The Bureau Dispatch publishes fiction and creative nonfiction up to 1,000 words. We do not consider poetry. 

VOLUME 05: WAYFINDING

We’re open to all kinds of narratives but are particularly interested in ones about WAYFINDING: stories that explore our relationships with physical (and metaphorical) spaces and places, how we orient ourselves within or among them, and how we navigate and find our way.

We want your best work. We are not a spec fic journal, but our stories often contain a hint of the speculative, a dash of the intriguing. We want fiction that is compelling and beautifully-crafted; narratives that leave the reader breathless and changed. The kind of story that, when all is said and done, elicits a resounding "sh*t, yeah!"

• We accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know in your cover letter and do notify us as soon as your piece is accepted elsewhere.
• Send only one previously unpublished piece at a time.
• We currently do not accept reprints.
• Please include a 75-80 word third-person writer's bio in your cover email.
• The current response time is 3-4 weeks. Thank you for your patience!

If your story is accepted, you will be invited to submit the remaining items of your writer's dossier. The dossier is made up of:

1. The accepted story;
2. A photograph of you in your writing space;
3. A list of 5-10 things on your desk or in your preferred writing space; and
4. A short 70-80 word third person bio.

The Bureau Dispatch pays US$50 for work published.

• We require exclusive electronic rights for 3 months and non-exclusive print rights (for future print anthologies or collections) within 2 years of acceptance. All copyrights remain with the author at all times.
• Additional explanations of rights will be available in a contract sent after a work has been accepted and the author notified.
• Authors are always paid before their work goes live.

Thank you for trusting TBD with your work, and we look forward to reading your stories!