Cerritos College

the literary journal of the Cerritos College English department

¡Pa'lante! is the literary journal of the Cerritos College English department, established in 2020. The journal seeks poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and artwork from writers and artists who currently live or have lived in California. Its mission is to engage and promote underrepresented voices in the literary landscape, encouraging submissions from all communities and identities. While open to submissions globally, ¡Pa'lante! especially welcomes the work of Cerritos College students and alumni. Cerritos College faculty are not eligible to submit. The journal accepts unsolicited submissions year-round and publishes one issue annually. The most recent issue, Issue 5 (Spring 2024), featured a revised version of "The Blue Sky" by Leslie Lisbona. The upcoming Issue 6 is currently seeking submissions, with deadlines for poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction on December 6, 2024, and for art and high school submissions on February 1, 2025. Submission guidelines are available on their Submittable portal. (cerritos.edu, palante.submittable.com)

short fiction

creative essay

¡Pa'lante!

General call

1 to 3 poems totaling no more than 5 pages
  One poem per page but all poems in the same document
  Please do not put your name anywhere on your submission
  No AI-generated or AI-assisted work will be considered. All writing must be your original work.

Poetry

Up to 3 pieces of short fiction totaling no more than 2000 words
  Please do not put your name anywhere on your submission.
  No AI-generated or AI-assisted work will be considered. All writing must be your original work.

Short Fiction

1 original drawing, painting, photograph, and/or image of an original three-dimensional or large piece
  File should be a JPG or a PNG
  Please do not put your name anywhere on your submission
  No AI-generated or AI-assisted work will be considered. All art must be your original work.

Cover Art

Up to 3 pieces of short fiction totaling no more than 2000 words
  Up to 3 pieces of creative nonfiction totaling no more than 2000 words
  1 to 3 poems totaling no more than 5 pages
  You may submit work in more than one genre, but please do not submit different genres in the same document; submit work in each genre as a separate submission
  Please do not put your name anywhere on your submission
  No AI-generated or AI-assisted work will be considered. All writing must be your original work.

High School Submissions

Up to 3 pieces of creative nonfiction totaling no more than 2000 words
For submissions with multiple pieces, submit each piece separately
Include the word count in your submission
Please do not put your name anywhere on your submission
No AI-generated or AI-assisted work will be considered. All writing must be your original work.

¡Pa'lante!

Highlights

About

Featured Call

Poetry