Logo of The Cincinnati Review literary magazine
"Since its inception in 2003, The Cincinnati Review has published many promising new and emerging writers as well as Pulitzer Prize winners and Guggenheim and MacArthur fellows."

Table of contents

Introduction

Since its inception in 2003, The Cincinnati Review has published many promising new and emerging writers as well as Pulitzer Prize winners and Guggenheim and MacArthur fellows.

Vibe

Very fancy very impressive very not fast

Response Time
6 months / 92 days
Average acceptance rate
0%

Types of Submissions Accepted

6 genres

A general comment from the editor [coming soon]

fiction genre icon

Fiction

No more than forty double-spaced pages. Include name and contact information at the beginning of the work.

Flash rules

Max words: 500

For miCRo - 500 words max.

nonfiction genre icon

Nonfiction

We’re interested mostly in pieces of nonfiction less than twenty double-spaced pages, though you can try us for longer pieces if you think they’ll knock our socks off. Include name and contact information at the beginning of the essay.

Flash rules

Max words: 500

For miCRo - 500 words max.

translations genre icon

Translations

Submissions should be no more than forty double-spaced pages. Include the writer’s name, translator’s name, and translator’s contact information at the beginning of the work. Please provide a brief introduction to the writer whose work you have translated in your submission or cover letter. We do not publish the originals. Translators should secure rights to translate before submitting. We are especially eager to read translations from less translated languages. Please submit up to five poems at a time, totaling no more than ten manuscript pages. Poet’s name, translator’s name, and translator’s contact information should appear at the top of every poem. Please include a brief introduction to the poet whose work you have translated in your submission or cover letter. We do not publish the originals. Translators should secure rights to translate before submitting.

play genre icon

Play

Please send us a query through our submission manager. Upload one document that includes both a one-page query letter with project description, author bio, and history of the piece submitted (has it been workshopped or produced?), and a sample of the play or screenplay, no more than ten pages. For miCRo: scripts should be about three minutes in performance.

poetry genre icon

Poetry

No more than ten manuscript pages. For longer pieces or sequences, send no more than ten manuscript pages total, and mention in your comments or cover letter that the submission is part of a longer work. Poet’s name and contact information should appear at least once in the file. For miCRo - 32 lines max.

hybrid genre icon

Hybrid

No specific limitations

fiction genre icon

Fiction

No more than forty double-spaced pages. Include name and contact information at the beginning of the work.

Flash rules

Max words: 500

For miCRo - 500 words max.

nonfiction genre icon

Nonfiction

We’re interested mostly in pieces of nonfiction less than twenty double-spaced pages, though you can try us for longer pieces if you think they’ll knock our socks off. Include name and contact information at the beginning of the essay.

Flash rules

Max words: 500

For miCRo - 500 words max.

translations genre icon

Translations

Submissions should be no more than forty double-spaced pages. Include the writer’s name, translator’s name, and translator’s contact information at the beginning of the work. Please provide a brief introduction to the writer whose work you have translated in your submission or cover letter. We do not publish the originals. Translators should secure rights to translate before submitting. We are especially eager to read translations from less translated languages. Please submit up to five poems at a time, totaling no more than ten manuscript pages. Poet’s name, translator’s name, and translator’s contact information should appear at the top of every poem. Please include a brief introduction to the poet whose work you have translated in your submission or cover letter. We do not publish the originals. Translators should secure rights to translate before submitting.

play genre icon

Play

Please send us a query through our submission manager. Upload one document that includes both a one-page query letter with project description, author bio, and history of the piece submitted (has it been workshopped or produced?), and a sample of the play or screenplay, no more than ten pages. For miCRo: scripts should be about three minutes in performance.

Need to know for submitting

Read carefully, it will save from dead rats in the mailbox

  • 01

    Details

    Read more about the topic plus sign
  • 02

    How to submit 🏗️

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  • 03

    Cover Letter and Bio 🏗️

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  • 04

    Awards

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  • 05

    Demographics & Eligibility

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  • 06

    Formatting requirements 🏗️

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  • 07

    Rights for published work 🏗️

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Magazine

Founded in 2003 | United States

Masthead

We currently list only main editors, more will be added later! If you are an editor, you can edit your masthead in our admin panel :)

Lisa Ampleman
Editor-in-Chief
Matt O’Keefe
Senior Associate Editor
Michael Griffith
Fiction Editor
Rebecca Lindenberg
Poetry Editor
Brant Russell
Drama Editor
Chill Stats (note: this is not exactly accurate...)

Total tracked

36

Average acceptance rate

0% (so far)

Average response time

92 days

Average acceptance/rejection time

-/92 days

Fastest response time

13 days

Slowest response time

237 days

Weird response times we excluded from calculations: 838 days