SUBMISSIONS

Our reading period is currently open through June 1, 2012.

Blood Orange Review accepts submissions based on themed issues (see below) through its online submission manager. Submissions received by email are deleted without response.

Guidelines

Blood Orange Review is modestly sized; as a result, our selection is competitive. Send us only your best literary work. Poetry is the lens through which we measure all submissions we receive. We’re looking for pieces that function on all levels, with language that is crafted, precise, and unusual.

We seek more than an interesting story or descriptive image. We publish works that we remember days or even weeks afterward for their compelling characters, believable voices, or sharp revelations. We’re not afraid of anything, but if we bristle or stop having fun, we figure there is a good chance our readers will too.

In a word, write deftly. Leave us desiring more.

What & When to Submit

Starting in fall 2011, Blood Orange Review will move to a new editorial schedule that includes themed issues. We’ve already been doing this somewhat organically in our selection process for past issues, but now we’ve decided to take the plunge and make our themes more intentional and direct. We have purposefully chosen themes that can be interpreted in many ways, so if you think you have something that fits, send it to us. We look forward to reading your work!

Our reading period will be closed 6/2/2012-8/31/2012.

What We Accept

Fiction: up to 5,000 words in a file with a .doc, .docx, or .pdf extension.

Nonfiction: creative/personal essay or stand-alone memoir excerpt up to 5,000 words in a file with a .doc, .docx, or .pdf extension.

Poetry: 3-5 poems at a time in a single file with a .doc, .docx, or .pdf extension.. Don’t send just one poem unless it’s a long poem (more than three pages). We want to get a sense of your style as a writer, and one poem is not enough to do this.

Art: If you would like to submit artwork, please send us query with a link to your personal website or 2-3 low resolution jpgs of your work. Please note that most artwork for this journal is directly solicited. Send art queries to admin<at>bloodorangereview<dot>com.

How to Submit

1. All submissions must be sent as a single document and be submitted through our online submission manager in a file with a .doc, .docx, or .pdf extension. A bio is optional, but if you wish to include one, please do so as the final page of your submission. If we cannot read your submission because it is submitted in an incompatible format, it will be rejected.

2. Themes must be indicated in the comment box when you submit your description. Don’t make us guess. If you do not provide a theme, your submission will not be considered.

3. Simultaneous submissions to other literary journals are okay, but please do not send more than one submission until you have received a response to your first submission.

4. Send original, unpublished material only.

5. The editors will make every attempt to respond to your submission in eight weeks, though we may take longer depending on the number of submissions we’re currently reading. This timeframe allows your submission to receive multiple reads from a variety of editors. We work hard to stay within our stated response time, so please refrain from submitting again if you have not heard back from us.

6. To check on the status of your submission, log into your account at any time using the email address and password you entered during your initial submission. You will see your contact information and submission history with each submission’s status (received, accepted, declined). From this page, you can create another submission or update your contact information.

7. If work is accepted, we will contact you by email and provide a contract. We regret that we are unable to pay our writers, but we do our best to promote your work on our site and beyond.

Click here to go to our online submission manager.

All files © 2005-2012 Blood Orange Review