Call for Submissions: Indiana Review

 

Indiana Review accepts general submissions of unpublished fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from February 1–March 31 and from September 1–October 31. Send us your best "carefully strange" work!

Please view our full guidelines and submit on Submittable.

We do not accept unsolicited email submissions. We do not accept submissions of artwork nor book reviews.

We strongly encourage you to submit through Submittable. If you are unable to do so, you may mail your manuscript to our office at:

Indiana Review 

1020 E. Kirkwood Ave.

Bloomington, IN 47405

All mailed submissions should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and a check with the $3 submission fee made out to Indiana University. We welcome no-fee submissions from incarcerated writers.

We cannot consider work from anyone currently or recently affiliated with Indiana University, which includes those who have studied at or worked for IU in the past 4 years.

If our submission fee presents a hardship to you for any reason, please email us at:

inreview@iu.edu

to request a fee waiver.

Publishing Details

Indiana Review is published biannually, usually in May and December. We publish about 6–8 stories, 40–60 pages of poetry, and 4–6 nonfiction pieces per issue, as well as occasional art inserts and special folios. We are able to accept less than half of 1% of work submitted. Payment for publication is $5.00 per page ($25.00 minimum) and two contributor copies of the issue in which the work appears. Rights revert to author upon publication, but we ask that Indiana Review be credited if the work is republished elsewhere.

Withdrawing a Submission

If you have submitted a simultaneous submission that is accepted elsewhere or have another reason to withdraw your submission, please withdraw through Submittable. If you need to withdraw a single work from a submission containing multiple pieces, please use Submittable's "Message" feature to send us a message detailing which piece(s) should be withdrawn. We are unable to refund submission fees in the event of a withdrawal.

Call for Submissions: Four Way Review

 

Four Way Review accepts poetry and fiction from both established and emerging authors. We look for work that demonstrates fine attention to craft while retaining a powerful and compelling voice. We want writing that showcases the imagination's unique ability to refine the raw materials of human experience.

We encourage submissions from diverse voices.

Unsolicited submissions are considered year-round. Before submitting, please see our latest issue and ensure your work is a good fit. Please wait to hear back from us before submitting again.

We accept .pdf (preferred), .doc, and .docx. You may also include a cover letter with your contact information and a brief bio in the "comments" box. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please note this in your cover letter and let us know immediately if a piece is accepted somewhere else. Due to a high volume of submissions, we cannot respond individually to withdrawal requests.

In order to offer our writers a small honorarium, we now charge a small submission fee of $3 for part of the year. In January, April, August and November, all submissions are fee-free. During these months, we might close submissions for one or more genres, should the submission maximum be reached. This is done to ensure that our readers are able to read and respond to each submission in a timely manner.

Poetry

— We are interested in all styles and forms of poetry.

— We ask that writers submit poetry no more than three times per year, with three to five poems in a single submission.

— Please email us to withdraw individual poems.

Fiction

— We're looking for finished stories that are both whole and surprising.

— Keep longer submissions below 6,000 words. Submit only one piece at a time and no more than three pieces a year.

— Short shorts should be under 1,000 words. You may submit up to three flash pieces in one submission.

Translation

— We are interested in all styles and forms of writing in translation.

— We ask that writers submit work no more than three times a year, adhering to our guidelines for poetry, fiction and nonfiction (i.e., no more than three to five poems in a single submission and keeping prose below 6,000 words).
— If possible, please include the original piece with your translated submission.

— Please confirm that you have obtained permission, either from author or rights holder, to publish the translation.

Creative Nonfiction

— We're looking for pieces that surprise us, pieces that push at the corners of the form.

— Keep longer submissions below 6,000 words. Submit only one piece at a time and no more than three pieces a year.

— We do accept flash nonfiction. These should be under 1,000 words. You may submit up to three flash pieces in one submission.

All submissions must be previously unpublished. We request first North America serial rights for any work that we accept. All rights revert to the author upon publication, though we ask that you acknowledge Four Way Review if the work is published elsewhere.

