Submissions
La Lesbienne is an international lesbian journal. We have a particular commitment to making space for voices, histories and perspectives that mainstream publishing has too often marginalised, overlooked or erased.
Before You Submit
There is more than one way into La Lesbienne.
The journal holds space for different forms of knowledge, experience and creative practice. What we value is work built with rigour, intention and care. First-time contributors are welcome to submit.
Editorial Standards
La Lesbienne exists because lesbian lives, histories and thought deserve to be taken seriously, within academic spaces and far beyond them.
We are interested in work that interrogates power, challenges what is treated as neutral, and makes space for lesbian thought on its own terms.
Writing should remain readable and accessible. Dense academic prose is not required, but arguments should be carefully developed and well evidenced where necessary.
Payment
All selected contributors are paid.
Current rates and publication terms: Payment & Rights →
POLITICS
Reporting and analysis on the laws, movements, institutions, conflicts and structures shaping lesbian life.
Suggested length: 800–1,500 words
POPULAR CULTURE
Film, television, music, media and cultural phenomena examined through a lesbian critical lens.
Suggested length: 700–1,200 words
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Recovering photographs, documents, publications, people and histories that risk being forgotten.
Suggested length: 700–1,500 words
BOOK REVIEW & LITERARY HIGHLIGHT
New books, overlooked texts and lesbian literary history explored through reviews, analysis, literary features and wider editorial coverage.
Suggested length: 600–1,000 words
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Longer-form, accessible research on lesbian history, politics, culture, institutions and lived experience.
Suggested length: 1,500–2,000 words
COUNTRY SPOTLIGHT
A focused look at lesbian history, politics, culture and everyday life through place, movement, migration and local context.
Suggested length: 1,000–2,000 words
A Note on Language
All submissions should be written in English, except for Country Spotlight, which welcomes work in any language. Where possible, selected pieces will be published alongside an English translation. If translation support is needed, get in touch and we will help arrange it.
Reference & Formatting for Written Submissions
Please cite the sources your work draws on. Where relevant, written pieces should include footnotes and a bibliography.
La Lesbienne uses Chicago style. Guidance is available through the linked manual, and you are also welcome to contact us with questions.
Please submit written work as a Word document (.docx)
Please include:
Name
Section you are submitting to
Word count
Short biography (50–100 words)
Links to previous work are welcome but not required.
(double-spaced, 12 pt, in a standard readable font)
Visual Art & Photography
We welcome visual work alongside written contributions, including illustration, photography, collage, painting and other forms of visual practice.
If you have work that you feel belongs within the visual world of La Lesbienne, we want to see it.
Please include:
Name
Title of the work if applicable
Short description
Short biography (50–100 words)
Send the highest-quality files available (300dpi minimum) as JPG or PNG. Final publication specifications can be discussed with selected artists.
CURRENT CALL · Q1 2027 · CLOSES FRI 1 JAN 2027
How to Submit
Send all submissions to: martha@lalesbienne.com
Use the subject line: Submission – [Section] – [Your Name]
Questions? Get in touch at the same address. We read every submission.