## Background Creative Nonfiction was founded by Lee Gutkind in 1993 (some sources cite 1991) as the first literary magazine devoted exclusively to narrative/creative nonfiction, at a time when the genre had little institutional identity of its own outside fiction and poetry. Gutkind, often called "the godfather of creative nonfiction," used the magazine as a vehicle to define and legitimize the form, and it grew from a small, low-circulation quarterly into a widely respected home for memoir, personal essay, and immersion reportage, with the tagline "true stories, well told." The magazine drew heavily on unsolicited submissions and made a point of publishing at least one previously unpublished writer in most issues, treating the discovery of new nonfiction voices as core to its mission. Accepted essays went through a notably rigorous fact-checking process, with writers asked to provide documentation for their nonfiction claims — an editorial standard that helped cement the magazine's credibility. Creative Nonfiction ceased its regular publishing run in 2022, but its archive remains an influential reference point for the genre, and its brand/organization continues to run related nonfiction programming. ## Submissions - Note: As of 2022, Creative Nonfiction ended its regular magazine publishing run — check the current submissions page for the latest status of any themed calls, contests, or successor programming before submitting new work. - Historically open to all forms of creative nonfiction: immersion reportage, lyric essay, memoir, and personal essay. - Historically drew heavily from unsolicited, open submissions rather than only solicited work. Current submissions page (check for active calls): [creativenonfiction.org/submissions](https://creativenonfiction.org/submissions/)