Writers wanted for smart, original Southern humor — professionally written, with a clear point of view and a strong sense of voice.

What We’re Looking For

The Leghorn publishes humor connected to the American South—its people, culture, history, contradictions, traditions, communities, and evolving identity.

We welcome work by Southern writers, as well as writers from outside the region whose work meaningfully engages with Southern life, culture, or perspective. A piece need not take place in the South to belong here, but it should contribute in some way to the broader conversation about Southern experiences, sensibilities, communities, or ways of seeing the world.

For us, Southern humor is less about geography than perspective. We’re interested in humor that reflects the complexity, contradictions, frustrations, joys, and absurdities of Southern life. That may take the form of satire, personal essays, observations, fiction, cartoons, cultural commentary, or something we haven’t seen before.

We are especially interested in work that feels authentic, surprising, and specific. Because depictions of the South often rely on familiar stock characters and regional clichés, we’re drawn to pieces that expand, complicate, or challenge conventional portrayals of Southern life. Show us a South that feels lived-in rather than inherited from television, movies, or secondhand assumptions.

Southern humor has a long tradition of colorful characters, exaggeration, and regional archetypes, and those traditions certainly have their place. However, we’re generally less interested in pieces that rely on familiar stereotypes or clichés as the joke itself. We prefer humor that grows from observation, character, insight, and originality.

We don’t avoid uncomfortable subjects, but we do reject work rooted in ignorance, cruelty, or lazy assumptions. If you grew up in Mississippi and want to make fun of Mississippi, go for it. As the saying goes: nobody makes fun of my family but me.

Political Humor

Political humor is welcome. The South has a long tradition of satire, commentary, and irreverence toward public figures, institutions, and power itself. We enjoy work that uses humor to explore politics, culture, and public life in thoughtful, surprising, and creative ways.

That said, The Leghorn is a humor magazine, not a political advocacy publication. We’re generally less interested in pieces whose primary purpose is to promote a political party, ideology, candidate, or cause, and more interested in pieces that reveal, question, satirize, or illuminate.

A strong political humor piece should succeed as humor first. We value wit, originality, and insight over slogans, outrage, or predictable partisan talking points. Writers of any political persuasion are welcome, provided the work brings more to the conversation than agreement with a particular side.

Diverse Southern Voices

The Leghorn actively encourages submissions from underrepresented Southern communities, including Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, disabled, immigrant, rural, working-class, and other voices that help tell a fuller story of the contemporary South.

Our goal is not to preserve a single vision of Southern humor, but to expand the conversation about what Southern humor can be.

Before submitting, we encourage writers to read About The Leghorn to get a sense of the voice, tone, and editorial vision.

What to Submit

We’re Interested In:

• Essays (600–1000 words)
• Short humor and comic monologues
• Single-panel cartoons
• Reviews (funny, insightful, or both)
• Observational or intellectual humor
• Sharp social or political satire
• Fresh takes on familiar topics
• Southern angles on non-Southern subjects (and vice versa)

We’re Less Interested In:

• Old-style Southern humor (e.g., Hee Haw, cornpone, hillbilly burlesque)
• Satirical news pieces (e.g., The Onion, Babylon Bee)
• Topical humor with a short shelf life
• “You might be a redneck if…”–style jokes
• Punchlines built on outdated or condescending stereotypes
• Work that ridicules the South by flattening it into caricature
• Anything mean-spirited, racist, misogynistic, or anti-LGBTQ+

A rejection doesn’t necessarily mean we disliked your work. Just that it wasn’t the right fit. If we like your voice, we may invite you to submit again.

We occasionally publish political satire, but we’re far more interested in humor that reveals than humor that rants.

How to Submit

We prefer a brief introduction first: a short bio (1–2 sentences) and a short description of your proposed piece. If you have a completed draft ready, you’re welcome to send it.

• Paste written submissions directly in the body of the email
• Please do not send Google Docs, attachments, or links on first contact
• Let us know if the piece has appeared anywhere else, even in another form

We generally do not publish work that has already appeared in full elsewhere (including personal blogs, Substack, Medium, or social media). If you’re unsure whether something counts as previously published, just ask.

Email: editor[at]theleghorn[dot]com
Subject line: SUBMISSION: [Title]

We attempt to respond within two weeks.

Submission Limits & Contributor Guidelines

To keep submissions fair and manageable, we ask that writers follow these general guidelines:

• Please submit no more than three pieces per month
• No more than three submissions under consideration at one time

Submissions that exceed these limits may not be considered.

Contributors

Most writers published in The Leghorn are considered Contributors and submit on a piece-by-piece basis.

Contributors may have no more than one piece published per month, allowing each piece time to be featured and discovered. There is no obligation to submit regularly, and no expectation of ongoing participation. Many contribute occasionally or intermittently, and that is fully expected and valued.

Contributor bios and links appear at the end of each of their published pieces.

Writers

Writers are contributors with whom The Leghorn has an ongoing editorial relationship and reflects a sustained alignment with the magazine’s voice, standards, and goals over time. Writers may be invited to submit more frequently or work more closely with the editor.

Writer status is not a rank, reward, or requirement, and Contributors are not expected to become Writers.

Cartoonists/Illustrators/Digital Artists

We’re interested in:

• Single-panel gag cartoons (New Yorker–style)
• Single panel illustrations or digital art
• Southern-flavored visual humor
• Heavy satire or parody

Please check captions for spelling and clarity. At this time, we do not accept serial strips, character-based comics, or traditional editorial cartoons.

Back Road Stories: Live Comedy in the South

Stand-up comics spend much of their lives on the road, and performing in the South has a way of producing unforgettable moments, sometimes hilarious, sometimes strange.

Back Road Stories is an ongoing feature where comedians share short stories from live performances across the South.

We’re looking for:

• funny stories
• disastrous gigs
• weird crowds
• unexpected moments
• anything that captures the experience of performing live in the South

Keep it concise. Around 150–300 words is ideal.

Please include:

• Your name
• Your current city
• The location of the gig (city/venue if possible)
• The year the story took place
• A headshot (Optional but preferred. Include photo credit if applicable)

Submissions may be lightly edited for clarity and style.

By submitting, you confirm that the story is your own and that you have permission to share any included material.

Payment, Rights & Edits

You retain full rights to your work. Upon acceptance, you grant The Leghorn the right to publish and promote your piece and include it in future digital or print collections.

We do not currently pay, but this is our goal. We’re happy to include donation links (PayPal, Ko-Fi, Patreon, etc.) on Writer’s published works.

Minor edits may be made for clarity or typos. Larger edits will be discussed.

AI Use

AI tools may be used for brainstorming, organizing, or editing. We do not accept AI-generated or AI-written pieces.