Submit

So To Speak considers unsolicited submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and visual art for every issue. Sample copies of the most recent issue are available at $7 each; one-year subscriptions (2 issues) are $12. We strongly encourage all potential contributors to read an issue before submitting.

Reading Periods

We read from August 1 through October 15 for the Spring issue & from January 1 through March 15 for the Fall issue through our Submission Manager. We no longer accept paper submissions and do not accept email submissions. We respond to all submissions in one to four months.

The Spring issue features our annual Poetry & Nonfiction contests. The Fall issue features our annual Fiction & Visual Art contests. For more information on how to enter our contests, please see the contest submission guidelines.

Submissions

We only accept submissions through our Submission Manager. Please submit your work electronically. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable as long as we are notified if a submission under current consideration is accepted elsewhere.

How to Submit

Please use our online Submissions Manager and send a submission that provides:

  • A single .doc or .docx document (excepting art submissions) that contains your Cover Letter, followed by your work. Please read the Genre Guidelines for information about formatting your work.
  • Your Cover Letter should include your name, address, phone number, email address, how you heard about So to Speak, and brief bio describing your background as a writer or artist and any applicable awards or publications.
  • Any applicable contest fees will also be paid online.

We will also notify you about the status of your submission electronically.

Genre Guidelines

Poetry

  • Please send up to 5 poems at a time, not exceeding 10 pages total.
  • Poetry submitted during the August 1 – October 15 reading period will be considered for our Spring annual poetry contest & must be accompanied by a $15 reading fee. See contest guidelines.
  • Poetry submitted during the January 1 – March 15 reading period will be considered for our Fall issue & requires no reading fee.

Fiction

  • Please submit one prose piece at a time, not exceeding 4,500 words.
  • All fiction submissions should be double-spaced with numbered pages.
  • Fiction submitted during the August 1 – October 15 reading period will be considered for our Spring Issue & requires no reading fee.
  • Fiction submitted during the January 1 – March 15 reading period will be considered for our Fall annual fiction contest & must be accompanied by a $15 reading fee. See contest guidelines.

Nonfiction

  • We welcome submissions of personal essays, memoir, profiles, and other nonfiction pieces not exceeding 4,500 words.
  • All nonfiction submissions should be double-spaced with numbered pages.
  • Nonfiction submitted during the August 1 – October 15 reading period will be considered for our Spring annual nonfiction contest & must be accompanied by a $15 reading fee. See contest guidelines.
  • Nonfiction submitted during the January 1 – March 15 reading period will be considered for our Fall Issue & requires no reading fee.

Visual Art

  • We are open to any form of artwork. Past issues have included photography, sketches, paintings, digital media, and images of various installations and sculpture.
  • All submissions must be in jpg or tif formats at 300 dpi. Please submit individual entries as LastName_Title, and include
    dimensions if applicable, the materials used as applicable, a brief description of the submission, and a brief artist’s bio.
  • Please submit only once per reading period.
  • Art submitted during the January  1 – March 15 reading period will be considered for our annual art contest & must be accompanied by a $15 reading fee. See contest guidelines.
  • Art submitted during the August 1 – October 15 reading period will be considered for our Spring Issue & requires no reading fee.

So to Speak
George Mason University
4400 University Drive, MSN 2C5
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
http://www.gmu.edu/org/sts
sts@gmu.edu