Please read the following guidelines before you submit. We also recommend you read previous issues as a guide to the quality of work that is of interest to us.
General Guidelines
- Blackbird does not accept previously published work.
- Simultaneous submissions are acceptable so long as they are indicated as such and we are immediately notified upon acceptance elsewhere. To withdraw individual poems from a submission, please send a message in Submittable notifying us of the poems that are no longer available.
- Translations are welcome so long as permissions have been obtained from the author.
- We are able to publish long works in all genres, but query Blackbird before you send a prose piece over 8,000 words or a poem exceeding 10 pages.
- Please submit a cover letter, either in the box provided or as the first page of your submission; if you have previously published with Blackbird or received encouragement on a previous submission, please include that information as well.
- Expect six months for a decision, longer if you submit just before the summer break. Do not query until at least six months have passed.
If you are a currently-enrolled student (not at VCU), please email blackbird@vcu.edu for a link to a waived-fee submission form.
Direct all queries to:
We accept book reviews of up to 500 words or fewer. Books must have been published within a year. We only accept reviews of first or second books.
Completed craft essays and interviews of up to 2,000 words.
- In a single PDF document, send up to ten images of a single body of work (or related series of works).
- At the beginning of your PDF, please include an artist’s statement of up to 500 words that addresses this particular body of work and your general artist’s practice; an image index detailing each work’s title, medium, dimensions and date of completion; and, if the work has been exhibited, when and where.
- Artists selected for publication should be prepared to submit individual jpeg images of their work and will be interviewed by Blackbird’s art editor for a written feature. Featured artists may also be asked to participate in a video or audio segment to accompany their work, but participation will be at the artist’s discretion.
- While Blackbird does not generally accept previously published artworks, we are happy to feature bodies of work that have appeared in exhibition catalogues or an artist’s/gallery’s social media/websites. It is also acceptable to submit bodies of work including individual pieces that have appeared in other publications so long as the majority of the works submitted have not been published elsewhere.
Please read the following guidelines before you submit.
- Send up to six poems at a time; send at least two poems, minimum.
- Set your poem as you want it to appear on the printed page.
- Put all poems into one document.
- Query before you send a poem exceeding 10 pages.
General Guidelines
- Blackbird does not accept previously published work.
- Simultaneous submissions are acceptable so long as they are indicated as such and we are immediately notified upon acceptance elsewhere. To withdraw individual poems from a submission, please send a message in Submittable notifying us of the poems that are no longer available.
- Translations are welcome so long as permissions have been obtained from the author.
- Please submit a cover letter, either in the box provided or as the first page of your submission; if you have previously published with Blackbird or received encouragement on a previous submission, please include that information as well.
If you are a currently-enrolled student, please email blackbird@vcu.edu for a link to a waived-fee submission form.
Please read the following guidelines before you submit.
- Double-space, please.
- We primarily look for short stories, but novel excerpts are acceptable if self-contained.
- Send one prose piece at a time.
- Query before you send a prose piece over 8,000 words.
General Guidelines
- Blackbird does not accept previously published work.
- Simultaneous submissions are acceptable so long as they are indicated as such and we are immediately notified upon acceptance elsewhere.
- Translations are welcome so long as permissions have been obtained from the author.
- Please submit a cover letter, either in the box provided or as the first page of your submission; if you have previously published with Blackbird or received encouragement on a previous submission, please include that information as well.
If you are a currently-enrolled student, please email us at blackbird@vcu.edu for a link to a waived-fee submission form.
Please read the following guidelines before you submit.
- Double-space, please.
- We primarily look for personal essays, but memoir excerpts are acceptable if self-contained.
- Unsolicited book reviews and criticism are not considered.
- Send one prose piece at a time.
- Query before you send a prose piece over 8,000 words.
General Guidelines
- Blackbird does not accept previously published work.
- Simultaneous submissions are acceptable so long as they are indicated as such and we are immediately notified upon acceptance elsewhere.
- Translations are welcome so long as permissions have been obtained from the author.
- Please submit a cover letter, either in the box provided or as the first page of your submission; if you have previously published with Blackbird or received encouragement on a previous submission, please include that information as well.
If you are a currently-enrolled student, please email us at blackbird@vcu.edu for a link to a waived-fee submission form.
Video Essay Submission Guidelines
Blackbird is actively seeking video essays at this time!
The writer and artist M. Freeman (whose own video essays are in a recent Blackbird Flight) describes video essays as “the mixed-breed love child of poetry, creative nonfiction, arthouse indies, documentary, and experimental media art.” We dig that! The video essays we admire most employ language, image, and sound with equal craftsmanship and collective vision. John Bresland’s “On the Origin of the Video Essay” shines a light on our video essay preferences. You can watch the video essays in that feature as examples, as well as our more recent video essay publications.
Some other video essays we admire are featured in TriQuarterly (like “Touch” by James J. Hodge) and Brink Literary. Check them out!
Specifications:
-Submit up to 5 at a time.
-Video essays can be 12 minutes max, but we think the sweet spot is usually between 2
and 8 minutes.
-We do not accept work that uses Generative AI in any form, especially work that
passes off AI-generated visuals, audio, and/or writing as one’s original creation. We
acknowledge that most modern video and audio software integrates artificial intelligence
to some extent, so we encourage submitters to contact our team should they have any
questions regarding this policy.
What to Submit:
-Send submissions as Vimeo or unlisted YouTube links.
- A transcript of the text (as a Word Doc)
- Artist statement: A short paragraph about the project, its intentions, and how image, sound, and text interact. This gives context for reviewers and can be brief.
- Author/artist bios: 50–100 words for publication and editorial purposes.
Sound-based Literature Submission Guidelines
As Blackbird continues to develop our podcast and publish new media, like video essays, we are now seeking sound-based literary projects.
What is Sound-based Literature?
Writers and musicians have been pushing the boundaries between text/sound for decades.
Sound-based literature is an original piece of writing that pairs a recorded voiceover with a musical composition or sound design score. We are seeking original, sound-based literature similar to JJJJJerome Ellis' The Clearing or Katie Moulton's Dead Dad Club: On Grief and Tom Petty. Sound-based literature submissions will be considered for publication in a future Flight and/or inclusion in an upcoming episode of the Blackbird Literary Podcast.
Be sure to listen to our first podcast episode here to best understand the kind of work we’re seeking.
Specifications:
-Submit up to 5 at a time.
-Video essays can be 12 minutes max, but we think the sweet spot is usually between 2
and 8 minutes.
-We do not accept work that uses Generative AI in any form, especially work that
passes off AI-generated visuals, audio, and/or writing as one’s original creation. We
acknowledge that most modern video and audio software integrates artificial intelligence
to some extent, so we encourage submitters to contact our team should they have any
questions regarding this policy.
What to Submit:
- The sound-based literature piece (ideally as a private SoundCloud or unlisted YouTube link or a WAV/MP3)
- A transcript of the literature (as a Word Doc)
- Artist statement: A short paragraph about the project, its intentions, and how sound and text interact. This gives context for reviewers and can be brief.
- Author/artist bios: 50–100 words for publication and editorial purposes.