Submission guidelines

Submitting to The West Review is always free because we do not use Submittable. We are grateful for the opportunity to read your work.

The West Review considers submissions of poetry, prose, and art year-round. No affiliation to the US West Coast is necessary. Only previously unpublished writing will be considered for publication, but it is fine if art has been published elsewhere. We accept (and encourage!) simultaneous submissions, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. 

Poetry Submissions
Please send up to seven (7) poems to thewestreview@gmail.com with the subject line POETRY SUBMISSION. Include a cover letter in the body and bio of the email and upload all poems in one DOC or PDF file. Make sure that your name does not appear anywhere in the document or submission title; our editors like to read submissions blindly. 

Prose Submissions
Please send up to three (3) interviews, reviews, or flash fictions (under 1,500 words) to thewestreview@gmail.com with the subject line PROSE SUBMISSION. Include a cover letter and bio in the body of the email and upload each piece in a different DOC or PDF file. Make sure that your name does not appear anywhere in the document or submission title; our editors like to read submissions blindly. 

Art Submissions (unpaid)
Please send up to ten (10) high-quality images of your work to thewestreview@gmail.com with the subject line ART SUBMISSION. Include a cover letter and bio in the body of the email and upload each piece in a different JPEG or PNG file. 

We believe writers should be paid for their labor. As such, we are happy to provide each contributor with a small payment for each accepted poem/prose piece (paid via PayPal upon publication). Unfortunately, we are unable to pay visual artists at this time.

Want an expedited response? (48 hour turnover)
Send us $5 and we'll get back to you regarding our decision within two business days.
Send us $10 and we'll also provide personalized feedback/advice on your work.
Please know that all payments will go directly into the contributors' fund and allow us to continue to pay writers.

The Nitty-Gritty:

• The West Review does not accept previously published writing.
• You are giving permission to The West Review  to publish your work online (and perhaps, later on, in print) in perpetuity.
• After publication, you will retain all ownership rights to your accepted work. 
• Should your accepted work be featured elsewhere, subsequent to appearing in The West Review, please mention that it appeared here first.
• When you submit to us, you will automatically be added to our newsletter list.

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