## Background The Rumpus launched in 2009 in San Francisco as an online magazine of culture and literature, quickly building a devoted readership around its candid, conversational voice — most famously through Cheryl Strayed's "Dear Sugar" advice column, which ran anonymously on the site before Strayed's identity was revealed and the column became the basis for her book Tiny Beautiful Things. As a primarily web-native publication, The Rumpus has always had a lower barrier to entry and faster publication cycle than print quarterlies, while still maintaining real editorial standards and a strong reputation for personal essay and voice-driven nonfiction, alongside fiction, poetry, comics, and criticism. In May 2025, the magazine was acquired by Roxane Gay and Debbie Millman, who have signaled plans to expand its reach. Because it publishes online rather than in a limited print run, The Rumpus can accept and feature more writers per year than a quarterly with a fixed number of issue slots, making it a solid, realistic outlet for a writer with some pieces already under their belt looking to build a broader publication history. ## Submissions - Accepts fiction, poetry, essays, comics, criticism, and interviews. - Submitted via Submittable; only categories currently open for submissions are shown. - Essays: up to 5,000 words, favoring personal, voice-driven, or non-traditional nonfiction. - Work must be previously unpublished, including on personal blogs, websites, or social media. - Submit as a Microsoft Word file. - Pays $500 for prose and comics, $200 for poetry. Full guidelines and submission manager: [therumpus.submittable.com/submit](https://therumpus.submittable.com/submit) About: [therumpus.net/about](https://therumpus.net/about/)