Submission Guidelines

Regular Submissions

The editors invite submissions of poetry, fiction and nonfiction of general interest (no literary criticism). Please clearly mark the outer envelope as fiction, poetry or essay. Do not mix genres in the same submission. Authors are paid per printed page.

All prose manuscripts should be double-spaced.

Previously unpublished material only. Manuscripts submitted without a stamped, self-addressed envelope will be recycled without response. (Mention in your cover letter if you want your manuscript returned—remember to include sufficient postage on your SASE as well.) Include your e-mail address to receive announcements from the Missouri Review.

Standard response time is from 10-12 weeks. Manuscripts are read year round. Sample copies are available for $15.

Simultaneous submissions are okay as long as you notify us if accepted elsewhere.

You can submit online through our Submission Manager.

Poetry

TMR publishes three poetry features per issue—6 to 14 pages of poems each from 3 poets per issue. Please keep in mind the length of features when submitting poems. Typically, successful submissions include 8-20 pages of unpublished poetry (note: please do not send complete manuscripts—published or unpublished—for consideration). NB: Poetry submissions that do not fit the needs of a given issue may still be considered for our long-running Poem of the Week feature. See examples here.

Fiction

While there are no length restrictions, we do recommend writers familiarize themselves with fiction from previous issues before submitting. NB: Works of fiction and essays that do not fit the needs of a given issue may still be considered for our online exclusive anthology BLAST.

The William Peden Prize of $1,000 is awarded annually to the best piece of fiction to have appeared in the previous volume year. The winner is chosen by an outside judge from stories published in TMR. There is no separate application process.

Essays

Nonfiction of general interest only. All submissions should be addressed to “nonfiction editor.” There are no restrictions on length or topic, but as with fiction submissions, we suggest that writers familiarize themselves with nonfiction from previous issues. Queries are welcome. Excerpts from book-length nonfiction manuscripts will be considered, but must be able to stand alone. Again, prose that does not fit TMR‘s needs in a given issue may still be considered for BLAST.

Omnibus Book Reviews

The Missouri Review considers omnibus reviews of 3-6 recently published books that share a common feature or address a similar topic. We’re especially interested in essays that respond to books from smaller presses and/or emerging authors. We welcome you to submit unsolicited review essays of about 4,000-5,500 words through our submissions manager. The flat rate for an accepted omnibus review is $250. If you have questions or would like to pitch an idea for a review, please email Kylan Rice at b [dot] rice [at] missouri [dot] edu.


Send postal submissions to:

[genre] Editor or contest category
The Missouri Review
453 McReynolds Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211

Or you can submit online!