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After Hours is a literary journal dedicated to publishing work about work. As a journal, we believe that paramount among the crimes against us is the way our time is taken from us. However, no system is totalizing, and the journal is devoted to the resilient creative practices that thrive “after hours.” Each month, After Hours publishes two authors or artists in the online journal. Once a year, it publishes a thematic print issue featuring writing and artwork from workers in a certain field. The theme of the 2026 print issue is AGRICULTURE.
...If you work in the agricultural sector (farming, ranching, land management, agronomy, husbandry, etc.) and would like to submit work to the After Hours annual print issue: click here!
...If you work in another field and would like to submit work to the After Hours online journal: click here!
There is no cost to submit. Because After Hours is operated by a independent group of volunteers, we cannot offer payment at this time, but we are happy to advertise your company or professional services for free on the website. If you have a business card, logo, or solicitation, please include it as an image with your submission at Submissions@AfterHours.com.
Please know that, while we try to publish as much work and as diverse a breadth as we can, we are not able to publish every submission we receive. Our ethos is to prioritize what is most interesting over what is most polished or perfect. We try to reply to all submissions as quickly as possible; sometimes it may take a minute!
Thank you! Submit!
--After Hours
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Online Journal
Each month, After Hours publishes two authors or artists in the online journal. In order to submit, you must be currently employed outside the arts (lawyer, plumber, fireman, etc.). If you are unsure whether you qualify: submit. Please do not submit if you are employed in the arts or an art-related field (academia, publishing, curation, etc.).
Your work can but does not need to reflect on labor or your profession in any way. We accept nonfiction, fiction, poetry, or any other generic combination. There are no length requirements or overarching aesthetic criteria: if it is writing, we are interested.
The online journal also accepts submissions of artwork. We welcome painting, sculpture, printmaking, pottery, drawing--anything, so long as it can be reproduced as an image.
Submissions are accepted by email at Submissions@AfterHours.com or through Submittable. Please include a brief bio stating your name, age, occupation, and general area of residence (country, state, city). We do not publish bios that include prior publications, awards, or institutional affiliations, but welcome other personal information of all kinds (e.g., “I love taking long walks on the beach”). There is no cost to submit.
If you have a logo, business card, or solicitation you would like us to publish with your submission, please send it as an image to Submissions@AfterHours.com.
Submit to the online journal!
Annual Print Issue
Once a year, After Hours publishes a thematic print issue featuring writing and artwork from workers in a certain field. The theme of the next print issue is AGRICULTURE. This issue will only include work from artists employed in the agricultral sector; if you do not work in the agricultural sector, please do not submit to the 2026 print issue. Instead, you can submit to the online journal.
Your work can but does not need to reflect on labor or your profession in any way. We accept nonfiction, fiction, poetry, or any other generic combination. Due to limited space, the maximum length is 5,000 words; the shorter the better.
The print issue also accepts submissions of artwork. We welcome painting, sculpture, printmaking, pottery, drawing--anything, so long as it can be reproduced as an image.
Submissions are accepted by email at Submissions@AfterHours.com or through Submittable. Please include a brief bio stating your name, age, occupation, and general area of residence (country, state, city). We do not publish bios that include prior publications, awards, or institutional affiliations, but welcome other personal information of all kinds (e.g., “I love taking long walks on the beach”). There is no cost to submit.
Please do not submit to the 2026 print issue unless you work in the AGRICULTURAL sector.
Submit to the print issue!
_______________________________________________________________________________
Thank you! Submit!
-- After Hours
Jackson McGrath
N.C. Happe
Sam Grenier