Submission Guidelines



A piece of writing about "place" could be about almost anything. It’s different from a story about, say, “baseball,” or a poem about “my father.” In fact, the best writings on place aren’t about place at all, but about human beings, our capacities for cruelness and grace within a living landscape. It’s therefore not enough that an essay takes place in an exotic location, or a poem is about eating curry for the first time, or the main character of a story is a world traveler. How are we, as human beings, connected or disconnected from a place by doing these things? At Silk Road, we want work that engages that question, though the best of it won’t come to any simple answers. We want poetry that goes far beyond the "ode to a tree on yonder hill,” and we want prose that takes the reader into deeper places than “the time I threw up on a Japanese bullet train.” Setting is the least of it. If we’re describing one of your stories, poems, or creative nonfiction essays, send it to us.
Please Note:

  • Writers submitting from within the United States must snail mail your submissions. International writers, submitting from outside the US, are welcome to submit their work to us via email.
  • Reading Period: Editors read submissions between August 1 and April 1. Pieces arriving after April 1st are returned to the writer unread.
  • Send cover letters with all submissions. Tell us a little about yourself, but don’t explain the greatness of your work or why we’d be crazy not to print it.
  • If submitting in multiple genres, send them separately to the appropriate editor.
  • Include SASE for reply. We are unable to return manuscripts.
  • Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please notify us immediately if accepted elsewhere.
  • At this time, we are not accepting unsolicited works of visual art. Sorry.


To Submit Work:

Poetry:

  • Poems should be typed and single-spaced on one side of the page.
  • Author’s name and contact information should appear at the top of the first page of each submission, including email address. Author's name, title, and page numbers should be at the top right of continuing pages.
  • Send up to 3 poems at a time. No epics, please.


Fiction and Non-fiction:

  • Stories and essays should be typed and double-spaced with standard margins all around.
  • Author’s name and contact information should appear at the top of the first page, including email address. Author's name, title, and page numbers should be at the top right of continuing pages.
  • Send only one story or essay at a time, not to exceed 6000 words.


Mail Domestic Submissions To:

Silk Road Literary Review
Pacific University
UC Box A119
2043 College Way
Forest Grove, Oregon 97116
Attn: Genre Editor

Don’t forget to include cover letter and SASE!


International Submissions:

silkroad.pacific@gmail.com.

In subject line, include genre, author’s last name, and title of work (poetry, Frost, Fire and Ice)

Send work as doc or rtf attachments


Payment:
Two copies of the magazine in which your piece appears. Extra copies of that issue may be purchased by the writer at a discount.

We try our best to foster professional relationships with our writers! Please do the same by honoring our guidelines.