Thank you for your interest in Barnstorm! 

We publish previously unpublished nonfiction, fiction, and poetry.

We also publish visual art to accompany written works.

We are especially drawn to inventive work that is playful, risk-taking, and energetic.

SUBMISSIONS

  • We welcome submissions to multiple genres, but please wait until you receive a decision on your current submission before submitting additional work in the same category.
  • Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please withdraw your submission through Submittable as soon as your work is accepted elsewhere.
  • We only review submissions sent through Submittable. Writing and art sent through our contact form or email will not be considered.
  • We will not publish the same author more than once per year.

Please review the additional submission guidelines for your chosen genre(s) below before submitting.

RIGHTS & POLICIES

  • By submitting, you grant Barnstorm First North American Serial Rights to publish your work. Upon publication, all rights revert to the author, while we retain the right to reprint the work in future print and digital editions. If you choose to republish your work elsewhere, we ask that you acknowledge Barnstorm Journal as its original place of publication.
  • AI Policy: We believe art is most meaningful when it reflects the imagination, experiences, and distinct voices of human creators. We do not accept written work or artwork generated by artificial intelligence (AI). All submissions must be original work created by the author without the use of generative AI to write, generate, or revise the work.

PUBLISHING SCHEDULE

  • As the literary journal of a graduate program, we follow the academic calendar. While you can submit at any time, our editorial team only reads submissions from September through December and from February through April. Submissions are not read during May, June, July, August, and January.
  • If you submit work during one of our non-reading periods (May–August or January), your submission will not be reviewed until the journal resumes its regular schedule. If you contact us through our contact form or by email during a non-reading period, we will not be able to respond until the journal resumes its regular schedule.
  • Please note that Barnstorm welcomes a new editorial team each academic year, so response times may vary as the incoming staff settles into their roles. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this transition.

We look forward to reading your work! 

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$3.00
Submit to Fiction

Before submitting, please review the Barnstorm rights, policies, and publishing information above, along with these fiction guidelines:

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • What we accept: Submit one work of fiction no longer than 5,000 words.
  • Formatting: Use a legible, 12-point font of your choice (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Georgia, or Garamond) with 1-inch margins.
  • File types: Submit your work as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file.
  • Identifying information: Do not include your name or any other identifying information in your submission, including the document title. All work is reviewed anonymously.

We can’t wait to see what you share!  

$3.00
$3.00
Submit to Poetry

Before submitting, please review the Barnstorm rights, policies, and publishing information above, along with these poetry guidelines:

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • What we accept: Submit up to three poems in a single document, with a combined length of no more than 10 pages.
  • Formatting: Use a legible, 12-point font of your choice (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Georgia, or Garamond) with 1-inch margins.
  • File types: Submit your work as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file. For poems with special formatting, we recommend submitting a .pdf to ensure your work appears as intended.
  • Identifying information: Do not include your name or any other identifying information in your submission, including the document title. All work is reviewed anonymously.

We can’t wait to see what you share!

Submit to Nonfiction

Before submitting, please review the Barnstorm rights, policies, and publishing information above, along with these nonfiction guidelines:

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • What we accept: Submit one work of nonfiction no longer than 5,000 words.
  • Formatting: Use a legible, 12-point font of your choice (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Georgia, or Garamond) with 1-inch margins.
  • File types: Submit your work as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file.
  • Identifying information: Do not include your name or any other identifying information in your submission, including the document title. All work is reviewed anonymously.

We can’t wait to see what you share!

Art
Submit to Art

Before submitting, please review the Barnstorm rights, policies, and publishing information above, along with these art guidelines:

 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • What we accept: We publish digital representations of visual artwork, including photography, graphic design, drawings, illustrations, animation, and high-quality images of sculptures, mixed-media pieces, and paintings. You may submit up to five artworks per submission.
  • Identifying information: Do not include identifying information in your submission, including the file name. All work is reviewed anonymously.
  • Review process: Barnstorm publishes artwork alongside written work. As a result, art submissions may remain under consideration for a longer period of time while we finalize our written selections and determine which artwork best complements them.
  • Additional Notes: You are welcome to submit both artwork and written work to Barnstorm. Each submission will be reviewed independently, and acceptance of one does not guarantee acceptance of the other. If both are accepted, they may not be paired together for publication or appear in the same issue.

 

We can’t wait to see what you share!