Submission Guidelines
RiverCraft is currently accepting submissions for our Spring 2025 edition!
Each year, RiverCraft publishes a collection of exceptional literary fiction, poetry, photography, and visual art crafted by Susquehanna University students. For our upcoming issue, we invite writers and artists to explore the theme of cycles. This theme can take on many forms: seasonal change, generational patterns, growth and decay, and many other repetitions that shape the way of life. How do cycles define, bind, separate, or liberate us? We encourage submissions that interpret cycles in unexpected ways, whether through rebirth, habits, natural phenomena, personal transformations, etc.
Getting work published can be rewarding for all students, regardless of major. A publication can bolster your resume, circulate your name, and offer you practical experience in preparing your work for a mass audience. Even more, being featured in a magazine can help build confidence in your creative expression and remind you to celebrate your art. With the permission of our contributors, works accepted for our print publication will also be published here on our website to further increase the reach of your piece.
There is no limit on how many submissions you may send, except for poetry: each poet is limited to one submission with a maximum of 12 poems. You’re welcome to submit to multiple categories. You are also still welcome to serve on a reading board if you’ve submitted work. We accept work from enrolled Susquehanna University students.
You can find the guidelines for each submission category below. Send all submissions, applications, and questions as separate messages to rivercraft@susqu.edu.
Literary Fiction Guidelines:
RiverCraft specializes in publishing literary fiction. We are looking for stories that are artfully constructed with strong character work and a distinctive, economical prose style. We’re particularly interested in work that seeks to lay bare the souls of its characters and pushes boundaries with its use of language. We encourage you to read past issues to acquaint yourself with the style of work and standard of quality we expect.
We accept short stories, flash fiction works, and novel excerpts that can stand on their own. We also accept graphic works such as comics, political cartoons, and illustrated fiction pieces. We have no set minimum word count, but we do have a maximum of 5,000 words. Please send multiple submissions as separate attachments and include a cover page with your name and email address. Each attachment should be sent as a Microsoft Word document. Submissions should be paginated, double-spaced, and in 12-point Times New Roman. Graphic works should be attached as JPEG or PDF files in the highest possible resolution and cannot have your name or any other identifying information visible on the file. Put FICTION SUBMISSION in the subject line of your email.
Poetry Guidelines:
RiverCraft is seeking poetry that embraces, transforms, and blends old and new forms. We look forward to poetry that is alive, distinctive in its use of language, and unabashed in its existence on the page and in our lives. We want poetry that resonates with what's below the surface and deploys poetic devices that will liberate, bind, define, or separate us from our theme of cycles.
We accept poetry of any form or style. We also accept illustrated poetry. Please send multiple poems in the same Microsoft Word document attachment, remembering to include a cover page with your name and email address. Please limit your work to a maximum of 12 poetry pieces per submission. Each contributor is allowed one submission total in order to best conform with the magazine’s style and consistency. Format your piece(s) as you wish them to be laid out in the magazine, but please use 12-point Times New Roman and be sure that the distinction between each poem is clearly defined with a page break. Graphic works should be sent in as JPEG or PDF files in the highest possible resolution and do not leave your name or any other identifying information visible on the file. Put POETRY SUBMISSION in the subject line of your email.
Photography Guidelines:
Please send photo submissions as JPEG attachments in the highest possible resolution. No cover letter is required, but please title your photograph and use that as the file name. Use PHOTOGRAPHY SUBMISSION as the subject of your email. One photograph or work of art will be chosen as the cover of the magazine.
Artwork Guidelines:
We will accept works of any variety, from realism to abstraction to painting or multimedia. Use ART SUBMISSION as the subject of your email and attach a digital copy of your work in the highest possible resolution. No cover letter is required, but please title your art and use that as the file name. One photograph or work of art will be chosen as the cover of the magazine.
Reading Board Application:
We want your feedback on submissions! You can apply to be on one of our review boards for fiction, poetry, or photography and visual arts. Serving on a review board can be an amazing opportunity to read widely, lend editorial insight, and play a significant role in shaping a publication. You will find the applications linked here (fiction reading board, poetry reading board, and photography & visual art reviewing board applications).
As part of our commitment to uphold social and aesthetic diversity, submissions will be reviewed blindly. No work will be rejected based on subject matter alone, apart from any threatening or hateful expressions of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or antisemitism. We only accept original, human-crafted works and will not accept submissions that utilize or were aided by generative AI.
The deadline for both reading board applications and submissions is December 1st at 11:59 PM, and there will be no extension. If you have any questions, contact our staff (rivercraft@susqu.edu). We will be in touch with reading board decisions come mid-December, and we’ll be in touch with fiction, poetry, and art decisions come February.
We cannot wait to receive your best work. Happy submitting!