since. The nineteenth-century Midwest was awash in revivals whose effects reshaped Quaker worship through much of the world. The new consensus of early twentieth century Friends created modern Liberal Quakerism that drew many people, as did the political activism of the 1960s and 1970s.
What's the state of Quaker revivals today? Are there places where we're in danger of catching fire?
Fast Facts
- Features run 1200-2500 words.
- Submissions close March 17, 2025.
- Questions? Email editors@friendsjournal.org
Learn more general information at Friendsjournal.org/submissions.
How are Friends organizing today? We've noticed that many people get a sense of belonging from affinity groups they belong to, whether based on identity (race, gender, or sexual orientation) or politics or spirituality. Our biannual Quaker Works section is full of Quaker groups outside of the traditional monthly/quarterly/yearly meeting structures that bring people together for a single purpose. How do these groups speak to us as individuals? Do they strengthen our participating in our local Friends meetings or compete with it? Does it even matter if they fit with traditional structures?
Fast Facts
- Features run 1200-2500 words.
- Submissions close June 16, 2025.
- Questions? Email editors@friendsjournal.org
Learn more general information at Friendsjournal.org/submissions.
In November 2025 we will publish our fifth annual issue of Quaker Fiction (you can read through our first and second issues here). It’s open to all genres—crime, fantasy, romance, science fiction and horror, young adult, and more. Surprise us with your work! For this special issue, we’re seeking short stories from 500-2000 words, and flash fiction of less than 500 words. We’re seeking stories of Quakers and their experiences outside of what is true of the world we inhabit today. We welcome submissions from Friends and non-Friends alike. While we’re casting a wide net, we’re not the right market for erotica or extreme horror. We are also not a market for fan fiction or other works that use other folks’ intellectual property. We are a queer-affirming publication and will not be accepting any work based in homophobia, transphobia, or general racism, sexism, bigotry, or fascism. Fast Facts
- Submission length: 500-2000 words
- Submissions close August 18, 2025.
- For our fiction issues we use a slightly modified version of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) Model Magazine Contract, Version 3.1.
- Pay: $0.12/word
- Questions? Email editors@friendsjournal.org
Learn more general information at Friendsjournal.org/submissions.
Quakers began with a critique of creeds—succinct, easily memorizable statements of faith that make most church's doctrine clear and tidy. What we believe has always been a slippery question, made more so by divisions and conflict within our religious society. Are there things that unite us in belief? Or is a search for this kind of unity impossible or even ill-advised in the twenty-first century? How do articulate and advance our beliefs even when they conflict with the beliefs of fellow Friends? How do we understand Friends whose beliefs differ?
Fast Facts
- Features run 1200-2500 words.
- Submissions close September 22, 2025.
- Questions? Email editors@friendsjournal.org
Learn more general information at Friendsjournal.org/submissions.