Appalachian Review


Type Of Organization
Magazine
Mission Statement / Editorial Focus
In this age of information overload, Appalachian Review strives to be a literary sanctuary for the finest contemporary writing that we can find. Each quarterly issue showcases the work of emerging and established writers throughout Appalachia and beyond, offering readers literature that is thoughtful, innovative, and revelatory. Founded in 1973 as Appalachian Heritage and based at Berea College since 1985, Appalachian Review considers previously unpublished fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, writing for young adults, craft essays, book reviews, and visual art. In addition to new and emerging writers, contributors to the magazine include finalists for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award; winners of the T. S. Eliot Award, the E.B. White Award, an O. Henry Prize, among others; and multiple Pushcart Prize nominees. Works by contributors have been reprinted in New Stories from the South and other notable anthologies. Past contributors to Appalachian Review include Pinckney Benedict, Wendell Berry, Wiley Cash, Nikki Giovanni, bell hooks, Silas House, Fenton Johnson, Barbara Kingsolver, Maurice Manning, Ann Pancake, Jayne Anne Phillips, Ron Rash, Lee Smith, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Neela Vaswani, Frank X Walker, and Crystal Wilkinson.

Social Media Platforms Used
Facebook, Twitter
Is Your Group Affiliated With A University, Portal Or Other Agency?
yes
If Yes, Please Name
Berea College
Primary Editor/Contact Person
Jason Kyle Howard
Contact Title
Editor
Publishes
essays, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, reviews, art
Recent Awards Received
Work reprinted in New Stories from the South and other anthologies; listed as notable in Best American Essays.
Representative Authors
Maurice Manning, Ann Pancake, Crystal Wilkinson
Submissions Policy
We welcome submissions of short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, writing for young adults, craft essays, book reviews, and artwork. Please read the submission guidelines before submitting. Our submissions period runs from 1st September through 1st December; unsolicited work received outside of this time frame will be discarded. Our turnaround time is typically four to five months. Appalachian Review accepts original, unpublished work that is rooted in and/or captures the spirit of Appalachia. Potential authors need not be from the region but should instead exhibit a connection to and/or a deep understanding of Appalachia and its people. We are not interested in stereotypical portrayals of the region. Instead, we are particularly looking for writing that expands the notion of what it means to be Appalachian or connected to the region. We accept submissions via Submittable. We do not accept submissions by post or email. Simultaneous submissions are welcomed. However, please notify us promptly if that submission is accepted for publication elsewhere. Please submit only one short story or essay, and up to five poems, at a time. Multiple submissions will be discarded. Cover letters should be simple and straightforward, including a word count, the genre of the submission, and a short (two to three sentences) biography. As we choose manuscripts based on the strength of the writing alone, there is no need for a lengthy explanation or CV. Fiction: Please submit a double-spaced manuscript in 12-point font limited to 7,500 words. We welcome work that is well crafted and tells a good story, with characters and prose that will linger in the minds of our readers long after they have finished reading. “Good stories do not resolve the mysteries of the human spirit but rather describe and expand upon those mysteries, “ novelist Tim O’Brien says. We concur. We do not publish genre fiction (fantasy, mystery, crime, science fiction). These will be automatically discarded. Creative Nonfiction: Please submit a double-spaced manuscript in 12-point font limited to 7,500 words. We are seeking both traditional and experimental essays, including personal (nature, environmental, and travel essays), memoirs, lyric, meditative, and literary journalism. Good essays will feature an original voice that is rooted in engaging language and a multi-layered story. We agree with the essayist Robert Vivian, who notes, “Writing about what a person actually sees, feels, and experiences as a human being in this world is relevant, important, sometimes even revelatory as a way to make sense of oneself and others and that this is inherently worth doing.” We do not publish local color writing (i.e. “Papaw was perfect” and “Mamaw was a saint”). Creative nonfiction is a serious genre and we want hard-hitting, innovative, moving prose. We are typically not interested in scholarly articles that are overburdened with footnotes, but welcome the occasional piece of literary criticism. Poetry: Please submit one to five poems at a time in 12-point font. We are looking for poetry that is truly original, of nearly any aesthetic bent, that captures something that simply can’t be expressed any other way. We want poems that teach us something new, that move us to laughter or tears, that “require [us] to pay attention to the process of imagination and discover the sense of its mystery,” as Pulitzer Prize-finalist poet Maurice Manning says. Young Adult: Please submit a double-spaced manuscript in 12-point font limited to 7,500 words. We publish YA and YA crossover work that is intelligent, creative, and shows a slice of the adolescent and human experience to which people of all ages can relate. Craft Essays: Please submit a double-spaced manuscript in 12-point font limited to 3,500 words on the subject of literary craft. We are interested in short or long essays from both established and emerging writers that examine the mechanics of creative writing and the writing life. Examples could include methods of establishing a strong sense of place, writing in dialect, metaphors in creative nonfiction, or the importance of ritual for writers. We are interested in highlighting a wide range of subjects, themes, and approaches. Book Reviews: We are interested in honest, in-depth assessments of new, creative publications related to Appalachia. As assignments of titles to be reviewed are typically made by the editor, unsolicited reviews should not be submitted without a prior query. However, we are open to considering proposals from prospective authors about titles they might like to review.
Accepts Unsolicited Submissions
Yes
Submission Guidelines URL
Simultaneous Submissions Accepted
yes
Reading Period
From 09 / 01 - 12 / 01
Reporting Time
01 - 12 months
Author Payments
copies, subscription
Contests
All published writing is eligible for our annual Plattner Awards. First place winners receive a stipend of $200.
Number Of Paid Staff
1
Number Of Unpaid Staff
3
Year Founded
1973
Distributors
University of North Carolina Press
ISBN Number
9770363231007
Average Print Run
1000
Total Circulation
600
Paid Subscriptions
400
Individual
$30
Insitution
$40
Single Copy Price
$10
Back Issues Available
yes
Unsolicited Manuscripts Accepted
yes
If Yes, What Percent Of All Unsolicited MSS Are Published
20
Format
perfect
Dimensions
6" - 9"
Average Number Of Pages
128

Magazine