Submissions to the MJLC are CLOSED!
Please check back in August for our next, fall round of submissions.
Our Spring 2023 Submission period will be open from January 3rd to March 1st at 11:59pm central time. Please read the following page carefully for submissions details, guidelines, and formatting requirements.
Categories:
We want to express that we are not looking for work that is necessarily produced for a specific genre. We welcome submissions that mix mediums and hope to display work that inspires us, not work that conforms itself into a specific constraint. That being said, please submit your work to the category you feel it best fits into.
Poetry: free verse, rhyming, etc.
Prose: long-form poetry and more!
Fiction: flash fiction, fictionalized accounts, short stories, etc.
Non-Fiction: creative nonfiction, journalism, interviews, personal essays, reviews, list-iscles, etc.
Academic: class papers, reports, traditional literary criticism, analytical essays, rhetorical arguments, etc.
Art: Photography, paintings, drawings, media/digital art, etc.
Theme:
The theme of our Spring 2023 Issue is Renaissance. As an abolitionist effort, our publication invites creators and readers alike to tune into the idea of creativity and innovation. Renaissance was an era of great change and renewal in ideas. In examining this theme, you can interpret it as reimagining an institution, memory, or worldview. Or, the theme can be interpreted as a “rebirth” of a topic. The rediscovery of philosophy, literature, and art demands a renewed appreciation of these forms—it demands a critical lens.
As writers, activists, and thinkers you may also use your work as a vehicle to inspire others to change themselves or the world.
We hope to treat this theme as a loose guideline and choose a wide variety of works that incite, produce, comment upon, spark, or combat change. Please note that your work does not have to explicitly tie to abolition or social justice. At the MJLC, we aim to show the political potential of art, even when art itself is not produced as intentionally political. Don’t feel obligated to produce work solely for the theme (though you are welcome to do so). Rather, we invite submissions to question how their work fits into a larger artistic and political context.
*for more information on abolition, see our homepage for external resources
Note:
We examine submissions on a rolling basis. Please let us know if your submission is a simultaneous submission or if your work has been accepted elsewhere. As a student-run publication, we aim to work in a timely manner to respond to submissions within a two-three month time frame.
The works we choose are selected on a criteria basis that includes but is not limited to (depending on the genre): Critical lens, originality, creativity, clarity, and argument. We do not tolerate submissions that are targeting specific groups/identities or include gratuitous violence or explicit content. As a general note, we do not accept or think kindly of works that are any of the “isms” (racism, sexism, etc.)
As a journal, we believe that artistic and academic work has the capacity to call out/upon the context that motivates artists/writers to produce it. Regardless of form or medium, we are excited to examine the critical capacities or art.
We now accept anonymous pieces or pseudonyms.
Formatting Guidelines:
Please limit poetry submissions to 3 poems max.
All prose and fiction submissions should be under 10 pages in length.
All nonfiction and academic submissions should be under 15 pages in length.
Artists can submit up to 3 works.
For all written work, please include your first and last name in the header of your submissions.
Written works should be size 12 font, times new roman, double spaced (these requirements do not extend to poetry or other artistic choices in the formatting of the work).
Please do not restrict yourself and your work based on formatting, and please do not let our maximum length requirements compel you to elongate shorter submissions—we also value brevity.
The sizing for art or photo files should be 300 ppi and 8.5”x11”
Submission Process:
Email all submissions to the MJLC ( mjlc@rso.wisc.edu ) with the subject line “Submissions, Category, LastName”
Example: Submissions, Poetry, Jones
Please note that submissions with the incorrect subject line might not be reviewed by editors.
All written work should be submitted as a pdf or word document. (We prefer word!)
All art submissions should be submitted as a pdf or jpeg.
In the body of your email, please include:
2-5 sentences telling us about yourself and your piece! We would love to know your hometown, age, background (let us know if you are a student too!), what compelled you to produce your work, and how you believe it relates to the theme of renaissance. Please make sure your bios are written in the third person.
Your contact information
If your work is a simultaneous submission
You will hear back from us by the end of March!
We thank you for your work and your trust in us. We are excited to receive your submissions. Through art and criticism alone are we able to continue asking why and dreaming of more. Thank you for dreaming with us.
Questions? Email us at mjlc@rso.wisc.edu