Submission Instructions
We carefully consider individual and collaborative work from all authors and artists, and those who submit do not need an affiliation with Illinois State University to be considered for publication.
To submit your work to Euphemism, please email your submission to euphemism@ilstu.edu using the following guidelines:
- Subject line: submission, month, year (e.g. Submission September 2023).
- Attach your work in .docx, .rtf, .pdf, .png, .jpg, .gif, .mp3, .wmv, and .mov formats. Please do not paste your submission in the body of the email. We prefer all written submissions to be in Microsoft Word.
- Each individual work should be submitted as an individual attachment. For example, if you are submitting two poems and three short stories, there should be five total attachments in your email.
- Title each attachment according to genre (e.g. Poetry 1, Poetry 2, Fiction 1, Nonfiction 1, Art 1).
- Make sure your name and e-mail address are clearly indicated in the body of your e-mail.
- List titles for your work in the body of your email (e.g. Poetry 1: "The Road Not Taken", Fiction 1: "The Yellow Wallpaper", Fiction 2: "The Tell-Tale Heart").
*Because we follow a blind review process, please remove your name and contact information from all attachments.
Euphemism publishes two issues per academic year (Fall/Spring) and has two reading periods (typically from August to mid-October and from January to mid-March). We accept submissions year-round, but summer submissions may not receive a receipt confirmation until August.
Please proofread any work you submit. Although we do our best to maintain the integrity of experimental work, Euphemism reserves the right to fix any obvious typographical errors. While we attempt to publish your work exactly as it was submitted, there may be issues that inhibit our ability to do so. Please contact us if you have any specific concerns about the formatting of your submission.
Publication Rights: As a small journal, we don't claim first publication rights on work we publish. However, other journals may refuse to publish your work if it has been previously published.
Poetry:
- .docx format
- only poems that use non-standard spacing (concrete poetry, for example) should be sent in .pdf
Short Fiction:
- up to 6,000 words, double spaced
- .docx format preferred
Nonfiction:
- .docx format preferred
- personal essays and other creative nonfiction
- up to 6,000 words, double spaced
Visual Art:
- prefer .png, but will accept .jpg and .gif formats
- visual must be at least 500 pixels wide
- images should be no larger than 5 MB
Spoken Word/Sound Installation:
- prefer .mp3 files
Original Music:
- prefer .mp3 files
- original (non copyrighted) songs only
- 12-minute limit per submission
Video:
- includes video poems, flash poetry, cinepoems, experimental video, short documentaries, and other films
- submissions in .wmv or .mov formats
- no copyrighted material (songs, images)
- 15-minute limit per submission
- must be exportable for web viewing
Comics/Sequential Art/Graphic Narrative:
- prefer .jpg or .pdf files