Submissions

Submissions

Fall 2025 Issue #17 – Free
Open on April 30, 2025 thru July 22, 2025

6th Annual Mental Health Awareness Writing Contest
Opens April 30, 2025 thru July 22, 2025

General Guidelines

We seek previously unpublished, creative, and high-quality work in the form of poetry, creative nonfiction/essays, fiction/short stories/flash fiction, scripts and digital media (photography, drawings, podcasts, and short films). Patients, students, family members, caregivers, nurses, physicians, healthcare consumers, artists, mental health providers, physical therapists, writers, clergy—all of us will be patients one day and all are welcome to submit work. We are especially looking for content from vulnerable populations and those who care for them; content that connects us with every community, makes us feel something, helps us see illness, wellness, health, or the healthcare environment differently, and inspires equality in healthcare and the world.

Theme Guidelines: Free

What does it mean to you to be truly Free–to live your best life no matter your health, life or caregiving challenges? For example:

To be free of a diagnosis or illness because you have healed or overcome the worst of it?
To come to place of resolve or acceptance with any diagnosis or illness–yours or that of a loved one?
To have found a way to share caregiving responsibilities?

What does it look like for you when you do not feel free?

To be tethered to illness and what that diagnosis requires of you
To be a caregiver
When life, relationships, or health make you feel anything but free?

For providers: Delivering care has always had its share of challenges. From a medical culture that is slow to let go of of the traditional hierarchy, bullying, and internal constraints to the demands of caring for patients which come in all forms. Still, we have one of best systems of care in the world.

What does it mean to feel free to provide the care you believe is necessary?
To be able to care for not only your patients, but those you love?
What does free healthcare mean to you?

These are the stories in all forms–creative nonfiction, short stories, poetry, film, photography and digital art–we are curating for Fall 2025 Issue #17. Our theme for this issue provides an opportunity to reflect on how health — mind, body, and spirit — limit, challenge, define or inspire our ability to feel free. Rif on whatever this theme inspires for you! As always – our theme is a place to start.

Be sure to follow all Please See Me general Submission Guidelines listed below, and consider entering our 6th Annual Mental Health Awareness Writing Contest!

Genre Guidelines

Poetry

Please submit a maximum of three poems at a time. If you submit more than three, we can only read the first three.

Fiction

Please submit short stories no more than 4,000 words in length. Flash fiction, up to 1,000 words, is welcome and encouraged. Submissions should be double-spaced in 12pt Times Roman or other serif font with 1″ margins. We will look at excerpts of longer works on a case-by-case basis; please query us with a description of your project before submitting if greater than 4,000 words.

Creative Nonfiction

Please submit nonfiction pieces no more than 4,000 words in length. Submissions should be double-spaced in 12pt Times Roman or other serif font with 1″ margins. We will look at excepts of longer works on a case-by-case basis; please query us with a description of your project before submitting if longer than 4,000 words.

Films

Please submit links to your short films for review, and up to five minutes in length.

Other Media

We welcome submissions of photography, podcasts, and other media. All digital media will should be hosted by the creator, and shared by a link. Photography and still images can be attached to submission in a .jpg file sized suitable for web upload on WordPress.

As always, we aim for the highest literary and artistic standards.

All Submissions are made through Submittable.

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