New Literary Journal, Centered on The Wilds, is Seeking Your Creative Writing
One of the goals of the highly successful inaugural Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia, which will take place again this year in Wheeling, WV, before coming to PA in 2021, was to establish a literary journal dedicated to the literature and writers of this region. Over the past months, a team of talented authors, editors and publishing experts has laid the groundwork for the forthcoming Northern Appalachia Review. Please consider submitting your creative writing. We look forward to bringing you this landmark publication, long-overdue in recognizing our region’s best work.
Particularly noteworthy to writers from the Wilds, see our special call for works on nature, the outdoors, hunting, fishing, gathering, conservation, recreation, and the environment.
Guidelines
The Northern Appalachia Review, a new regional literary journal, welcomes writing about, representing, or engaging with the experience of living in or being from northern Appalachia. We believe that this region, while part of greater Appalachia, is also distinct in its cultural landscape, and, as a result, its literature. We seek work that will establish a voice and literary identity for northern Appalachia, exemplify the region and its nuanced culture, and/or further the ever-evolving definition of Appalachia as a whole.
We encourage submissions from established and emerging writers in the following genres:
- Fiction: One piece up to 7500 words or up to three pieces under 1000 words each
- Nonfiction: One piece up to 7500 words
- Poetry: Up to five (5) poems in a single document. (The editors reserve the right to edit the layout of text to conform to the format of the current issue of the Review.)
- Book reviews: Up to 500 words on book-length works of poetry, fiction or nonfiction by authors from the region or authors whose writing is about, represents or engages with the experience of living in northern Appalachia
- Interviews: Interviews with or feature articles on authors from the region; 1000 words
The focus of the Northern Appalachia Review is original regional literature. At this time, we do not accept submissions in fields such as anthropology, art, cultural studies, environmental studies, geology and so forth, and we do not accept photographs or illustrations. We do not accept unsolicited artwork.
The Northern Appalachia Review recognizes our region’s proud reputation as a leader in literature about nature, the outdoors, hunting, fishing, gathering, conservation, recreation, and the environment. Many of America’s finest editors and authors in these areas hail from Northern Appalachia: Rachel Carson, Edward Abbey, Jim and Silvia Bashline, Charles Fergus, Nesmuk, Jim Kjelgaard, Ned Smith, James Wright, and so many more. The Northern Appalachia Review will examine and feature works in these areas in keeping with our mission of publishing literature that best represents the region’s identity as both distinct from and part of greater Appalachia.
All submissions should be in 12 pt. Times New Roman typeface. Prose must be double spaced; spacing for poetry is at the discretion of the author. For submissions with citations, manuscripts must follow the Chicago Manual of Style or MLA guidelines. In the case of the Chicago Manual of Style, the writer must use endnotes instead of footnotes.
Simultaneous submissions: We accept simultaneous submissions. Please notify us if your work has been accepted elsewhere.
We will only consider work that has not been previously published either in print or online. This includes work published on your personal website. Submissions in up to two genres, once per reading period, are allowed. Follow the guidelines above for each separate genre submission.
If your work is accepted, it will be subject to an agreement granting the Northern Appalachia Review first publication rights. You retain the rights to the work after first publication.
Submission Details
Send your submissions to: submissions@NorthernAppalachiaReview.com by April 1 as a single Word .doc, .docx, or .rtf file. Include a cover letter, 50-60 word third-person biographical sketch, and contact information (name, address, and email). Use the following naming convention for your file: Last Name, First Name—Genre e.g., (King, Stephen—Fiction). Make sure your name, as you wish to see it in print, appears in each title in your submission, and not just in your bio and cover letter.
Upon publication, the Northern Appalachia Review offers a contributor copy.
Mission and Vision of the Northern Appalachia Review
Introduction
Writers from, living in, or writing about northern Appalachia have yet to be distinguished with a literary identity, as their stories have been underrepresented and undervalued in the broader culture. We define this region as the Appalachia counties of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and the northern portion of West Virginia.
Mission
The Northern Appalachia Review seeks to convey the character of the people and places of northern Appalachia by publishing literature that best represents the region as both distinct from and part of greater Appalachia.
Vision
The Northern Appalachia Review is a catalyst to inspire more novels, poetry, essays, history, memoir, drama, and other modes of literary writing that represent, in some way, our region. The exposure offered by the review will generate support for the authors of northern Appalachia, ensuring that the voice of this remarkable part of the country is acknowledged, appreciated, and preserved.
For more information about the Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia, visit writersconferenceofnorthernappalachia.com/.
