Submission Guidelines
Our reading period:
Open from September 30, 2013–February 17, 2014 for submissions to be considered for the Spring semester.
This year we’re changing things up a bit, meaning, we’re looking for stories about change.
It is good to note, we only publish work by students currently attending the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) or UIS alumni. There are two reasons for this: 1)We hope to foster a more creative community here at UIS and give students and alumni an opportunity to see their work published and to allow students to join in the literary conversation here at UIS and in the wider Springfield community, and 2) because most of our funds are tied to the university, limiting us to only publish local works.
Now, what do we mean by “Change?”
Change can be thought of in the broadest sense, or in the most specific. We realize most stories and poems deal with some form of change, but if you feel yours does not, please do not be discouraged. We will still read and discuss your work and consider it for publication.
The kind of change we are looking for can be thought of as, metaphorically or literally speaking, the change of a pupa into a chrysalis and then to a butterfly; the change of a tree into a house or a sheet of paper. The change of a small town into a bustling city, or a bustling city into a ghost town. Or, the evolution of animals, of the solar system, of particles and atoms.
You can also think of change in a more abstract sense. Changes in relationships between people, family and friends. How people moving to a new place change the environment to better suit their needs. Other ways to think about change is how people adapt when faced with certain crisis. How do people deal with loneliness, breakups, the death of a close family member, or natural disasters?
Is the person bitten by a mutated spider and transformed into a superhero? Has the nuclear power plant undergone a meltdown? Will the mold growing in your refrigerator turn into a giant mold monster? Or is your character worried about the changes brought on by moving and going to a new school and meeting new people? Is your fiction/nonfiction, or poem, about the time you first encountered a new idea, say in a philosophy class, and how this new idea changed your perspective on the world? The possibilities are endless. You could very well be writing a story about change and not realized it–as said before most stories or poems deal with some form of change (even if that change is static, or unmoving), like the slow erosion of a rock, or an immensely stubborn character. If you have any questions please contact us at alchemistreview@gmail.com
The General Rules for submissions are as follows:
All work to be considered must be either PDF or .docx
You may submit a maximum of 5 poems
You may submit one or two short stories but do not exceed 5,000 words
You may submit a poem and a short story but do not exceed 5,000 words
You may submit both fiction and nonfiction
Simultaneous submissions are allowed
Please include a cover letter no more than 100 words in length
Send submissions to alchemistreview@gmail.com
Deadline is February 17, 2014