Due to the volume of strong work received, the BreakBread Literacy Project is currently closed for submissions. In the meantime, please enjoy the work of young creatives in our published issues, which can be found here.
BreakBread Magazine: What we do
BreakBread Magazine is a youth literacy project dedicated to cultivating creatives under the age of 25. We seek to provide a place where young creatives’ work can take root and grow, introducing youth to the world of literature and publishing as a means of self-expression and vocational development. Our program seeks to develop young creatives—especially those who lack access to traditional publishing internships and writing opportunities—into pre-professional, college-ready editors, writers, and team members.
BreakBread Magazine seeks to engage, develop and publish the work of all young artists, including creatives who identify as AfrX-Caribbean, Asian-Pacific Islander, Black, First Peoples/Indigenous, LatinX, Migrant/Refugee/Diaspora, Roma, LGBTQIA, Appalachian-Affrilachian, youths living in detention facilities and whose lives have been affected by incarceration, and all people living in poverty. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and we understand that many people hold identities that are intersectional, multidimensional, and complicated. We invite and embrace all work by young creatives that shares the authentic, lived experiences of all peoples.
BreakBread Submission Guidelines
BreakBread Magazine only accepts original, unpublished work by creatives under the age of 25. (Unfortunately, if you have turned 25, you are no longer eligible.)
If you are new to publishing your work, and need assistance with Submittable, please email us at help@breakbreadproject.org.
BreakBread Magazine only accepts submissions through our Submittable page.
Pen-and-paper submissions are only accepted from young creatives in detention facilities. Those submissions should be sent to: BreakBread Literacy Project, #252, 716 North Ventura Road, Oxnard, CA 93030.
All young creatives whose work is accepted for publication will be asked to verify their age.
You may publish under a pen name, but we do not publish anonymous work.
If you are under age 18, we must have permission from your parent/guardian to publish your work.
Creatives are limited to one submission per genre, per submission period.
BreakBread Magazine does not publish erotica or fanfiction.
Submissions that are excerpts from longer works must be fully realized in their own right, and must “stand alone” as complete.
Creatives must submit their own work and correspond directly with BreakBread staff. BreakBread Magazine does not accept submissions made on behalf of young artists (for example, work submitted by parents, teachers, mentors or guardians). The only exception to this policy is for youth in detention facilities. Please email us at help@breakbreadproject.org for more information.
When using the submittable.com submissions program, please be sure to add BreakBread's general email address (help@breakbreadproject.org) to your spam blocker software so that you can receive correspondence from us.
BreakBread Magazine retains First North American Serial Rights to published work. Those rights revert to the creative upon publication.
Submissions are open May-August, September-December, and January-April with short closures (a week or less) between each submission period for updates to guidelines.
We appreciate simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your piece is accepted elsewhere so we can withdraw it from consideration.
BreakBread Magazine does not print previously published material. Work is considered previously published if it has been posted in any digital arena, including social media, online forums (Wattpad, blogs/website, Amazon Kindle). Work is considered previously published if it has been self-published, appeared in a literary magazine or Zine, published in a newspaper or newsletter. If you’re not sure whether your work is OK to submit, please use this handy list:
| Has it been: | Can I submit it to BreakBread? |
|---|---|
| Printed in a school newspaper or yearbook. | Yes |
| Sent in an email. | Yes |
| Written and posted on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube or other social media. | No |
| Read aloud/performed on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube or other social media. | No |
| Performed live on stage, radio, TV, or other public broadcast media. | Yes |
| Printed in local, municipal, or community newspaper/newsletter. | No |
| Published on a blog or website. | No |
| Self-published print book or e-Book. | No |
| Not sure? | Email us at help@breakbreadproject.org and we’ll let you know |
GENRE GUIDELINES
Click on the arrows to learn about submission guidelines for each genre we currently accept.
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BreakBread accepts art, photography, illustrated narratives, comics, photoessays, and hybrid forms (multimedia, 'new' media, intermedia, etc.). Your entire submission should be no more than four creative pieces. Please upload your work in PDF, JPEG, TIFF, SVG, or PNG format. Your work should be high-resolution, 2500x2500 and a minimum of 600dpi. Title each art submission and the body of work presented.
For comic submissions, please provide a storyline pitch and up to five pages of sequential art for comics that have a clear beginning, middle, and end. We currently accept:
Short-form comics – They may be up to 12 pages from beginning to end, with works over 6 panels only published online.
Long-form comics -- A max of 20 pages of sequential art, from beginning to end, with works over 6 panels only published online.
For submissions over 5 pages/panels, Art Editor Cara Echols will reach out for more if interested.
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BreakBread invites poets to submit up to two poems; your entire submission should be no more than four pages or about 1500 words. Poems longer than four pages are not generally accepted. Please use a standard 12 point font, leave a 1” margin on all sides, and title your poems. Include your last name and the page number in the upper right hand corner of each page. Title your file: Lastname, Firstname_Poetry.
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BreakBread publishes original short fiction and nonfiction (memoir, essays, journalism). Submissions should be no more than 25 pages or 7500 words. Please double-space your work, use a standard 12 point font, leave a 1” margin on all sides, and number your pages. Hybrid works, like photoessays and illustrated texts, should be submitted in our “Visual/Illustrated Artwork and Narratives” genre. Include your last name and the page number in the upper right hand corner of each page. Title your file: Lastname, Firstname_Fiction or Lastname, Firstname_Nonfiction.
A NOTE ON COVER LETTERS
We’re excited to get to know you and your work and look forward to reading each and every submission we receive. With that in mind, please keep your cover letters brief. The information we would like you to include is:
Name, age, location
Submission title, genre, wordcount (or number of poems/ number of visual pieces)
A list of previous publications (within reason—if your list is lengthy give us the highlights!)
A NOTE ON CONTRIBUTOR COPIES
BreakBread will send print contributor copies to any U.S. postal address.
