The Apothecary publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. Please see specific genre guidelines below and submit your piece(s) to the appropriate category.

We accept submissions from any human in any pocket of the world, but we give preference to patients, caregivers, faculty, staff, and students affiliated with the Mount Sinai Health System.

We accept submissions from February 1 to May 1.  We attempt to respond to submissions within three months.

Patient Privacy Notice

Please maintain patient privacy and confidentiality at all times. Do not use any personal identifiers in your writing. For further guidance, contributors should review the guidelines in the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). We highly encourage contributors to seek permission before submitting stories involving patients and to fictionalize or change identifiable information whenever possible to maintain patient privacy and confidentiality.

General Submission Guidelines

• Submit your work through our Google Forms. Only submissions through the form will be reviewed.
• Written submissions should be typed (12 point font and 1-inch margins) and attached as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file.
• Visual art submissions should be sent as .jpg or .png format only.
• In addition to your name and email, we ask for a short artist statement that could include any salient information about you or your piece.
• Do not include your name or other identifying factors in your submission; editors review submissions blindly.
• Upon acceptance, artists will be asked to submit an audio file (.mp3) with a reading of the written piece or oral description of the visual art. This helps us accommodate an audience from all backgrounds.
• We do not accept previously published work.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Please immediately email us (theapothecary.mssm@gmail.com) once your submissions have been accepted elsewhere.

Fiction: Short stories, flash fiction, novel excerpts. Double-spaced. Submissions should be no more than 5,000 words.

Creative Nonfiction: Narratives, personal essays, memoirs, and public commentary. Double-spaced. Submissions should be no more than 5,000 words.

Poetry: Please submit up to 3 poems. Include all poems in one file.

Visual Art: Drawings, illustrations, painting, photography, comics, or other visual mediums. Please send images in, jpg or .png format.

If you have additional questions, please email theapothecary.mssm@gmail.com.