The MacGuffin is a triannually-published, print litmag based out of Schoolcraft College. Here are our general submission guidelines. You can find genre specific guidelines in each form.

  • We do not accept work that has been previously published in print or online.
  • Do not send revisions unless our editors have requested them. If there's a mistake with your submission, please send us a message or email macguffin@schoolcraft.edu instead of withdrawing.
  • No cover letters are required. The information you include in the Submittable form will suffice.
  • We accept simultaneous submissions if informed. We expect prompt notification if the work is accepted elsewhere. Manuscripts may be withdrawn until we send an acceptance notification to you.
  • We do not consider translations.
  • All files must be sent as .doc, .docx, or .rtf. We will not make any edits to your submission without informing you first. Authors whose work is accepted will receive galley proofs before publication.
  • Please use Times New Roman 12pt. For work that requires specific spacing/formatting, use Palatino or Book Antiqua.
  • The MacGuffin is published by Schoolcraft College. Upon publication, all publishing rights revert back to the author. Contributors receive two copies.
Ends on $15.00
$15.00
Submit to POET HUNT 29

Guest judged by Michael Meyerhofer, featured in vol. 39.3!
The contest opens on April 1 and closes June 15.   
• One (1) First Place Winner will receive a prize of $500 and publication.
• Up to two (2) Honorable Mentions may also be awarded and published.
• Each entrant will receive one free issue of The MacGuffin that includes the winners of POET HUNT 29.
• Grand Prize Winners from the previous 10 years, former Poet Hunt guest judges, and past and present staff members and their families are not  eligible to participate. To enter via post or via our website, visit https://schoolcraft.edu/macguffin/contest-rules. To enter here via Submittable, continue reading.   

To Enter:

  1. Please send a .doc, .docx, or .rtf that includes a basic cover letter and your poems. 
  2. The first page of your entry should simply include your name, address, email, and the titles of the poems you are entering. This should be the only place in the document that any personally identifiable information should be found. Do not use headers/footers.
  3. An entry may consist of up to 5 poems at no more than 200 lines each. If more than 5 are sent, only the first 5 will be considered. Do not include your name, contact info, or other identifiable information on the poems themselves.
  4. There is a $15 entry fee.
  5. Poems submitted may not be previously published and must be the original work of the contestant. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but the author is responsible for notifying The MacGuffin if their work is accepted before the contest closes. Please try to send all withdrawals by Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
  6.  Entries will be initially screened by The MacGuffin's staff through a blind review process. Based on an anonymous vote, 15 to 20 finalists will be sent to the guest judge for a final blind review with one (1) first place winner and up to two (2) honorable mentions ultimately being selected from this pool. 
  7.  Winners will be announced in September 2024. 

Please direct any questions to Gordon Krupsky, Managing Editor, via email at macguffin@schoolcraft.edu. Happy writing and good luck! 

Submit to Poetry Submissions
  • Do not send revisions unless our editors have requested them.
  • We will consider up to five poems at a time.
  • All poems must be submitted in one file with each poem beginning on a new page.
  • Poems up to 200 lines will be considered.
Submit to Fiction Submissions
  • Do not send revisions unless our editors have requested them.
  • We will consider no more than two pieces of fiction, creative nonfiction, or one of each, at a time. When sending multiple works, please send them in separate Submittable forms.
  • Submissions must be double-spaced with 1” margins all around.
  • The maximum word count is 5000 words.
Submit to Nonfiction Submissions
  • Do not send revisions unless our editors have requested them.
  • We will consider no more than two pieces of fiction, creative nonfiction, or one of each, at a time. When sending multiple works, please send them in separate Submittable forms.
  • Submissions must be double-spaced with 1” margins all around.
  • The maximum word count is 5000 words.
Submit to Artwork Submissions

· All artwork must be at least 2700p in height and 1800p in width, and submitted as a .png, .tiff, or .jpg.

· Artists may send up to 10 works per submission. Please wait to hear back from us before sending more work.

The MacGuffin