You can withdraw your work using our submissions manager. To withdraw part of a submission, email us at:

fourwayreview (at) gmail [dot] com (Change (at) to @ and [dot] to . )

We try to respond within 90 days. Please note that our submissions manager is separate from the manager for Four Way Books. We will not respond to manuscript submissions.

We accept submissions through our online submissions manager. Unsolicited email submissions will be discarded unread.

THE BASICS

Submit through our Submissions Manager

Up to 5 poems or 6,000 words

We'll respond within 90 days

Call for Submissions: Bellevue Literary Review

 

Bellevue Literary Review seeks high-caliber, unpublished work, broadly and creatively related to our themes of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body. We encourage you to read BLR before you submit.

BLR general submissions are OPEN through December 31.

Fiction/nonfiction word max is 5,000 words (though most of our published prose is in the range of 2,000-4,000 words).

• Fiction: We seek character-driven fiction with original voices and strong settings. We do not publish genre fiction (romance, sci-fi, horror). We have only occasionally published flash fiction. While we are always interested in creative explorations in style, we do lean toward classic short stories.

• Nonfiction: We are looking for essays that reach beyond the standard ‘illness narrative’ to develop a topic in an engaging and original manner. Incorporate engaging and creative analysis that allows anecdotes to serve a larger purpose. (Please, no academic discourses or works with footnotes. )

• Poetry: We encourage poems that are accessible to a wide audience. Characteristics we look for are vivid writing, strong narrative, and rendering the familiar new. We encourage you to peruse back issues in our archive to get a sense of our ethos. Please submit no more than three poems. Each poem should be on a separate page within a single document.

We happily consider simultaneous submissions, but please inform us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.

Manuscripts can only be accepted electronically via Submittable.

Fiction and nonfiction should not exceed 5,000 words (double-spaced, please). Most of our published prose is in the range of 2,500-4,000 words, which allows us to publish more authors.

You may submit up to three poems as one submission. Each poem should be on a separate page within a single document. Poems can be of any length, though shorter poems allow us to include more poets in our pages.

There is a $5 fee per general submission but it’s waived for current subscribers. (If you are not a current subscriber, you can subscribe when you submit your work and take advantage of free submission.) These fees help BLR fund publication of the journal, but if it’s a hardship for you, please contact us.

We strive to provide several reviewers for each manuscript and kindly ask your patience in this necessarily slow process. But if you have not heard from us within five months, feel free to inquire about your manuscript.

BLR pays $75 for poetry and $150 for prose. Published authors will receive two copies of the issue in which their work appears, plus an additional 1-year subscription to BLR. There is an author discount for purchasing extra copies.

All submissions must be of previously unpublished work.* BLR acquires First North American rights, and the right to reprint in anthologies and online. After publication, all other rights revert to the author and the work may be reprinted as long as appropriate acknowledgement to BLR is made.

(*For BLR, “published work” means published in print in North America, or published on the Internet in electronic journals, e-zines, academic websites, and other “public” or “official” websites. Works posted on personal blogs or websites will be considered on a case-by-case basis. We ask that authors be honest about web postings. If a work is discovered to have been posted or published elsewhere–and not openly acknowledged by the author in advance–we will remove it from consideration.) 

More information and submission links here.

Call for Submissions: The War Cry

 

The War Cry represents the Army’s mission through news, profiles, commentaries and stories. It looks to bring people to Christ, help believers grow in faith and character, and promotes redemptive cultural practices from the perspective of Salvation Army programs, ministries and doctrines. Readership consists of those in and involved with The Salvation Army as well as the general public. It is distributed in bulk to Salvation Army locations for use in ministry, and to individual subscribers. Published 12 times per year, with special issues at Christmas and Easter. The average circulation is 185,000 copies monthly, 1.7 million at Christmas and 1 million at Easter.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Please use our online submission form.

WHAT TO SUBMIT

• Articles

• Reprints

• Photographs (600 dpi)

• Single Strip Comics

• News

• Non-Fiction

• Fiction (Limited)

• Use New Living Translation

PAYMENT

Payment made at time of acceptance • $0.35 per word for first rights, one-time use articles • $0.15 per word for reprints.

