About Tiny Lights

Tiny Lights began in 1995 as a personal essay contest. Fifty adventurous writers paid the $5 entry fee, which barely covered the $245 I offered as prize money. I then made 150 copies of the six-page journal and mailed them to everyone I could think of. To my relief and delight, the world responded with money as well as encouragement. I ended up with just enough to cover the remaining costs, and the inspiration to put out another issue six months later.

And that's pretty much the way it's been ever since. Twice a year, I exhaust my modest resources. Each time, they are replenished with just enough to spare. I've come to expect this biannual miracle. Tiny Lights continues to grow. We have doubled in size and tripled our mailing list.

Tiny Lights continues to generate new marvels. In May 2000, we began publishing Lights Online, featuring material that can only be found on the Internet. In August 2002, we launched a writer’s exchange called Searchlights & Signal Flares. October of 2003 brought Flash in the Pan, a column for those otherwise unclassifiable nuggets of literary gold.

I hope you will join us on a regular basis, as a subscriber to the hard copy edition as well as for visits in cyberspace. Help us keep the lights on.

Susan Bono, Editor-in-Chief

Subscription and Submission Information

Subscriptions: $10 per year (3 issues plus additional mailings). Current issues: $5 each. Back issues: $3 each.

Checks can be made payable to Tiny Lights Publications P.O. Box 928 Petaluma, CA 94953

Regarding Unsolicited Manuscripts: At present, we are only able to consider material submitted to the annual essay contest. Stay tuned for possible changes to this policy. See Contest page for details.