Call for Submissions: The Ampersand Review

 

The Ampersand Review is a literary magazine published by Sheridan College’s Honours Bachelor of Creative Writing & Publishing program.

The Ampersand Review accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, and reviews. We seek to publish literary works of the highest quality. To us, this means work that engages thoughtfully with its subject matter and displays formal excellence and innovation.

We welcome literary works in any genre or form, and from writers of all backgrounds and identities. We’d love to hear from voices who haven’t been heard before and we are committed to providing a platform that meaningfully publishes stories, ideas, and opinions yet to be shared.

In keeping with our mandate to foster literary culture in communities within Canada, priority may be given to submissions written by those who reside in Canada.

 GENERAL GUIDELINES

Our reading period for Issue #6 runs from December 1st 2023-January 31st, 2024. If your work is still under consideration, please do not submit again until you’ve received a response. We will not be able to consider multiple submissions from one author; please only submit one submission in a single genre per reading period.

The following submissions will not be read:

· Submissions sent while a previous submission is still being considered.

· Mail submissions.

· Submissions sent outside of our reading period.

· Submissions that blatantly disregard our guidelines.

· Submissions generated (wholly, or in part) by AI.

We accept only previously unpublished work. Simultaneous submissions are accepted but we kindly ask that you notify us immediately if any part of your submission has been accepted elsewhere.

Please note that we do not consider or publish work written by current students, staff, and faculty at Sheridan College.

PREPARING YOUR SUBMISSION

Please submit one file containing your work to:

ampersandreview@sheridancollege.ca

that includes your name and the genre of your work in its title (i.e., JohnDoe_Poetry.doc). Acceptable file formats include .doc, .docx, and .pdf.

We also ask that you provide a cover letter in a separate document that includes the following information:

· A brief introduction including publishing history and preferred pronouns.

· The genre, title, and word count of your submission.

· All relevant contact information: full mailing address, email address, and phone number.

· A brief, third-person bio.

Poetry

• Poetry submissions should not exceed five poems.

• Please submit a PDF in addition to your word document if your poem makes use of atypical formatting. Use the space bar, not Word tabs, to space your poems.

Fiction

• For short fiction, submit only one piece to a recommended maximum of 4000 words.

• For flash fiction, submit no more than three pieces to a maximum of 3000 words.

Non-Fiction

• We accept polished drafts of essays and memoir as well as standalone excerpts.

• Submit only one piece at a time to a recommended maximum of 4000 words.

Reviews

• We accept pitches for creative book reviews. These pitches should include the book title, author, and publisher. It should also be noted that we prioritize titles that have been published within six months of the submission period, and that all titles must be released within the calendar year of said period.

• If your pitch is selected, you will be asked to write a review that should not exceed 2000 words.

Please address your pitch reviews to:

Owen Percy, our Reviews Editor,

that states the title, genre, and publisher of the book you wish to review.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We aim to respond to all submissions within four months. If you haven’t heard from us by then, please query via email.

The Ampersand Review buys first North American serial and limited, non-exclusive digital rights for all accepted submissions. All rights revert to the author at the time of publication.

Payment rates are as follows:

• Poetry: $50 per poem/page to a maximum of $100.
•  Fiction: $100 per story.
• Non-fiction: $100 per piece.
•  Reviews: $100 per piece.

 Thank you for reading our guidelines. Please query at:

ampersandreview@sheridancollege.ca