SUBJECTS OF INTEREST

• Christian Growth

• Evangelism

• Personal Witness

• Mental Health

• Salvation Army History

• Biblical Principles, such as grace, hope, faith, integrity, perseverance, etc.

• Personal Growth, such as authenticity, identity in Christ, leadership, service and volunteerism.

• Articles related to the Salvation Army’s mission of preaching the Gospel and helping people in need, and articles that portray Salvation Army personnel & programs.

• We look for submissions that address contemporary topics and concerns in ways that inspire people to grow in faith.

• We welcome well-researched articles that help individuals and families live victoriously within the context of modern life (marriage, parenting, stress, loss, personal growth).

• Profiles of people and programs that are making a positive impact for the gospel.

• Articles should show by example and by careful research why the given topic, profile, or feature is meaningful for readers and how it can improve their lives.

We welcome submissions on a variety of topics. We have listed some examples of subjects of interest, but submissions are not limited to these themes.

OTHER

• Submit articles for a particular theme 60 days prior to the issue date. Please limit these submissions to 800 – 1250 words.

• Special Christmas and Easter Holiday editions focus on the meaning of the seasons, and include riveting accounts of spiritual rebirth. Submit 6 months prior to the publication of these issues.

• Photos accompanying submissions, where appropriate, make submissions more compelling.

• Brief news items and sidebar pieces also accepted. Please limit these submissions to 100 – 400 words.

• Response time for approval 3 to 4 weeks

Writing Competition: American Poetry Journal's Micro E-Chapbook Series

The Submission Period for APJ's Micro E-Chapbook Series Will Run From September 1-30, 2025, for a 2026 Online Publication

APJ's first micro e-chapbook open reading period will seek manuscripts of 10 poems (not including front and back matter), if submitting poetry only, or 15 pages (not including front and back matter), if submitting hybrid work, which may include poetry, art (including full-color images), and audio, which may include mp3's of poems and/or music/sound. Individual work from the manuscript may have been published previously in magazines but not books or chapbooks. The collection as a whole must be unpublished.

Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Please let us know immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept translations, but we’d love to see collaborations. Please submit only one manuscript during the open reading period. All entries will be read by APJ staff. Manuscripts that do not adhere to these guidelines will not be read, and APJ cannot refund your submission fee. Please email:

apjpoetry2@gmail.com 

if you have any questions.

Submit no matter your race, color, religion, national origin/citizenship status, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or disability. Please no inappropriate or offensive work, and no generative AI. APJ understands that work using Natural Language Processing tools (like predictive or corrective AI found in Google Docs, MicroSoft Word, Grammarly etc.) to check for spelling/grammar is fine. However, we ask that all submissions do not use generative AI tools (like ChatGPT, Bard, GrammerlyGo or the likes) to draft or compose/create any pieces submitted to APJ.

All submissions should be through Duosuma; please click on the Duosuma button when ready to submit. You do not need to subscribe to Duotrope to submit, but you do need to sign up for a Duotrope account. It's free to sign up. Please include a 50-word third-person bio with a short cover note. Poetry manuscripts should be submitted in a single .doc, .docx, or PDF file—please do not submit using OneDrive or Google Docs. Hybrid work should be submitted as a full-manuscript pdf, including images. If your manuscript is chosen, you'll be asked to send us high res .jpeg (.jpg) or .png files. If your manuscript includes the reading of poems or other sounds or music, send the manuscript as stated above, and all audio submit through the Google Drive submission feature in Duosuma. Unfortunately, we are not open to email or post submissions for our micro e-chapbook series.

​We aim to reply within 2 months of receipt. Please query us if it’s been longer than 2 months.

As the creator of the work, you retain copyright upon publication, you agree to grant APJ first serial/electronic rights as well as electronic archival rights. You also agree that if the work is published subsequently (online or in print), APJ will be credited.

​​​The submission fee is $4 to cover submission management and poet staff honoraria. This fee will also pay $75 to the selected poet/collaborators (if more than one, to be split equally). The submission cap will be 150 submissions. ​One or Two manuscripts will be selected to be published online at APJ in beginning-to-mid-2026.

