The Diamond Line

The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Literary Magazine

  SUBMISSIONS

Issue 8 is closed to submissions, but check back in next semester for Issue 9!

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 8, so send us all of your work!

We are looking for fiction, poetry, and visual art. You can 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.

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 in (though you can copy information like the creator biography). Cover letters must have the following information:
•Name
•Address
•Phone Number
•Student ID Number
•Email Address
•Word Count of Entry
•Genre of Entry (Flash, Prose, Poetry, CNF, 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. Submissions should be sent as .docx files.

We also ask that your packet be in a legible, serif, 12-point font (like Times New Roman), and that your work be double-spaced (though that can be more loose for poetry).

Acceptances

Our submission deadline is October 5th; you will hear from us (rejection or acceptances) no sooner than October 6th. We aim to put out all rejection and acceptance letters by the end of October. Due to time constraints, we cannot offer personal rejections or 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.

Fiction has no minimum word count, and you can submit up to three pieces in your submission packet whose total word count is lower than 5,000 words. For example, you could send two 2,000 word short stories and a 500 word flash fiction.

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 it’s meaning is just to entertain.

There is no minimum word count, and you can submit up to three pieces totaling 5,000 words or less. All the same as Fiction.

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 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 want 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 5,000 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 seriously and impactfully, thus we ask you 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 seriously and impactfully, thus we ask you send polished work. We do not have time to editorialize or request revisions, so what you send will be what gets published.

Visual Art

We want visual pieces that evoke something; joy, sorrow, nostalgia, we want it all. They can be in any form and 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.

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 (except celebrities or public figures) without including a copy of the model release. No copyrighted characters. Sequential Art must be original content.

A high resolution, well-exposed photon 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.