About BSR:
Barely South Review is dedicated to publishing prose, poetry, and art from both emerging and established writers and artists. Our name refers to our home – the coastal Tidewater region of southeastern Virginia and its unique blend of diverse cultures and histories. We feel there is great complexity in any creative assertion of “here,” and it is in this spirit that BSR features voices that defy regional, thematic, and stylistic categorizations. We seek great writing in its myriad forms.
The best way to get a clear sense of our tastes is to explore our recent issues.
Guidelines:
BSR seeks original, unpublished works of nonfiction, poetry, short fiction, and art. We have two reading periods:
- September 1 – November 1st for our Winter issue.
- 15 January – 15 March for our Spring issue.
Along with your submission, please provide a brief cover letter and bio. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please note this in your cover letter, and notify us immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere.
Fiction and nonfiction submissions must be 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. Include the word count on the first page. Please avoid any nonstandard formatting or alternative fonts.
You may submit to multiple genres, but we ask that you submit once per genre per submission period. If you are a recent contributor, please wait at least two submission periods after publication to submit again.
We accept submissions internationally, and we do nominate for the Pushcart.
BSR uses Submittable to process submissions. This allows for better, more timely contact with those who send us their work. There is a link at the bottom of this page. Your submission must be in Word or Rich Text format (.doc or .rtf) format. The system will not accept other formats, including .pdf.
BSR acquires only the first serial publication rights of accepted work. Copyright is asserted on behalf of the author; all reprint rights (print or electronic) revert to the author upon publication, but we ask that you mention Barely South Reviewas first publication appearance.
Genre Submission Details:
Fiction: One short story (<4000 words).
Poetry: Up to three poems. Please submit all poems in one document.
Creative Nonfiction: One essay (<4000 words).
Flash Non/Fiction: Up to three flash pieces (<1000 words each). Please submit each piece separately.
Literary Comics: Up to three strips (<19 images).
Art: Up to five pieces. Art submissions of all mediums will be considered. Works must not have appeared elsewhere (other than on the artist’s personal website). Formats accepted include .jpg, .gif, .tiff, and .png.
Barely South Review is excited to have Annabelle Tometich as our special guest judge for this summer’s Creative Non-Fiction Writing Contest.
Annabelle Tometich went from medical school reject to line cook to journalist to author. She spent 18 years as a food writer and restaurant critic for The News-Press in her hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. Her first book, “The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony” (Little, Brown; April 2024) was called “sweet, sharp” by The New York Times, and was named among the best books of 2024 by The Washington Post and NPR.
Tometich has written for The Washington Post, USA Today, Catapult, and many more outlets. In 2025, she became the first Filipino American author to win the Southern Book Prize for nonfiction. Tometich (still) lives in Fort Myers with her husband, two children, and her ever-fiery Filipina mother.
At Barely South Review, we invite all creative non-fiction that is previously unpublished, original, and under 5,000 words.
This contest is judged blind and identifying information should be scrubbed from your manuscript. Submissions should be 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with a wordcount on the first page. Please submit only once. Although we understand submitting simultaneously, we appreciate those who do not. All submissions will be considered for publication.
We cannot accept submissions from anyone affiliated with Old Dominion University, past or present.
The winner will receive a prize of $300 dollars and publication in Barely South Review.
Submission period: May 15th – July 31st
BSR acquires only the first serial publication rights of accepted work. Copyright is asserted on behalf of the author; all reprint rights (print or electronic) revert to the author upon publication, but we ask that you mention Barely South Review as first publication appearance.
By "lit comic" we mean a narratively driven work with literary elements. Although we are open to all forms, we are not likely to accept Sunday comics, political cartoons, or superhero comics.
To get an idea of our interests, I would suggest you look at the work we published recently by E.G. Shields, The Joy of Keeping Chickens.
Other exemplar literary comic artists (not published by us) include Alison Bechdel, Daniel Clowes, Joe Sacco, Dash Shaw, Teddy Goldenberg, and Jeffrey Brown.
We are not currently considering AI-generated work.
You may submit up to 15 pages. If your work has not been accepted, please wait at least one calendar year before resubmitting.
Barely South Review accepts artwork submissions year round. Your original works of art including photography, painting, graphics, sculpture, video work, and multimedia could be featured in BSR. Works must not have appeared elsewhere (other than on the artist's personal website).
We are not currently accepting AI generated work.
You may submit up to 15 works. If your work has not been accepted, please wait one calendar year before resubmitting.
Formats accepted include .jpg, .gif, .tiff, .png., .mov, .mp4.