Entry link here. 

Call for Submissions: Ploughshares

The Regular Reading Period is open!

We welcome unsolicited submissions of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction during our Regular Reading Period, open from June 1 to January 15 at 12:00pm EST. Ploughshares is published four times a year: blended poetry and prose issues in the winter and spring, a prose issue in the summer, and a special longform issue in the fall. Our spring and summer issues are guest-edited by different writers of prominence.

Guest editors are invited to solicit up to half of their issues, with the other half selected from manuscripts submitted to the journal and screened for them by staff editors. This guest editor policy, which we have used since our founding in 1971, is designed to introduce readers to different literary circles and tastes, and to offer a fuller representation of the range and diversity of contemporary letters than would be possible with a single editorship.

Manuscript Guidelines

For our regular submission period, please submit up to 6,500 words of prose, and 3-5 pages of poetry, with each poem starting on a new page. Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained and within the word limit. The editors are particularly interested in translation submissions, as long as permission has been granted by the original author, or, in the case of deceased poets and writers, from the copyright holder or estate.

If you are submitting to our Fall Longform issue, we accept prose submissions up to 15,000 words and poetry submissions between 6-10 pages. We define longform poetry as a single long poem, variations on the epic poem, or a sequential poem such as a crown of sonnets or numbered series. Longform poetry does not include a series of poems with related themes or titles; rather, we are looking for cohesive sequences that do not stand alone. We welcome narrative, lyric, formally inventive, and hybrid work. Please note that we cannot print in color at this time.

Authors should wait one year after their most recent publication in Ploughshares before they submit again. Please note that past Longform issue contributors may not be published again in a future Longform issue.

When formatting your manuscript, we prefer the following:

• Typed, double-spaced pages (single-spacing is welcome for poetry).

• Numbered pages with the author’s name and email address at the top of each page.

• If in hard copy, submit with text on one side of the page.

• We do not consider: Unsolicited book reviews and criticism.

• Previously published work. If your submission is part of a forthcoming book, let us know in your cover letter and the expected publication date.

• Work written by individuals currently affiliated with Ploughshares or Emerson College as a volunteer screener, intern, student, staff member, or faculty member.

• AI-generated manuscripts.

We cannot accommodate revisions after a manuscript has been submitted. If your work is accepted, you will have the opportunity to provide a revision before it is published.

Payment is upon publication:

• $45/printed page, $90 minimum per title, $450 maximum per author.

• Two contributor copies of the issue.

• A discounted rate for additional contributor copies.

• A one-year subscription.

Simultaneous vs. Multiple Submissions

We do not consider multiple submissions, so please send only one manuscript in one genre at a time. Simultaneous submissions to other journals are welcome as long as they are identified as such and we are notified immediately upon acceptance elsewhere.

Submit your work here. 

Call for Submissions: The MacGuffin

The MacGuffin is a triannually-published, print lit mag based out of Schoolcraft College. Here are our general submission guidelines. You can find genre specific guidelines in each form. We do not accept work that has been previously published in print or online. Do not send revisions unless our editors have requested them. If there's a mistake with your submission, please send us a message or email macguffin@schoolcraft.edu instead of withdrawing. Authors who include material under copyright in their work are responsible for receiving permission to use that copyrighted material before the magazine goes to print. No cover letters are required. The information you include in the Submittable form will suffice. We accept simultaneous submissions if informed. We expect prompt notification if the work is accepted elsewhere. Manuscripts may be withdrawn until we send an acceptance notification to you. All withdrawals must come through Submittable, not email. We do not consider translations. All files must be sent as a .docx. We will not make any edits to your submission without informing you first. Authors whose work is accepted will receive galley proofs before publication. Please use Times New Roman 12 pt. For work that requires specific spacing/formatting, use Palatino or Book Antiqua. The MacGuffin is published by Schoolcraft College. Upon publication, all publishing rights revert back to the author. Contributors receive two copies. Submit your work here.   Deadline: June 30, 2026