Inklings Literary Magazine is an undergraduate journal based at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania that only publishes work by current undergraduates. We are a home for poetry, fiction, non-fiction, photography and art. Other than this, we have absolutely no preference or specific aesthetic. We love work that takes us into the universe, gives us a tour of the planets, and then crashes us back down to earth. We love work that attempts to make the uncomfortable comfortable. We pride ourselves on being a magazine that creates a safe space for writers of all backgrounds to explore difficult topics. All forms of writing are welcome from all genres. Our editorial staff changes yearly since Inklings is managed by undergraduate students FOR undergraduate students. Therefore, our tastes in writing vary from year to year.
To get an idea of what we publish, we highly encourage submitters to look at our past issues. Currently, we publish once a year in print and online and are closed in the summer. During our editorial process, we read all submissions blind, so please do not include your name anywhere in your submitted file. This guarantees that pieces are selected fairly. We reserve the right to copy edit accepted work if needed. As a staff that consists of creatives, we believe that writers should be paid for their labors, but we cannot pay you. We will, however, be strong advocates for your work and promote it across our social media platforms.
If your work is accepted, we request First North American serial rights as well as the right to archive your work on our website and to use your work, with credit given to you as the author, for promotional purposes. Otherwise, upon publication, all rights revert back to the author under the condition that you will credit Inklings Literary Magazine as the original publisher should your work be reprinted.
We do allow simultaneous submissions. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please send us an email at Inklings@eastern.edu as soon as possible.
Inklings is currently open to submissions until February 6th, 2026
Please submit through this Google Form:
https://forms.gle/w6wDZPixDtcG3TFZ6
For more specific guidelines, please see below for each genre.
POETRY:
- – Please send us 3-5 poems in a single document (PDF, doc, docx).
- – Please make sure the title is included in the file name.
- – Name should not appear anywhere in the document.
- – All poetry must be single spaced, titled, and left justified unless there is a specific craft choice that prevents the writer from doing so.
- – Text can be any plain font in size 12.
- – Please proof-read your work. We will not allow revisions after acceptance.
- – Must include trigger warnings and content warnings if applicable and indicate to what nature (i.e sexual violence, grief, suicide etc.). We have provided a section for this at the bottom of the form.
FICTION AND NONFICTION:
- – Please send us only one fiction or non-fiction piece per document (PDF, doc, docx).
- – 5,000 word limit.
- – Make sure the title is included in the file name.
- – Name should not appear anywhere in the document.
- – Title of the piece and word count should be at the top of the document.
- – All prose should be double spaced.
- – Text can be any plain font in size 11 or 12.
- – Please proof-read your work. We will not allow revisions after acceptance.
- – Must include trigger warnings and content warnings if applicable and indicate to what nature (i.e sexual violence, grief, suicide etc.) We have provided a section for this at the bottom of the form.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART:
- – Please send us up to 5 pieces of photography or art.
- – Please submit your art as a JPEG or PNG file.
- – If you are submitting a physical art piece, we ask that it be scanned and submitted as a file in our online form.
- – Make sure the title is included in the file name. If you have a caption, leave it in the notes about your submission.
Happy writing!
Inklings Literary Magazine 