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BSR seeks original, unpublished works of nonfiction, poetry, short fiction, and art.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 short cover letter including your contact information and a brief bio. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please note this in your cover letter, and please notify us immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere.
Your submission must be in Word or Rich Text format (.doc or .rtf) format. The system will not accept other formats, including .pdf.
If you are making multiple submissions of poetry please place them all in one document. For flash submissions, each piece should be uploaded to Submittable separately. Please do not cut and paste all of your submissions into one document.
Fiction and nonfiction manuscripts must be 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around, and the word count must be included on the first page. Paragraphs must be indented. Please avoid any nonstandard formatting or alternative fonts.
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.
We do apply to Pushcart.
Submission Details:
Fiction: One short story (<4000 words). Must be double-spaced, and the word count must be included on the first page.
Poetry: Up to three poems. Please submit all poems in one document.
Creative Nonfiction: One essay (<4000 words). Excerpts from longer works are acceptable as long as they adhere to our word maximum and can stand alone as essays independent of the larger work. Must be double-spaced, and the word count must be included on the first page.
Flash Fiction/non: Up to three flash pieces (<1000 words each). Please submit each piece separately.
Art: Up to five pieces. Art submissions, including photography, painting, graphics, and comics, will be considered for the cover of BSR. Works must not have appeared elsewhere (other than on the artist’s personal website). Formats accepted include .jpg, .gif, .tiff, and .png.
Up to three flash pieces (<1000 words each). Please submit each piece separately.
Manuscripts must be 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around, and the word count must be included on the first page. Paragraphs must be indented. Please avoid any nonstandard formatting.
One essay (<4000 words). Excerpts from longer works are acceptable as long as they adhere to our word maximum and can stand alone as essays independent of the larger work.
Manuscripts must be 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around, and the word count must be included on the first page. Paragraphs must be indented. Please avoid any nonstandard formatting.
Up to Three poems. Please submit all poems in one document.
Up to three flash pieces (<1000 words each). Please submit each piece separately.
Manuscripts must be 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around, and the word count must be included on the first page. Paragraphs must be indented. Please avoid any nonstandard formatting.
One short story (<4000 words). Must be double-spaced, and the word count must be included on the first page.
Manuscripts must be 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around, and the word count must be included on the first page. Paragraphs must be indented. Please avoid any nonstandard formatting.
Barely South Review accepts artwork submissions year round. Your original works of art including photography, painting, graphics, etc. could be featured on the cover of BSR. Works must not have appeared elsewhere (other than on the artist's personal website). Formats accepted include .jpg, .gif, .tiff, and .png. You may submit up to 5 separate works.