A Special Note on Our Submission Calendar:
- The Journal will be open for submissions from September 1st through December 1st, and from February 1st through May 1st. We will be closed for submissions during the summer months.
- We look forward to reading your work!
We are interested in quality fiction, poetry, nonfiction, photo essays, author interviews, and reviews of new books of poetry and prose. We impose no restrictions on category or type of submission for fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but we ask that you notify us of this at the time of submission. Multiple submissions are not accepted and will not be read or responded to; please wait until you receive a response from us before submitting again. Please allow four to six months for a decision.
Contributors to print issues receive a one-year subscription to The Journal and two contributor’s copies, and contributors to online issues receive a one-year subscription. Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to offer monetary payment to our contributors.
Recent contributors, please wait at least one year from when your work appears in The Journal before submitting again.
In order to comply with federal, state, and local laws (including the Ohio Public Records Act), as well as Ohio State policies, communications with The Journal may be required to be disclosed publicly.
Collapse: :Rebuild
On February 3rd 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, dumping 25-33,000 gallons of vinyl chloride. The fear is that toxic chemical exposure will linger in the water, air, and soil. At the time of this publication, the long-term effects of this environmental disaster are unknown: on the land, the people, and the surrounding areas connected by the Ohio River.
Writing in late-stage capitalism invokes two truths. The First: writers exist with the duty to record the effects of neglect and decay. The Second: the writer is subject to a landscape of ongoing crises. The systems we are taught are not the systems we are bound to. We are able to shape alternatives. If a structure demands exploitation, we will rebuild with radical love and community. If a system demands neglect, we will prioritize attention, care for the communities we affect, care for the emissions which shape our breath.
What happened? Where do we go from here? What is on the other side of tragedy? We seek work that excavates, salvages, reverberates; that explores the aftermath of neglect and inaction, the repercussions of fallout; work that emerges from smog. As writers, we record-keep, we re/imagine.
In short, we are interested in writing that collapses and rebuilds—and imagines the space between.
Given the proximity, The Journal will be working closely with climate activists and mutual aid efforts to provide attention & fiscal relief to the inhabitants of East Palestine. However, the theme of this issue extends to all crises of the Anthropocene.
We're calling on our community to support the work of organizers in East Palestine, Ohio, rebuilding and fighting back. Since 2014, River Valley Organizing has been organizing for environmental justice and more, and in the wake of the Norfolk Southern disaster they have been on the ground supporting community members, working with environmental experts and lawyers, and fighting for accountability and answers. You can donate directly to RVO, sign their petition, and share their work with your communities.
Support River Valley Organizing.
Our current issue features fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and artwork from: Sarah Ghazal Ali, Philip Metres, Su Hwang, Ruth Joffre, Kelly Sundberg, Anna Hultin, and many more.