Tags
feedback, guidelines, open submissions, poetry, prose, timeline
CALYX is currently accepting poetry and prose through December 31. Our readers have already started on the initial submissions, so now seems like a good time to lay out the timeline for this submission period and what the writers can look forward to. Full guidelines can be found calyxpress.org/submission.html, but here’s what you can expect once you’ve submitted:
Now – December 31: Send us up to 6 poems or a 5,000-word max story (fiction or nonfiction). Simultaneous submissions are fine, but we don’t accept previously published work. You are free to submit in both the poetry and prose categories. We have a lot of people who accidentally submit under “Book Reviews,” so make sure that you choose the appropriate genre when you submit so that we can file them accordingly!
December 1 – January 31: Every single submission we receive is read by at least two of our amazing volunteer readers. Our readers are experienced editors, writers, and teachers. If a submission is approved by two readers, it’s held for final discussion with the Editorial Collective. All submissions (held or not) will receive a notice around this time regarding the status of their material. Unfortunately, we cannot give personalized feedback for everyone who submits, but all submissions are read with great care and attention to detail.
January 1 – March 31: Our Editorial Collective meets once a week to discuss the poems and stories that are held by the readers. While we don’t do a “majority rules” approach, the collective does have to generally agree that a piece should be included in the journal. Please be assured that there is both exhaustive discussion and compelling debate, and it’s quite a thing to see sometimes. Even pieces we haven’t accepted have been championed, dissected, and read aloud. Every submission discussed by the collective receives personal feedback. If your piece is held and you don’t receive a feedback message by April 30, PM me at editor@calyxpress.org.
All material chosen this period will be published in Vols. 29-3 and 30-1, which will be released in 2017. Happy writing, everyone!