We are currently accepting submissions for the upcoming issue.
You may submit any time during the year, but it is best to submit between August and February.

Email submissions to dark.river.review@gmail.com.
Attach submission. Include short bio. See below for details.

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We accept submissions from students currently enrolled as undergraduates at two and four year colleges and universities.

We accept poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art.

Upon publication, Dark River Review assumes first serial rights. All rights revert back to contributors upon publication. Authors and artists may re-publish their work elsewhere, provided proper acknowledgment is given to Dark River Review.

Guidelines and Advice:

• Submit a brief third-person bio of no more than fifty words. Include your college/university affiliation. (See examples in our previous issues.) We do not need a cover letter.
• All work must be original and previously unpublished.
• Simultaneous submissions are fine, but let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.
• Submit files with last name, first name, and genre (Smith Robert – Poetry.docx).
• Submit writing as .doc, .docx, or .rtf.
• We reject many otherwise-strong submissions simply because they were not carefully proofread.

Poetry Guidelines:

• Submit no more than five poems.
• Single-space poetry.
• Punctuate poetry appropriately unless you have good reasons for doing so. Avoid poetry that is centered or otherwise oddly-formatted.
• Poetry should be left-justified unless there is a good reason for doing otherwise.

Fiction Guidelines:

• Submit no more than one piece of fiction.
• 20 pages maximum. 5-12 pages is preferred.
• Double space.

Creative Nonfiction Guidelines:

• We loosely define “creative nonfiction” as nonfiction that utilizes the conventions of fiction (image, scenes, dialogue, etc.). We are not interested in research essays or similar types of academic writing.
• Submit no more than one piece of creative nonfiction.
• 20 pages maximum. 5-12 pages is preferred.
• Double space.

Visual Art Guidelines:

• Visual art may include photographs, paintings, drawings, comics, etc.
• Submit no more than five works of visual art.
• Submit as .jpg or .png at 300 dpi or better.

House Style:

• Avoid comma splices, include the Oxford comma, and other necessary commas (after introductory phrases, setting off parenthetical expressions, before the conjunction that conjoins two independent clauses).
• Periods and commas go inside double quotation marks.
• Avoid unnecessary or incorrect punctuation, such as ellipses to indicate a pause.
• Spell out easily-written numbers like seven, fourteen, and thirty, unless there is a good reason for doing otherwise.