SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

For current submission guidelines and contact information, always visit the most recent issue of Blackbird at blackbird.vcu.edu

Blackbird is published twice each year. When submitting unsolicited manuscripts, please be aware that we do not read from April 15 to September 15. All submissions received during this period will be disregarded.

Blackbird accepts submissions via email or regular mail.

Send one prose piece or two to six poems at a time, and please mail genres separately. Simultaneous submissions are amenable as long as they are indicated as such and we are notified immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Accompany your submission with a brief cover letter that includes a short paragraph of biographical information. Poems should be individually typed either single- or double-spaced on one side of the page. Prose should be typed double-spaced on one side. Although in prose we look primarily for short stories, we occasionally will publish personal essays/memoirs. Novel excerpts are acceptable if self-contained. Unsolicited book reviews, short plays, gallery features, and criticism are not considered. Please do not send multiple submissions of the same genre, and do not send another manuscript until you hear about the first. Additional submissions will be returned unread or disregarded. No more than a total of three submissions per reading period, please.

When submitting via email:
—Include in the subject line “Editor, Poetry” or “Editor, Fiction.”
—Type or paste your cover letter in the body of the email; include all contact information.
—Send work for consideration as a single attached file, .doc (MS Word) or .rtf (rich text format.) Mac users must manually add the appropriate extension.

Send email submissions to transom@vcu.edu.
(This email address is a drop box only. Direct questions to blackbird@vcu.edu or 804.225.4729.)

When submitting via regular mail:
—Mail your manuscripts in a page-size manila envelope, your full name and address written on the outside, to “Editor, Poetry” or “Editor, Fiction.”
—All manuscripts and correspondence regarding submissions should be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for a response. Please also include a permanent email address if you have one.

Mail submissions to:
Blackbird
Virginia Commonwealth University Department of English
PO Box 843082
Richmond, VA 23284-3082

Expect six months for a decision, and a bit longer during summer months. Do not query until at least six months have passed, preferably via email. Please indicate the date of submission. We cannot accommodate revisions, changes of return address, or forgotten SASE’s after the fact. We do not print previously published work. Translations are welcome if permission has been granted. We cannot be responsible for delay, loss, or damage.

If work is accepted for publication, expect to send it in electronic format if you have not already done so. Payment is after publication. All published poetry, fiction, and essays will be permanently archived online after the issue in which they appear retires.

Direct questions to:
blackbird@vcu.edu
804.225.4729