SUBMISSIONS
Issue 10 is closed for submissions. Check back Spring 2025 to submit to Issue 11!
Guidelines
Any undergraduate University of Arkansas student at any campus in the UARK system, regardless of major, is welcome to submit in any genre. All submissions should be emailed to litmag@uark.edu to be considered for publication. There is no theme for Issue 10, so send us all of your work!
We are looking for fiction, poetry, and visual art. You may submit one (1) separate submission packet for each category. Check guidelines for each category below. Any submission that does not follow guidelines and formatting will not be considered.
AI Policy: We refuse any submissions that have used any form of artificial intelligence in their creation, no exceptions.
Republishing and Solicited Submissions: We are open to unsolicited and solicited submissions, meaning you do not need a request from us to send your work in. Submissions that have been previously published (including personal websites and blogs) will not be accepted.
Simultaneous Submissions: We are open to simultaneous submissions (meaning you are submitting some or all of your pieces to other magazines at the same time); however, editors must be informed immediately if any of your submissions are accepted elsewhere.
Cover Letter: A cover letter allows us to properly categorize your works and reach back out to you about acceptances/rejections. All submissions must have a cover letter. You must have a cover letter for each category you are submitting to (though you can copy information like the creator biography). Cover letters must have the following information:
•Name
•Student ID Number
•Student Email Address
•Word Count of Entry
•Genre of Entry (Flash, Prose, Poetry, Visual Art, etc.)
•Medium of Art (only for Visual Art pieces)
•Title of Entry
•Brief Description of Author (max. 250 words)
Formatting: No identifying information of the author (you) should appear anywhere in your submission packet other than your cover letter. This is because we review submissions blindly to avoid bias.
We also ask that your packet be in a legible, serif, 12-point font (such as Times New Roman) and that your work be double-spaced (though that can be more loose for poetry).
Acceptances
Our submission deadline is October 4th at midnight. You will receive a rejection or acceptance email no sooner than October 17th. Due to time constraints, we may not be able to offer personal feedback.
As a student-run, class-based magazine, we do not offer payment for acceptances.
Fiction
We are looking for writing that takes itself seriously in craft while telling new stories (or old stories in new ways). We love diverse perspectives, voices, and styles. More than anything, we want standalone short stories and flash fiction that makes us feel something.
Fiction has no minimum word count, but we do have a max word count at 3,000 words. You are welcome to submit multiple pieces, but we do try and prioritize publishing a variety of authors.
Entries will be judged on style, content, and originality. Spelling and grammar will be considered; as we do not have time to editorialize or request revisions, we ask your work is polished.
Non-Fiction
Like fiction, we want non-fiction that takes itself seriously in craft while telling meaningful stories – even if its meaning is just to entertain.
There is no minimum word count, though we do have a limit of 3,000 words.
Entries will be judged fairly and equally based on style, content, and originality. Spelling and grammar will be weighed seriously and impactfully; thus, we ask that you send polished work. We do not have time to editorialize or request revisions, so what you send will be what gets published.
Drama
We are looking for scene scripts that are self-contained, enjoyable to read, and genuine. They can be comedic or tragic, written after a playwright’s style, or written in a way where it could never be done on stage; we just want it to read well.
Drama submissions should not exceed 3,000 words and up to two pieces can be submitted per author.
Entries will be judged fairly and equally based on style, content, and originality. Spelling and grammar will be weighed, thus we ask you to send polished work. We do not have time to editorialize or request revisions, so what you send will be what gets published.
Poetry
We ask for honest poetry. Whether it is poetry that experiments with form and style, or poetry that sticks to traditional styles, the poems must feel real and genuine. Poetry can cut to the quick of life; embrace that aspect!
You can submit up to three pieces in your poetry packet. The total packet should not exceed 12 double-spaced pages.
Entries will be judged fairly and equally based on style, content, and originality. Spelling and grammar will be weighed, thus we ask you to send polished work (though we are aware that poetry frequently plays with grammar and formatting rules). We do not have time to editorialize or request revisions, so what you send will be what gets published.
Visual Art
We are looking for visual pieces that evoke something; joy, sorrow, nostalgia, we want it all. We accept any form of medium, as long as they follow our specific rules and formatting guidelines.
Each submitter can send a maximum of five (5) entries. All entries must include a coversheet indicating the title and dimensions of the original piece, as well as the medium used. Please do not leave your pieces untitled.
All entries must be at least 8.5″ by 5.5″, 300dpi, and submitted as .png, .jpg, or .pdf files. All entries must be completely original. No copyrighted, restricted, or creative commons licensed designs can be featured.
Photography: Digital and film photographs are welcome. We want no borders, recognizable logos, or trademarks. Unintentional image grain, noise, dust, or any other distracting elements should be cleaned up prior to submission (we recommend NeatImage, NoiseNinja, or Adobe Photoshop!).
Subject must be clear, in focus, and well lit. The Shout should be well-composed, white-balanced, and properly exposed. We caution against compact digital cameras due to their lack of high compressions. We recommend the use of a DSLR camera or high-quality scanned negatives.
We ask that a high resolution, well-exposed photo on a white-black background or scan must be provided.
Paintings, Drawings, Illustrations, Sequential Art: We want no borders and no recognizable people without including a copy of the model release. No copyrighted characters. Sequential Art must be original content.
A high resolution, well-exposed photo on a white-black background or scan must be provided.
Sculpture: A well composed, well-lit, properly exposed, and white-balanced photo must be provided. Sculpture work must be captured against a plain, solid color background (preferably white).
Graphic Novels/Comics: A high-quality scan in .jpg or a PDF must be provided. Graphic novels/comics will first be judged for visual design, then for prose/poetry, depending on the work.