The Review Guidelines:
Whether you are a veteran craftsman or learning to use your voice or artistic sight, The Houston Literary Review wants to hear from you. However, if you have thin skin, believe your work is in no need of copy editing, or believe your words should not be edited, PLEASE do not submit.
THLR staff spend untold hours laying out pages, copy editing, and trying to make sense of prose masquerading as poetry and or voices that take too long to say what it is they are trying to say. We reserve the right to edit according to our style.
Please take a moment to consider that THLR is published monthly using volunteer resources and some part-time editors who work for very little salary. THLR is not a vanity publication and strives to give every writer and visual artist an opportunity to develop their voices.
However, office equipment, Internet connections, and web server costs are additional overhead expenses that THLR volunteers pay for out of their own pockets. All we ask is if you are sending material for publication to take a moment to visit our home page and donate to help defray our costs -- a $1 donation is just as important as a $100 donation.
Electronic submissions are preferred, but postal mail submissions are acceptable (but only on a CD disk).
Written Submissions:
Send as a Microsoft Word document attachment if possible. Provide your contact information on the first page of your submission: name, address, telephone number and email address.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but notice must be given immediately upon receipt of notification that a manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.
Poetry:
Submit original, unpublished poems (or published pieces with publishing details). Remember, a poem is published if accepted by a publisher in any medium, including online publication, or if it is posted to an online forum that is accessible to the public.
Submit no more than three poems for inclusion in an issue unless submitting for a special section.
Short Stories: Submit an original, unpublished short story of no more than 1,000 words (or published stories with publishing details.) Remember, a story is published if accepted by a publisher in any medium, including online publication, or if it is posted to an online forum that is accessible to the public.
Visual Art:
Visual artists and photographers are asked to submit a segment of work that best illustrates their talent and point of view. Visual art should contain a written descriptive framework that enables viewers an opportunity to better understand the creator's perspective.
If selected for Publication:
We will request a portrait-style digital photograph of you for a profile that will be published in the Houston Literary Review. An editors' choice award of $100 will be paid to the poet whose published poem is selected as the best for that quarter. A similar award will be given to visual artists as well (pending quarterly budget requirements).
Statement of Rights and Intent to Publish
Submission to The Houston Literary Review for publication constitutes a grant of license to publish. The Houston Literary Review retains First-Time North American Publication Rights. Copyright reverts to the artist following publication. The right to publish not withstanding, The Houston Literary Review shall be under no obligation to publish any poem, writing or other submission to which it retains such right to publish.
Simultaneous submission of material that is subsequently accepted for publication elsewhere places an affirmative duty on the person submitting the material to notify the editors of such acceptance for publication. Persons submitting for publication further indemnify against the claims of others and hold The Houston Literary Review harmless for any failure on their part to notify The Houston Literary Review of any agreement for publication of their work by others, or disposition of the rights to the material that may be held by another party.
Sending Submissions:
We prefer email. Please send your written work as Microsoft Word attachments to:
editor@thehoustonliteraryreview.com
Please send visual artwork to:
photoeditor@thehoustonliteraryreview.com
If submitting written work through the US mail:
Submissions should be in Microsoft Word format. The font should be no smaller than 12 point.
Provide your contact information on the first page of your submission: name, address, telephone number and email address. CDs will not be returned.
Send submissions to:
Artwork by Gery G. Wyche of Houston, Texas