We’re not here for the spotlight.
We’re here for the words. The wounds. The things that echo long after the page.

After/Thought Literary is run by a small, anonymous editorial committee—a collective of five writers, artists, and readers who care deeply about work that doesn’t quite belong anywhere else. We come from different places, different schools of thought, different corners of the literary world. What unites us is the belief that good writing doesn’t whisper—it lingers.

We read every submission, together. Each piece is considered in full, discussed, and voted on. There are no solo decisions here. No rubber stamps. No reading quotas. Just five human beings wrestling with language, feeling, form—and asking ourselves what sticks.

We choose anonymity deliberately. Not to obscure, but to de-center. To keep this about the work, not about us. In a world obsessed with credentials, bios, and Twitter followings, we wanted to create a space where none of that matters. Just the words. Just the gut-punch. Just the afterthought that won’t go away.

You don’t need our names to know we care.

You need your voice. Your strange. Your truth.

Send it.

—The Editors
After/Thought Literary