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 shaped by Southern voices, perspectives, or sensibilities. Some pieces focus directly on Southern culture, places, or experiences. Others are written by Southern creators and carry that voice even when the subject is broader. We welcome both.

Southern humor, for us, is less about subject matter than tone, rhythm, and perspective. We’re interested in work that reflects the complexity, contradictions, and surprising beauty of the modern South, its language, characters, heart, and complicated history.

We avoid caricature and cheap shots. We don’t avoid uncomfortable ideas, but we do reject ignorance. 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.

The Leghorn actively encourages submissions from writers in underrepresented Southern communities, including Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, disabled, immigrant, and marginalized voices.

If your piece fits our tone and goals — whether it’s explicitly Southern or simply written from a Southern sensibility — we’re interested in reading it. We aim to publish work that redefines what Southern humor can be.

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

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• Punchlines built on outdated or condescending stereotypes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.

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.