ORP is interested in publishing diverse voices that speak to what it means to be alive in this world. 

ORP is interested in publishing voices that speak to what it means to be alive in this world. We look for language and stories and images that move us out of ourselves and into other spaces. We are a literary journal and we embrace the reality that the personal has become the political. This means that even though we are not seeking purely political submissions, we do actively seek to publish those who bring balance and diversity to historical institutions of power. We are committed to disseminating the voices of those who need to and must be heard—Brown and Black voices, Queer voices, decentered and marginalized voices whose words and images transcend ignorance and prejudice to reveal the nuanced, resilient, connective power of humanity.

We publish literary short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art in an annual general issue. We also publish an end-of-the-year themed special issue, which is open to a rotating group of genres. In addition, ORP is proud to feature the chance for newer submitters (those with 2 publications or fewer) to be considered in a pool of their own through our Emerging Voices in Poetry and Fiction categories. 

At ORP, art that is provocative and evocative has a champion, a fan club, a posse of groupies.

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Oyster River Pages

Please submit up to three poems, with each poem starting on its own page. We do our best to respond to submissions in a timely manner. Sometimes taking our time means your poem is being seriously considered for publication. For this reason, please wait at least 6 months before inquiring about a submission. Generally, we are not interested in light verse or traditional rhyming poetry. We recommend reading through our recent issues to gain a sense of our preferences. Duplicate submissions within the same submission window will be declined. 

Poetry General Issue 9.1

Please submit one essay no longer than 6,000 words in a Word Doc or PDF format. Include your first and last name and contact information at the top of your piece. All work should be double-spaced.

Creative Nonfiction General Issue 9.1

ORP is accepting submissions for reviews, interviews, profiles, commentary, or other innovative forms (including multimedia) that seek to highlight or critically engage with issues or works of literary, artistic, or cultural significance. The most compelling Soundings submissions will align with ORP's mission to amplify stories that speak to what it means to be alive in this world, works that move of out of ourselves and into other spaces, and voices who bring balance and diversity to historical institutions of power. For these reasons, we prioritize works that are published or produced independently, without the clout of corporate promotion. We are especially eager to publish pieces that engage with the work of marginalized and decentered people—Black and Brown creators, LGBTQ+ creators, and creators of all levels of dis/ability.
Reviews need not be uncritically positive, but predominantly negative reviews will be evaluated for necessity and/or urgency. If you aim to eviscerate the subject of your review, please ask yourself whom your critique serves. ORP is not in the business of strafing the creative community.
There is no predetermined length requirement, but successful Soundings will exercise brevity and a sense of proportion to the content they engage with.

Soundings

ORP’s Emerging Voices (EV) seeks to publish and support writers and poets who are beginning their creative journeys. To that end, the first 100 EV submissions will receive at least one or two lines of constructive feedback.
 Submissions must meet the following criteria:  

  Emerging Voices have been published no more than two publications in any genre (poetry, drama, prose, nonfiction, and media). (Publications in the author’s college and/or university are exempt.)
  Emerging Voices have not published (with a publishing house) in book-length form.
  Content deemed overly explicit and/or violent will be declined without feedback.
  ORP does not reprint published work.

Submissions that do not meet the above criteria will be declined. Writers who have more than two publications to their name are welcome to submit their work for consideration under our regular Fiction or Poetry submission form categories. 
The form will ask you to indicate whether you are submitting work to Emerging Voices Fiction or Emerging Voices Poetry. Submissions that combine Emerging Voices Fiction and Emerging Voices Poetry will be declined, unread. We welcome simultaneous submissions, but please contact us immediately by using the Submittable message function if your work is picked up elsewhere.
Emerging Voices Fiction: Please submit one story of no more than 5,000 words in .docx format. Please do not send two stories within one submission. Such submissions will be declined, unread. Please do not submit twice within the same submission window. The second submission will be declined, unread. All work should be double-spaced. Please include word count, your full name, pseudonym or pen name should you wish to use it for publication, and preferred email on the top of the first page. If your submission is declined, please wait for the next submission cycle to submit again. 
Emerging Voices Poetry: Please submit up to 3 poems in one document of no longer than 10 pages total in .doc or .docx format. If your poem(s) require specific formatting, you may use .pdf to preserve the spacing. Each poem should start on its own page. Please note if a page break is also a stanza break. 
Please include your full name, pseudonym or pen name, should you wish to use it for publication, and preferred email on the first page of the document. Please also include the title(s) of your poem(s) with each poem. 
In your cover letter, please let us know how many times you have been previously published. 
Emerging Voices Poetry does not accept translations at this time. 
Only one submission of poetry per submitter will be read and reviewed.
We do our best to respond to submissions in a timely manner. However, given the volume of submissions and the personalized feedback each submission receives through Emerging Voices, please wait at least 6 months before inquiring about a submission. Duplicate submissions within the same submission window will be automatically declined.

ORP’s Emerging Voices (EV) seeks to publish and support writers and poets who are beginning their creative journeys. 

Emerging Voices Fiction & Poetry - Issue 9.1

Please submit one story up to 7,500 words in .docx format. Please include word count on the first page of your document. All work should be double-spaced.

Fiction submissions General Issue 9.1

 We invite submissions of artist portfolios across all visual mediums. Submissions should include a short artist bio, a brief portfolio statement, and five to eight images or link to video work. Video submissions should have a total runtime of ten minutes or under. Image files should be as high-resolution as possible (300 dpi or greater) and suitable for digital publication. Oyster River Pages reserves the right to crop or lightly edit images for layout purposes while maintaining the integrity of the work.

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