Submissions for 2026 are open through 11.07.26.
The Old Scratch Press team asks that all fiction/non-fiction pieces adhere to a word count of 500 words or less.
GENERAL:
We’re looking for flash prose (up to 500 words) fiction and nonfiction, as well as poetry, drama, visual art, and multi-media submissions. Deadline: March 15th.
When you send in your submission, as you should with any submission, the piece should be polished and complete with no grammar mistakes and no misspellings.
Please don’t use AI to make your submission.
YES! Do look at the magazine. We have unusual covers, great writing and art, and we always submit to Best of the Net & Pushcart.
All work must be original and must belong to the author. Works that have been previously published will not be considered. Stories must be complete and self-contained (i.e., do not submit chapters of a larger work). NOTE: Accepted works will be published as submitted without editing; as such, in addition to the originality of the work itself, we are looking for manuscripts that are clean and press ready. Be sure to review your grammar, spelling, tenses, proper punctuation, and other general rules of the written word before hitting “Send.”
Please include a brief bio (0-200 words, with links) to be included on the contributors’ page of the magazine if your work is chosen. Feel free to use AI to write, edit, or tighten up your bio.
We will potentially follow up each issue with a live Zoom reading if authors are interested.
Topics/themes for 2026
PLANES, BOATS, CARS, TRAINS Maybe you love to travel or maybe you like to stay at home, but when you venture out— what kind of transportation takes you on your journey? Are you invigorated by the open water, frantic following road signs, anonymous on a plane, or comforted by the train station whistle? In the process of getting to your destination, how did the vehicle you’re traveling in affect the outcome?
Submissions close March 15, 2026; the issue will publish MAY 1, 2026.
AL DENTE In cooking, pasta or risotto al dente (/ælˈdɛnteɪ/, Italian: [al ˈdɛnte]; lit. ’to the tooth’) is cooked to be firm to the bite, requiring a brief cooking time. The term also extends to firmly-cooked vegetables. In contemporary Italian cooking, it is considered to be the ideal consistency for pasta.
What does al dente mean to you? To your neighborhood vampire it probably means something different. How about to the prospector mining gold?
Send us something that you haven’t overcooked!
Submissions close on July 5, 2026; the issue publishes SEPTEMBER 1, 2026.
AUTHOR’S/ARTIST’S CHOICE! For our last issue of the year, you can choose any theme you want.
Try writing a story about yourself, something you observed, or something entirely imaginary. Create a video, a picture, even combine two mediums.
Submissions close NOVEMBER 7, 2026; the issue publishes DECEMBER 1, 2026.
Please CLICK HERE to submit:
INSTANT NOODLES IS CURATED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE
OLD SCRATCH PRESS COLLECTIVE
Covers designed by David Yurkovich and Dianne Pearce of Current Words Publishing.
Welcome to INSTANT NOODLES, the online literary magazine sponsored by CURRENT WORDS PUBLISHING and curated by OLD SCRATCH PRESS (OSP).
VISION
To expand the opportunities available to authors by providing a digital platform to showcase short works of fiction/flash fiction, memoir, creative non-fiction, visual art, media art, and poetry.
MISSION
To support creators in their publishing journey, whether they are new established by offering a quality place to be published that is free to submit to and free to read/view.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Please note:
Profanity should appear in the piece because it adds to the impact or authenticity of the piece.
No hate: nothing that disparages people for things they cannot help like weight, gender, sexual orientation, pronouns, etc. This is not the place to complain that you don’t like something, and we will not publish anything that does that.
If your piece is off-topic it will not be accepted no matter how wonderful it is. Please be mindful of the themes. Same goes for length. Please be mindful of word counts/length for videos, etc. as they are indicated in the call.
We do not discuss why pieces are, or are not, accepted. If your piece is not chosen we simply state: This is not the piece we are looking for at this time.
Know your publication: you will do better submitting to Instant Noodles if you have read a recent issue.
INSTANT NOODLES is always FREE to read and to submit. Many people volunteer their time to put it together, and those chosen are not paid for their submissions, but we do submit to Pushcart and Best of the Net awards annually.
Submissions must adhere to the following guidelines: All work must be original and must belong to the author. Works that have been previously published will not be considered. Stories must be complete and self-contained (i.e., do not submit chapters of a larger work). NOTE: Accepted works will be published as submitted without editing; as such, in addition to the originality of the work itself, we are looking for manuscripts that are clean and press ready. Be sure to review your grammar, spelling, tenses, proper punctuation, and other general rules of the written word before hitting “Send.” Work should be submitted through Duotrope as a Microsoft Word file (when it is poetry, drama, NF or fiction) as 12-point New Times Roman, double-spaced (single-spaced for poetry submissions). All other types of work have details as to their file types on the Duotrope page.
OSP will notify authors approximately 1 month prior to the scheduled publication date as to whether their submission will be published.
WHY WAS MY WORK NOT CHOSEN?
- INSTANT NOODLES is put out into the world by a very collaborative publishing crew. We believe a rising tide lifts all boats. Often we will mention an author’s publications, or awards, in one of our blogs or newsletters, even if the work was not published by us. Authors who are unwilling to have us talk about them or reference their work, or authors who refuse to acknowledge us as their publisher, will not be published by us.
- Other reasons for not being chosen may include:
- The piece was off-topic (this is the #1 reason work is dismissed)
- The piece was inconsistent with our values (anti-LGBTQI+, anti-woman, racist, bigoted, etc.)
- The piece had inappropriate content for this magazine (violence or x-rated material that the editor, in her wisdom, or the group editors, in their wisdom, felt was gratuitous)
- The piece was poorly edited or proofread
- The piece was previously published
- The piece contains song lyrics that you did not write or images that you did not create, or other stuff that does not belong to, was not created by, you
- The piece was not especially fresh, interesting, or surprising writing: the IN editor has a wealth of reading experience and is looking for writing that has that something special….
We LOVE to nominate our authors from INSTANT NOODLES for Pushcart and Best of the Net!
INSTANT NOODLES: Free for authors. Free for readers.
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