THE MAGAZINE
Okay Donkey is a literary magazine that likes to read the odd, the off-kilter, and the just plain weird. We like work that’s funny, that’s sad, and that’s both funny and sad. We especially enjoy the experimental, the surreal, the magical realist, and the genre-bending. Do you like slipstream? Cool! We like it too.
Click HERE for examples of work we like. Click HERE to receive our monthly newsletter with updates on our community and features on the writing life.
We publish one new piece every Friday, alternating between flash fiction and poetry. We do NOT publish flash nonfiction. Please send us either one flash fiction or one batch of micros OR one poem per author, per submission period.
Okay Donkey Magazine has been a paying market since January 2024 and as of August 2026 we pay contributors a $25 honorarium for each flash fiction or poem that we publish on the site.
We open for free submissions on the 1st of every month but December and stay open until we hit our submissions cap. If we hit the submission cap, regular submissions will close and reopen on the 1st of the next month. However, Tip Jar and Expedited Response submissions will remain open.
Our usual turnaround time is around 2-3 months. If you haven’t heard from us after 3 months, please feel free to follow up on your submission.
POETRY
- Please send us one poem per author, per submission period.
- While there are no strict word limits for poetry, we tend to like poems that fit on one page.
- Use a standard 12-point font and single space your submissions (except for form poems).
- Attach your piece as a Word doc, docx, Google doc, or PDF.
- Please include a brief cover letter with a short third-person bio if you so desire.
FICTION
- Please send us one flash fiction or one batch of micros per author, per submission period.
- Our maximum word limit for flash fiction is 1,200 words. This can either be one longer piece or one batch of micros that total up to 1,200 words.
- Use a standard 12-point font and double space your submissions.
- Attach your piece as a Word doc, docx, Google doc, or PDF.
- Please include a brief cover letter with a short third-person bio if you so desire. No need to describe your work in detail. Most cover letters don’t. But if you’d like to do so, go for it.
TIP JAR AND EXPEDITED RESPONSE SUBMISSIONS
We respond to Expedited submissions within two weeks of reception. Proceeds from Tip Jar and Expedited submissions help cover OKD’s expenses like our Submittable, site, and admin fees, as well as contributor honorariums. Thanks so much for supporting OKD and being a part of our community!
GENERAL GUIDELINES
If we pass on your submission, please wait at least 2 months before submitting again. If we accept your submission, please wait at least 1 year before submitting again. This helps us give everyone a fair shake.
Simultaneous submissions are okay, but we do not accept multiple submissions. If you have a submission with us, please wait for a response before sending another.
We do not accept previously published pieces.
We do accept translations.
We are not fans of gratuitous sex, gore, or violence. Nor of racism, misogyny, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, or xenophobia.
We do not read or publish anonymous work. We do however respect our authors’ privacy and will publish works written under a pen name. We strive to amplify marginalized voices.
Okay Donkey acquires First Electronic Rights and Non-Exclusive Archival Rights. All other rights remain with the author. If you reprint your piece in a book or anthology, all we ask is you mention it appeared here first.
AI POLICY
We do NOT want anything written by AI, LLM, etc. and, if you submit, we trust you understand that.
Click the button below to submit your work.