Each issue of Orchard Letters brings together diverse forms and voices—academic papers alongside short fiction, film criticism beside poetry, visual art in conversation with theory.
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Browse our archive to discover writing that refuses to stay in its lane.
We want your best work—the piece you’ve revised until your eyes blur, the argument you’re half-afraid to make, the story that won’t leave you alone.
Literary Essays & Criticism: 2,000-8,000 words. Bring us close readings that reveal something genuinely new, cultural criticism that avoids cant, personal essays that earn their intimacy.
Academic Papers: 4,000-10,000 words. Scholarship that speaks to readers beyond your subfield. We value rigor, but reject needless obscurity. Make your intervention clear and your stakes evident.
Fiction: Up to 7,000 words. Stories that trust readers to do the work. We’re drawn to precision, restraint, and sentences that lodge in the mind.
Poetry: Up to 5 poems. Work that respects the line, the image, the music of language. Send us poems that demand to be read aloud.
Visual Art & Photography: Submit portfolios of 5-10 pieces with a brief artist’s statement.
Film & Cultural Criticism: 1,500-5,000 words. Write with authority and specificity. Make us see differently.
Translations: Include the original text and a brief note on your approach.
We especially encourage submissions from writers connected to Kashmir—whether by birth, heritage, or deep engagement. Write in English, Urdu, or Kashmiri (with English translation). Your perspective matters here.
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