Not Quite Right exists for the work that doesn’t sit comfortably.
We are drawn to writing that resists easy resolution—work that lingers in tension, contradiction, ambiguity. The pieces that feel unfinished in the best way. The ones that leave something unsaid, or say it in a way that doesn’t fully explain itself. The ones that feel a little off, a little unresolved, a little not quite right.
We believe that is where the real work happens.
Our Mission
Our mission is to publish writing that lives in the in-between.
We are interested in pieces that explore the space between certainty and doubt, beauty and discomfort, clarity and confusion. We want writing that risks something—emotionally, formally, or conceptually. Writing that is willing to be vulnerable without being sentimental, sharp without being performative, strange without being empty.
We are not looking for perfection.
We are looking for presence.
What We’re Drawn To
We gravitate toward work that:
- Holds tension without rushing to resolve it
- Feels emotionally honest, even when it’s messy or contradictory
- Takes risks with form, voice, or structure (but with intention)
- Leaves room for the reader to participate, interpret, or question
- Feels specific, grounded, and lived-in
We’re especially interested in pieces that feel like they had to be written—not just ones that are polished.
What We’re Less Interested In
To be clear about our taste, we tend to pass on work that:
- Explains itself too fully or ties everything up neatly
- Relies on cliché or familiar emotional beats without deepening them
- Feels overly performative, self-conscious, or aesthetic without substance
- Mistakes obscurity for depth
- Plays it safe
We don’t expect every piece to be experimental—but we do expect it to feel alive.
On Voice and Form
We welcome poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and hybrid work.
There is no single “house style,” but we care deeply about voice. We are looking for writing that sounds like someone, not something. Work that feels inhabited.
We are open to traditional forms, but we are equally interested in work that bends or breaks them—so long as it does so with purpose.
Our Editorial Approach
We read with attention and care.
Every submission is considered by a human reader. We’re not looking for reasons to reject—we’re looking for the pieces that stay with us, that shift something, even slightly.
If a piece lingers after we’ve finished reading it, if we find ourselves returning to a line, an image, a feeling—that’s usually where things begin.
Why “Not Quite Right”
Because most meaningful work isn’t.
Because the best writing often feels unfinished in a way that invites the reader in.
Because certainty is overrated.
Because discomfort can be generative.
Because something being not quite right might be exactly what makes it necessary.
If you’re not sure your work fits, it might.
Send us the piece that doesn’t behave.