Reading period:
March 1 — July 30
Write for Verbum & Virtue
Submission Guidelines
At Verbum & Virtue, we believe that literature should be a sanctuary for the soul—a place where rigorous intellect meets deep, moral imagination. We are looking for beautifully crafted, evocative prose that examines the human experience through the lens of classical virtue, tradition, and enduring truth.
If you are a writer who values the weight of words, the depth of history, and the pursuit of what is true, good, and beautiful, we invite you to shape our journal.
We accept submissions for three distinct sections of our publication. Please review the heartbeats of these columns carefully before submitting to ensure your piece aligns with our focus.
The Almanac
The Focus: Our core seasonal journal. The Almanac explores the intersection of nature's rhythms and human character. We publish reflective, philosophical, and narrative essays that are deeply rooted in a specific season (Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer) and anchored by a central classical virtue (e.g., Hope in Winter, Prudence in Autumn).
What we look for: Lyrical prose, intellectual depth, historical or cultural reflections, and personal essays that avoid mere sentimentality in favor of profound insight.
The Bicultural Living Room
The Focus: A space exploring the rich, complex tapestry of navigating multiple cultural identities. We seek stories and essays that live at the intersection of different worlds, examining how faith, family, and heritage translate across languages and landscapes without losing their classical roots.
What we look for: Narrative-driven essays exploring cross-cultural experiences, the beauty of inherited traditions, and the unique virtues forged when different backgrounds blend in a home.
The Legacy
The Focus: Dedicated to ancestral continuity, multi-generational depth, and the sacred art of remembering.
What we look for: Essays on the wisdom of elders, reflections on cultivating lasting family traditions, deep dives into family histories, and philosophical pieces on the vital importance of passing down a heritage of virtue to the next generation.
To maintain our editorial standard and ensure a smooth review process, please adhere strictly to the following guidelines:
Format: We accept personal essays, creative nonfiction, some cultural criticism, book reviews, and narrative memoirs. We do not accept poetry and fiction.
Word Count: 1,200 to 2,500 words.
Tone & Style: We favor an elegant, literary, and contemplative voice. Your writing should display craftsmanship—give attention to cadence, vocabulary, and structure. While pieces do not need to be explicitly theological, they must operate within an objective moral universe.
Document Setup: Submit your work as an editable Word Document (.docx). Please use a clean, standard 12pt serif font (like Georgia or Times New Roman), double-spaced, and 1-inch margins. The first page header block should contain your name, address, phone number, email, and word count. The footer should include your name and page number.
Submission Criteria & Formatting
Our review process should typically take 6-8 weeks. If your piece is accepted, you will work directly with our editorial team to polish the work for publication.
Verbum & Virtue exclusively publishes human-authored work. Submitting AI-generated prose permanently closes the doors to future submissions from that writer.
Please note: At this time, we acquire First North American Serial Rights for original pieces published on our site. While we cannot yet offer full professional rates, we are proud to provide a small honorarium per accepted piece for each of our columns (The Almanac, The Legacy, or The Bicultural Living Room). We pay a modest discount for reprints. We do not offer payment for book reviews at this time but welcome them!