Call for submissions for a special TEEN ISSUE of Inlandia: A Literary Journey

Now accepting fiction, poetry, nonfiction, book reviews, and art for the fourth annual teen issue of Inlandia: A Literary Journey, Inlandia Institute’s online literary journal. Teen issues are dedicated to work by and for teens, particularly (but not exclusively) with connections to the Inland Empire. Submissions are open to teens ages 13–19. We are also looking for teen guest editors for this issue. See the FAQs below for more information.

Deadline

• Submissions open on December 1, 2020.
• Submissions close on February 15, 2021.

Guidelines for submission

You may submit work in more than one category, but please do not submit more than one entry for any category, except poetry and art (you may submit up to five poems or works of art).

• For fiction - There is no minimum word count. Stories should not be longer than 5,000 words. Stories must be self-contained. If you are submitting an excerpt from a novel, it must stand alone. Any genre is okay.
• For nonfiction - There is no minimum word count. Essays and creative nonfiction should not be longer than 3,000 words. Any topic is okay.
• For poetry - You may submit 1-5 pages of poetry in a single document. If the formatting might be altered in a Word document, please submit as a PDF.
• For book reviews - You must write the review yourself. Other than that, we are looking for reviews of titles that will interest teens. Whether those titles are fiction, nonfiction, young adult or adult literature is up to you.
• For art - We are looking for work that complements the written pieces and pulls the journal together as a cohesive whole. We won't know what that is until we receive submissions, but since art is fluid and can be interpreted in many ways, we encourage you to show us some of yours. Submit 1-5 pieces as individual jpgs.

FAQs

Where do I submit my work?
Submissions accepted only through our Submittable portal. Mailed or emailed submissions will not be considered.

Is there a submission fee?
No, submissions are free.

How should I format my work?
Please use the following format:

• Margins: one inch on all sides.
• Font: something standard like Times New Roman.
• Spacing: double space your work, unless it is a poem and you want other spacing.
• Header: your last name and the title of your work in the upper left. Number the pages in the upper right.

Is there a type of work that you don't want?
We will not accept pornographic material or work that degrades any gender, race, religion, ability level, etc. In other words, nothing demeaning of others.

We do not want work that was assigned in class and that you have no particular passion for, but your teacher is giving extra credit for you to submit something. (HOWEVER, if an assignment turned on your creative brain, great! Let's see it!) We do not want your personal essays from your college applications. We want the work that your creative mind drove you to make or write.

We do not want any work that you did not create yourself. (We're sure you learned about plagiarism in school.) By submitting your work, you are verifying that it is solely your creation.

When will I know whether or not my work has been accepted?

Please be patient as we will read and seriously consider every submission. It may be late in April before you receive a response.

What do I do if I want to be a guest editor?
By February 15, 2021, indicate your interest by writing a paragraph in the appropriate section of the Submittable form. State specifically which genre you would prefer to judge - fiction, nonfiction, art, poetry, graphic work. If you have any experience such as working on school newspaper, please include this.

If I am a guest editor, may I still submit work?
Guest editors may still submit work, but they will not be judging their own work.

I have a question that is not covered here. Who do I ask?
Please email questions to Victoria Waddle.