How to Submit Works to the Bayou Review

The Bayou Review, The University of Houston-Downtown's literary and visual arts magazine, accepts submissions every semester. 

Submission Guidelines

• We accept unpublished poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, literary translations, book reviews, and visual art. 
• All work is welcome in English, Spanish, Spanglish, and translations into English.
• If you have been published in They Bayou Review, we ask that you wait a least two issues (one full year) until you send us your work again.

Works we Accept:

• Poetry: Up to 5 poems (no more than 8 pages per submission)
• Submit an image for shape poems
• Fiction (short stories): up to 2,500 words or 8 pages double-spaced
• Creative Non-Fiction: up to 2,500 words or 8 pages double-spaced
• Literary Translation into English: Poetry 3 to 5 pages; or Prose: up to 2,500 words
• Visual Art: Must be submitted electronically with minimum 600x 600px 300 dpi.
• All submissions must be from those eighteen years or older
• All submissions must be entirely and completely free from A.I.-generated or A.I. assisted content.
• We will not publish any pieces that include or glorify:
  • gratuitous violent or sexual content
  • bigotry, misogyny, racism, and/or any other form of discrimination

How to Submit

1. Send your submission to bayourevieweditor@gmail.com  with your full name and the genre of the work in the subject line. (Please email us before sending large graphic files).
2. Please include a cover letter, a short bio in third person (up to 50 words), your full name as you want it to appear in the magazine, your email address, and your phone number.
3. The file with your work must be attached as a Word document (poetry, prose only) saved under your first and last name, along with the genre for the piece. For example, "Sam Sample - Poetry.docx."
4. If submitting multiple texts, they should be in a single Word document with page breaks for each one. This only applies to multiple submissions of the same genre.
5. Your name and contact information must appear on each page of your Word document. For example, "Sam Sample; samplesam@sample.net; (555) 555-5555."
6. Your name and contact information must appear on each page of your Word document.
7. For translations:
   • Include both the original text and your translation into English
   • Translators are expected to have identified the original copyright holder and have permission to publish the translated text.  Please attach the permission to publish along with your submission

Please follow all the above guidelines to be considered for publication. 

Any questions regarding submissions can be sent to bayourevieweditor@gmail.com .