Every story published on Vocal lives in a community - a topic-specific space where readers who care about that subject come to discover new content. Communities are how Vocal organizes its content and how readers find stories beyond search.

Each community has its own page on Vocal with a distinct name, identity, and focus. Poets is for poetry. Futurism is for science fiction and speculative content. Criminal is for true crime. Vocal's network spans everything from travel and food to mental health and blockchain.

When you visit a community page, you see the stories published there - sorted by recent activity, top stories, and trending content. Readers who love a particular topic browse communities the same way they'd browse a magazine section.

When you submit a story, you choose the community you want it considered for. Our moderation team reviews it and either publishes it in that community or moves it to one that's a better fit.

You don't need to perfectly match your story to a community. If your story genuinely fits more than one, pick the closest match. Moderators will place it correctly.

Any creator with a connected Stripe account can submit to any community. There are no invite-only communities. Vocal's communities are open to free and Vocal+ members alike.

Publishing in a well-trafficked community gets your story in front of readers who are already looking for that type of content. A story in Poets gets seen by people browsing poetry. A story in True Crime gets seen by readers who binge true crime content. The more specific your community fit, the more relevant the audience.

Browse Vocal's communities to find where your content belongs.