VELA IS CURRENTLY CLOSED TO SUBMISSIONS FOR THE SUMMER. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN FALL 2018

Vela publishes longform nonfiction written by women. We are particularly interested in narrative nonfiction, essays with a research and/or reporting component, and literary journalism with a unique, compelling voice. We do publish personal essays and are suckers for powerful personal narratives, but we prefer stories that move beyond the personal realm to consider larger questions and issues.

Much of the work we publish is informed by a sense of place and/or journeying, and has an international focus; however, we do not publish conventional travel writing. We are not a “women’s magazine” and are not interested in work written solely for a female audience. Please read our manifesto and several of our stories to get a feel for what we publish before sending us your work.

We are committed to publishing emerging as well as more established writers, and yes, we pay!

Our feature stories typically run from 3,000 to 6,000 words, although we are open to longer work. Submit completed work only; we do not accept pitches. We also do not accept previously published work. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please notify us if your work is accepted elsewhere. Due to the volume of work we receive, we cannot offer feedback on individual submissions.

Vela also publishes a series of columns for which we accept short-form submissions: Placed, Body of Work, Milestones, Outlines, and The Writing Life.