SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Toyon welcomes work in English, Spanish, and in translation from any other language. All writers and artists are welcome. Our editorial team is made up of undergraduate students. We read submissions in October, November, and December only. We are open to submissions year-round, but please expect a response time of 3-16 months. We ask that writers and artists submit in only one genre each annual cycle, ending on September 30.
Each open call for submissions closes on September 30. Letters are sent in December or January.
Have questions? Check the FAQ.
Each open call for submissions closes on September 30. Letters are sent in December or January.
Have questions? Check the FAQ.
Print Submissions: Genre-Specific Guidelines
Annual close date for Print Submissions: September 30 at 11:59pm
Poetry:
Original Translations:
Fiction:
Creative Nonfiction:
Lyric essays, montage, serial essays, narrative journalism, and many other sub-genres of creative nonfiction.
Essay and Criticism:
Cultural criticism, literary criticism, linguistic analysis, and all other essay genres, on any topic aligned with Toyon's identity and values.
Visual Art:
Environmental Justice Writing & Art:
Humor and Satire:
Toyon does not publish book reviews.
Poetry:
- No line limit
- 12-point font, single spaced.
- Limit 5 poems per poet.
- Submit all pieces as a single .doc or .docx file, with page breaks in-between each piece, and titles clearly marked.
Original Translations:
- Any genre and any language.
- If applicable, please include the original and the translation in your submission, with author named.
- Indicate whether we have permission from the author to publish the original. Translations of your own work are especially welcome.
- Limit 5 translations per author.
- Poetry should be single spaced, and prose should be double spaced.
- All pieces must be submitted in a single .doc or .docx file, with page breaks in-between each piece, and titles clearly marked.
Fiction:
- Limit 15 pages per author, with any number of titles included.
- Short fiction/flash fiction sequences are welcome.
- Please use 12-point font, and double space the text.
- Include page numbers.
- Please no extra spacing between paragraphs.
- Submit all pieces as a single .doc or .docx file, with page breaks in-between each piece, and titles clearly marked.
Creative Nonfiction:
Lyric essays, montage, serial essays, narrative journalism, and many other sub-genres of creative nonfiction.
- Limit 15 pages of creative nonfiction per author, with any number of titles included.
- Short essay sequences are welcome.
- Please use 12-point font and double space the text.
- No extra spacing between paragraphs.
- Submit all pieces as a single .doc or .docx file, with page breaks in-between each piece, and titles clearly marked.
Essay and Criticism:
Cultural criticism, literary criticism, linguistic analysis, and all other essay genres, on any topic aligned with Toyon's identity and values.
- Essays must be clear to readers who may not have read the primary texts analyzed.
- Limit 1 essay per author, under 15 pages
- Please use 12-point font and double space the text.
- Please no extra spacing between paragraphs.
Visual Art:
- Photography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, mixed-genre, visual texts, graphic storytelling, etc.
- At least 300 dpi.
- If submitting full-color, please also include a version that can be reproducible in black and white.
- In your cover letter, include title and medium/materials for caption for each piece.
- Limit 5 pieces per artist.
- All visual art will be considered for the issue's cover design.
- Accepted file formats: tiff, jpeg, bmp, png, gif.
- Please submit all files in one submission on our submission manager.
- If you have trouble submitting your attachments via the submission manager, please email them in a single email to [email protected]
Environmental Justice Writing & Art:
- Cli-fi, ecopoetry, socially-engaged and activist art, photo essays, spoken word and video texts, and many other literary and artistic forms.
- Note on the submission form by adding ‘EJ’ next to your submission title. You may also wish to make a note in your cover letter.
- Work submitted in this category will also receive special consideration for the environmental justice award. Find out more about Environmental Justice Writing.
Humor and Satire:
- Any genre
- Parody, social/political satire, dark humor, mockumentary, etc.
- Seeking works that punch up, not down. Submissions in this category must align with Toyon's stated values and identity.
- Please note on the submission form by adding "Humor and Satire" next to your submission title. You may also wish to make a note in your cover letter.
- Work submitted in this category will be considered for the annual humor and satire award.
Toyon does not publish book reviews.
Multimedia / Spoken Word / Audio Submissions
Spoken word, short films, animated texts, and digital storytelling (considered for online publication only). Here's how to record audio and format your video.
- Issue Close Date: November 15 at 11:59pm
- Limit 2 pieces per artist
- Preferred file format: .mp3 and .mp4 and .wav.
- If you have trouble submitting your attachments via the submission management system, please email them to [email protected]. Submissions in this category that arrive on or before November 15 will be considered for the Fuerza award.
