Yalobusha Review is a journal of new writing, founded in 1995 and operated by the graduate writing program at the University of Mississippi. We seek to showcase work that alters or subverts mainstream forms of expression—work that is, in a broad sense, experimental, though that takes many forms. We believe the reading experience should be a kinetic one, and to that end, we favor art that has its own source of energy, drawn from tonal individuality, linguistic texture, and above all, a sense of exploration. 

YR accepts free submissions until we have reached capacity for the month. At that point, submitters may use our tip jar submissions or wait until the new month to submit for free.

Submissions may close during contests and summer months. 

All submissions should include a cover letter (the shorter the better) with titles of submissions, a brief, press-ready biographical statement, and any relevant contact information. YR does not accept previously published pieces. Simultaneous submissions are not only permitted but expected; please notify us immediately if a piece is chosen for publication elsewhere. Response time can take up to five or six months. 

$3.00

Named in memoriam, the Barry Hannah Prize in Fiction celebrates the best writing, regardless of form or style.

Submissions open: February 1st - April 1st, 2025

We are proud to announce that our 2024 judge is Marian Crotty. She is the author of the short story collections Near Strangers, which won the 2023 Autumn House Fiction Prize, and What Counts as Love, which was long-listed for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize and won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize. Her short stories have appeared in venues such as The Kenyon Review, The Sun, Ploughshares, and Best American Short Stories 2020. She has received fellowships from Yaddo, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, and the U.S. Fulbright Program. She is an Associate Professor of Writing at Loyola University Maryland.

Winner receives $500, publication and interview in YR:41

Guidelines

  • Please submit fiction (1 full-length short story, or multiple flash fictions), totaling no more than 5000 words, through Submittable. We accept only previously unpublished work. Although first place is guaranteed for publication, all other entries will also be considered for general publication.
  • Only one submission per contestant. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Please notify us immediately if a piece is selected for publication elsewhere.
  •  Please do not include your name anywhere on the manuscript.
  • Contest entries must be received by April 1st.
  • The contest fee is $3.
  • General submissions will be closed during the contest period.

 Eligibility

YR cannot consider work from anyone affiliated with the University of Mississippi or the prize judge.


Yalobusha Review seeks stories that resist outdated tropes and ideologies, rather than uphold them. Writers of color, women writers, and writers who identify as LGBTQIA+ are especially encouraged to submit. All submissions will be considered for general publication.
 


 

Ends on $3.00
$3.00

Yalobusha Review is excited to announce the 2025 Yellowwood Poetry Prize. This year’s judge is A. H. Jerriod Avant. The winner of the Yellowwood Poetry Prize receives $500, as well as publication and an interview in Yalobusha Review. The contest is open February 1st through April 1st.


GUIDELINES
  • Please submit up to 3 poems, totaling no more than 5 pages, through Submittable. We accept only previously unpublished work. All entries will be considered for general publication.
  • Only one submission per contestant. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Please notify us immediately if a piece is selected for publication elsewhere.
  • Please do not include your name anywhere on the manuscript.
  • Contest entries must be received by April 1st.
  • The contest fee is $3.
  • General submissions will be closed during the contest period.


 

ELIGIBILITY

YR cannot consider work from anyone currently or recently affiliated with the University of Mississippi or the prize judge, A. H. Jerriod Avant. This includes those who have studied or taught at the University of Mississippi. 


Yalobusha Review seeks stories that resist outdated tropes and ideologies, rather than uphold them. Writers of color, women writers, and writers who identify as LGBTQIA+ are especially encouraged to submit. All submissions will be considered for general publication.  


 

FINAL JUDGE

A. H. Jerriod Avant was born and raised in Longtown, Mississippi. His first book, Muscadine, (Four Way Books, 2023) received the 2024 Mississippi Institute of the Arts and Letters Poetry Award. A graduate of Jackson State University, Jerriod has earned MFA degrees from Spalding University and New York University. A graduate of the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop, he’s received scholarships from the Breadloaf Writer’s Conference and Naropa’s Summer Writing Program. A former resident at the James Castle House and Vermont Studio Center, Jerriod has received two winter fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and an emerging artist grant from the St. Botolph Club Foundation. His work has appeared in the Boston Review, Pinwheel, Callaloo, Virginia Quarterly Review, Obsidian, The Yale Review, and other journals. Jerriod’s work has been produced in collaboration with the Emily Harvey Foundation, the Highline NYC, and the Kitchen Lab. Jerriod is the 2024-2025 John and Renee Grisham Writer-In-Residence at the University of Mississippi.

$3.00

Because we are a volunteer-run publication, tip jar submissions help us to host readings and events, attends conferences like AWP, buy thank-you gifts for our staff readers, and keep a steady flow of coffee in the hands of the editors.

Please submit one essay (up to 4000 words) or up to 3 micro essays (less than 1000 words apiece). If submitting 3 shorter works, please include all pieces in one file. 

Please submit in standard manuscript format (12-point font, double spaced, Times New Roman)  

Simultaneous submissions are encouraged, but please let us know if a piece is accepted elsewhere by manually withdrawing your submission. If a flash piece needs to be withdrawn, please notify us via the notes tool on Submittable. Submit in .docx, .doc, or .pdf format.  

Please wait thirty days after response before submitting again. 

Please wait at least 120 days to query the status of your manuscript. Questions and queries may be sent to yreditors@gmail.com

We welcome previously unpublished work from writers of all backgrounds and identities, particularly including people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, members of religious minorities, people outside the United States, and all others whom traditional publishing has historically excluded. 

Please submit one essay (up to 4000 words) or up to 3 micro essays (less than 1000 words apiece). If submitting 3 shorter works, please include all pieces in one file. 

Please submit in standard manuscript format (12-point font, double spaced, Times New Roman)  

Simultaneous submissions are encouraged, but please let us know if a piece is accepted elsewhere by manually withdrawing your submission. If a flash piece needs to be withdrawn, please notify us via the notes tool on Submittable. Submit in .docx, .doc, or .pdf format.  

Please wait thirty days after response before submitting again. 

Please wait at least 120 days to query the status of your manuscript. Questions and queries may be sent to yreditors@gmail.com

We welcome previously unpublished work from writers of all backgrounds and identities, particularly including people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, members of religious minorities, people outside the United States, and all others whom traditional publishing has historically excluded. 

Yalobusha Review