Submission Guidelines

Rusted Hangers, photo by Shin Yu Pai

Please read these guidelines and also check the table below for genre- specific requirements.

The deadline for our 2008 issue has passed. Any submissions received at this time will be held, unread, until the next deadline (December 2008) and considered for the following issue (2009).

You may only submit material to one genre. We accept only previously unpublished material (including web publication) and do not accept simultaneous submissions.

We joyfully welcome submissions year round. However, our reading period is December to March, during which time all submissions up to that point are read and considered for the current issue. Submissions received after the deadline will be kept on file and considered for the following issue (this means that we could have your work on file anywhere from 6 months to a year, so plan your submissions accordingly.)

If you don't hear back from us by April 1, you may inquire about your submission.

Except for artwork we only accept electronic submissions to: sojourn@utdallas.edu. For all submissions, please put the genre in the subject line since the line between genres may be blurred (fiction vs. poetry, fiction vs. nonfiction) So we can track your submission, indicate the title of work(s), your email address, mailing address, and phone number in the email. Please send your work as an attachment. Your name should not appear anywhere in the attachment itself.

Fiction

Only one short story or excerpt from a novel per person. Story should not exceed 25 pages double-spaced. Work exceeding the maximum page length will most likely be declined.

Nonfiction

For nonfiction we are inviting submissions such as essays, creative nonfiction, memoirs, scholarly reflections, etc. We are not looking for book reviews or footnoted academic work. Only two nonfiction pieces per person. Pieces should not exceed 10 pages double-spaced.

Poetry

We accept a maximum of three poems per individual. Each poem should not exceed two pages single-spaced. Include poems in a single document, with page breaks between the poems.

Art

We accept all types of art media: oils, pastels, digital, photograph, sculptures, collages, etc. No slides please. Please submit no more than 5 images or pieces of art. We prefer images sent as an attachment in .gif or .jpeg format. We love colorful art and typically print 8 color pages, but most of the art we publish is printed in black and white, so please keep this in mind when submitting your work.

Translation

Because UTD houses a translation center and we have editors and volunteers trained in many languages, we process translations in just about any language. Only one fiction piece or two poems, plus original piece, per person. Translation submission should not exceed 10 pages double-spaced.

Unless the work is fair use/out of copyright, you must acquire the rights to publish a translation of the work from the writer or publisher before we accept your work. Please send proof of permission with your submission. For poems, we prefer to publish translations side-by-side with the original, so please seek permission to publish the original as well.

Scripts

We prefer 5 minute plays, one-act plays, or sections from screenplays, but selections from longer works will be considered. Submissions should not exceed 25 double-spaced pages.

Notes

If your submission is accepted for publication, we will:

Payment is one copy of the journal in which your work appears.

We do not accept responsibility for the loss of unsolicited material, although we do, of course, make every effort not to lose anything.

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