Thank you for considering Barnstorm as a place for your work! 

We publish only previously unpublished work in nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and visual artworks. Please refer to our website for a more detailed submission policy per genre. While we welcome submissions in multiple genres,  please wait to hear from us before submitting twice in the same genre. Send files as .doc, .docx or .rtf.

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please withdraw your piece as soon as your work is accepted elsewhere. 


Autumn 2023: The Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival Contest Submissions

You'll notice our submission categories currently include calls for the contests of The Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival (April 12-14, 2024) - a separate production from Barnstorm Journal, but our sibling program in the University of New Hampshire's English Department! 

Please be mindful that The Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival contests have separate submission guidelines and a separate editorial/publishing team from Barnstorm Journal. 


Publishing Rights

Barnstorm Journal holds first rights for submissions that we choose to publish. Upon publication, the rights revert to the author, but we reserve the right to reprint, both in print and digital forms, in the future.

A note on our submission fee: 

This small financial resource will provide support for new possibilities - it can support the work of Barnstorm's staff; it may fund future projects such as writing contests, prizes and awards, or a live reading event. Ultimately, it will help us achieve our mission: to publish the best personal and creative nonfiction essays, short stories, poetry and art that is playful, takes risks, and, as our motto says: harnesses energy.


Publishing Seasons

As the literary journal of a graduate program, we follow an academic calendar. We publish work September—December, and February—May. Submissions will not be read during the summer (June—Aug) or the month of January. If you reach out during the off-seasons we will not be able to respond. 


We look forward to reading your work! 

Art

Barnstorm publishes art with each written piece. We publish digital representations of visual work, including photography, graphic design, drawings, illustration, animation, and high quality pictures of sculpture, mixed media, paintings. There is no fee to submit, and we retain no rights to any pieces we publish. 

You may submit both art and writing to Barnstorm. We will consider any art and written submissions for their merit on their own, not as a pair. We may choose only one or the other; if both are chosen they may not necessarily be published together. 

You may submit as many artworks as you like: there is no limit. Even if your work is not selected right away, it may be chosen for a future issue of the journal. 

$3.00
$3.00

Please submit no more than three poems, all contained within one document. List only your name with each poem.
Send files as .doc, .docx, or .rtf.

Please wait to hear from us before submitting again and know that we will not publish the same author twice in one year.

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know as soon as your work gets accepted elsewhere.

Thank you!

$3.00
$3.00

Please submit one piece of prose no longer than 5,000 words and wait to hear from us before submitting again.

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know as soon as your work gets accepted elsewhere.

Thank you!


Please submit one piece of prose no longer than 5,000 words and wait to hear from us before submitting again.

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know as soon as your work gets accepted elsewhere.

Thank you!

The New Hampshire Teen Poetry Prize—funded by the YAS Foundation and managed by the University of New Hampshire’s English Department—was created to promote and honor excellence in writing at the high school level. Each year, students (ages 13-19) across New Hampshire are invited to submit their original poetry for a chance at publication, as well as three significant monetary prizes of $500 each. Grand prize winners will read their winning poems at the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival, the evening of April 12, 2024.   

Eligibility:

  • Must be a New Hampshire youth, between the ages of 13-19
  • Must submit original writing in verse that has not been previously published elsewhere. May include, but is not limited to, free verse, formal poetry, prose poetry, song lyrics, and spoken word.
  • Must be willing to have your work appear in the Young Poets Anthology and, if chosen as a grand prize winner, to read your winning poem at the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival on April 12, 2024. The honorarium is awarded in exchange for and after the completion of appearance at the Festival. 

Guidelines:

Please be sure you follow all requirements related to your application. Failure to comply with any of the requirements listed below may make your application ineligible for an award.

  • Poems may be submitted by the poet, by a parent/legal guardian, or a teacher. Teachers may submit on their students' behalf, with the assurance to us that you will be able to help us get a parent’s signed permission prior to publication.
  • Each submission may consist of 1–5 poems, up to a maximum of 10 pages. There should be one poem per page, typed single-spaced (unless the poems are meant to be presented using nonstandard spacing). Poems should be submitted as a single document.
  • Do not include the poet’s name on the submission. Submittable will collect all contact information, ensuring an anonymous screening process.
  • Poems should be your original work. We reserve the right to disqualify any poems we believe to be plagiarized.
  • If accepted for publication, the poets may use their whole name, first name, or a pseudonym. We will not publish any contact information.
  • Upon acceptance, a parent/legal guardian must sign a release allowing us to publish the poem. All contributors will receive a copy.  Three grand prize winners will receive $500 each and will read their winning poem at the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival on April 12, 2024.

Please note: UNH faculty falls under Title IX mandatory reporting guidelines, which means if you report incidences of sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence, we are required to report it to our UNH Title IX office. (This will not keep your poem from being read for the contest and/or potentially winning a prize)


Barnstorm Journal