Many people dream of becoming a published author, but they don’t know where to start. Others might just be looking for a home for a piece of artwork, photography, or a written work. And some people might just be looking for a challenge. If that sounds like you, you should check out Inklings Literary Magazine!
Inklings has been a part of Eastern since 1966, publishing students’ work. We’ve also recently opened our submissions pool to undergraduates at all universities and institutions, so if you have friends at other schools who are interested in being published, Inklings would love to see their work too! Our literary magazine’s archives are listed on our website if you’d like to check out past issues.
A literary magazine is a space, either in print or online, that usually publishes art, such as poetry, short stories, creative nonfiction, photography, digital art, sketches and others. Different literary magazines publish different types of art; some only publish poetry, for example, and others only publish in certain genres, such as science fiction. Some magazines are also more selective than others, so your chances of being accepted to a magazine vary depending on where you submit.
Inklings Literary Magazine accepts poetry, photography, short stories in any genre, creative nonfiction, and artwork, so whether you’re an artist or a writer, Inklings could be a great home for your work. Our submission guidelines are up on our website, inklings.eastern.edu. You can also check out the flyers around campus and scan the QR code, which will take you directly to our website. Simply fill out the submission form, attach your work, and you’re done! Please also note that Inklings asks for blind submissions, meaning that the readers won’t know who the author is when they’re deciding what to put in the magazine, so make sure that the document you submit does not have any identifying information on it, like your name or email.
But what happens next? Well, our window for submissions closes March 25, and once we’re closed to submissions, we’ll begin recruiting readers. If you’re interested in being a reader, reach out to the Inklings email and we’ll get in touch! Readers will review each piece and help the editor-in-chief decide which pieces will be published in our 2022 issue. Once we’ve made our final decisions, the editor-in-chief will email the lucky ones and begin creating the print issue of the magazine. All contributors to the magazine will be able to pick up a couple of copies to keep and share with family and friends!
Publication can be a great opportunity for anyone, even if you’re not considering a career as an author or artist. You can list publications on a resume, and it’s a pretty exciting thing to tell a potential employer that you’re a published author. If you are considering a career in the arts, though, publications in literary journals are a great way to build up your portfolio of work.
Naomi Roth, who graduated from Eastern in 2020, wrote that: “it’s a great place to start. If anyone is serious about their writing they should submit to undergraduate literary magazines while they can as a stepping stone to larger magazines and it also looks good when querying your novel.”
A current student, Zack Wilson, said, “I submitted my poetry just laying around on my computer from high school, not expecting anything at all, but it was really cool to see my work published and printed in an actual, physical booklet. I’d highly recommend someone write or submit something. It’s one thing to read what you wrote off a screen or from a notebook, but it’s a different level entirely when a slick-looking book of poetry rolls up and it’s your name and writing in there.”
We’re excited to see all the wonderful talent of Eastern University! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out over email.
Grace Nealy 
Jason Karch 
Josh Steen