American Literary Review welcomes submissions of poems, short stories, and essays. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but let us know immediately via Submittable if your piece is accepted elsewhere. Please note that all submissions will be considered for online publication only.
We are open from October 1 – December 1 and January 1 – May 1 for general submissions of poetry, fiction, and essays. There is a 300-submission cap per genre, after which the corresponding submission portal will close.
Guidelines for submitting to ALR:
- Submissions must be previously unpublished. Including online publication and “revised” or altered versions of stories, poems, or essays.
- Submissions of work created in part or in whole with generative A.I. or LLMs are not accepted.
- Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please withdraw your work immediately if your piece is accepted elsewhere.
- We are unable to leave feedback on submissions.
- We do not consider edits once a piece has been submitted, so please send only finished pieces.
- We do not accept submissions via email or via postal mail, except from incarcerated writers or others who do not have internet access.
- Anyone who is or was associated with the University of North Texas in the last three years is ineligible to submit.
To address issues with a submission (e.g., incorrect files), please email us at americanliteraryreview@gmail.com.
We respond to submissions in approximately six months. Please do not query about the status of your submission until six months have passed.
We are unable to offer fee waivers at this time.
Fiction Guidelines:
American Literary Review seeks distinctive, character-driven stories.
- Submit only one story at a time.
- Submissions should be under 6,000 words.
- We generally avoid novel excerpts unless they can stand alone as stories.
- Double-space all submissions.
Poetry Guidelines:
Poetry selections are made by a widely-read group with eclectic tastes who look for the best poems, regardless of form or subject matter.
- Submit up to five poems at a time.
- To withdraw individual poems, please send a note via Submittable
Essays Guidelines:
We welcome personal essays in all forms, including flash, and we are interested in both traditional personal essays and ones that push the boundaries of creative nonfiction.
- Submit only one work at a time.
- Submissions should be under 6,000 words.
- Please double-space all submissions.
Annual Contest
The reading period for the American Literary Review Annual contests is from June 1 – September 1. We accept contest entries in poetry, fiction, and essays. See full guidelines here.
Flash Flood
Our Flash Flood contest is open for submissions on a rolling basis from the 1st to the 15th of each month (excluding December, January, May, June, July, and August). We accept flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and prose poetry under 1000 words. See the full guidelines here.
Art Guidelines:
We are looking for art to feature on the title page of our online literary journal.
- Please send 5-10 original images in a standard web-readable format (we prefer JPEG) with an artist statement.
- Each piece should have a title.
- There is no submission fee for art.
Reviews and Interviews:
We do not publish unsolicited book reviews or interviews. The ALR editorial team publishes several interviews and book reviews in each issue, typically featuring recent small- or independent-press books. To send review copies to ALR for possible review, please use the mailing address below or contact us at americanliteraryreview@gmail.com:
American Literary Review
University of North Texas- English
1155 Union Circle #311307
Denton, Texas 76203
Flash Flood Contest
Tired of waiting months to hear back about a submission? Our Flash Flood contest is open for submissions on a rolling basis from the 1st to the 15th of each month (excluding December, January, May, June, July, and August).
We accept flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and prose poetry under 1000 words. At the end of each two-week submission window, we’ll read your submissions and decide on a winner by the following week! The winning story will be published on our website shortly after acceptance.
Flash Flood is the place for stories, essays, and poems that use economy of form to express the possibility in the unstated. We’re interested in stories that feel like they use the form’s compression to elevate the narrative. For poetry, the lyric is important: a prose poem should not have dead music just because it has bucked its lines. What is the relationship between shortforms and parable or figuration? What is said and how is what is left unsaid greater? Flash Flood is also a place to highlight pieces which embrace the hybridity of these forms—where does a prose poem end and a flash essay begin?
Flash Flood Submission Guidelines
- Flash Flood submissions can be sent to us through our online submission manager for a fee of $2.
- Submissions should include one piece of flash fiction, flash nonfiction, or prose poetry. Submissions containing more than one piece will not be read.
- Submission length should be under 1000 words.
Additional guidelines and expectations for submission with ALR
- Submission must be previously unpublished. Including online publication and “revised” or altered versions of stories, poems, or essays.
- Submissions of work created in part or in whole with generative A.I. or LLMs are not accepted.
- Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please withdraw your work immediately if your piece is accepted elsewhere.
- We are unable to leave feedback on submissions.
- We do not consider edits once a piece has been submitted, so please send only finished pieces.
- We do not accept submissions via email or via postal mail, except from incarcerated writers or others who do not have internet access.
- Anyone who is or was associated with the University of North Texas in the last three years is ineligible to submit.
Check out some of our previous winners for examples of what we’re looking for:
Judge: Marcela Fuentes
One work of fiction per entry, limit 8,000 words per work. Do not include any identifying information in the uploaded document except for the title of the work. All work should be previously unpublished.
Judge: Diane Seuss
Entry fee covers up to three poems. There is no maximum word or page count for poetry. Poems should be single-spaced. Please include them all in a single document. Do not include any identifying information in the uploaded document except for the title of the poem(s). All work should be previously unpublished.
Judge: Gabe Montesanti
One work per entry, limit 8,000 words per work. Do not include any identifying information in the uploaded document except for the title of the work. All work should be previously unpublished.