Western New Mexico University’s student-run Twisted Vine Literary Arts Journal put out a call for submissions and asked artists to send original and unpublished works of poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, interviews and visual arts for possible publication.
Twisted Vine publishes work by both emerging and established literary and visual artists.
Students in a graduate-level course called Literary Journal run Twisted Vine. The staff consists of a managing editor, design specialists, communications specialists and screeners for all genres. All of these positions are held by graduate students, and the staff usually changes semester-to-semester. The course gives students real-life experience running a literary journal and provides practice in publishing that they can put on their résumés.
The journal was started by WNMU professor John Gist and is currently run by Dr. Heather M. Steinmann, Assistant Professor of English at WNMU. Since its inception, Twisted Vine has published work by writers and visual artists from all over the world. The five past issues are archived online.
According to the staff-developed call for submissions, Twisted Vine seeks to represent an eclectic mix of ideas and values. “We have a particular interest in pieces that challenge or redefine expression in new and inviting ways,” the Twisted Vine website said. “We will give preference to pieces that capture the spirit of our interdisciplinary theme.”
Artists may submit up to three poems to a maximum of 1,000 words. Along with the written version of the poem, contributors may also submit audio or video recordings of their poetry for consideration online. “We do not adhere to any specific guidelines for style or content and only ask that your poems reflect artistic excellence,” the website said.
Short literary fiction and creative non-fiction submissions may contain one story up to 5,000 words long. Stories should have strong narration, character development, plot and must remain literary in essence. All written material submitted should be typed in 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font, double-spaced (with the exception of poetry), and adhering to standard grammar and spelling guidelines.
Visual arts submissions may be made up of any combination of media, and contributors are allowed to submit up to three images. “You may submit up to three images that represent a cohesive collection, but editors reserve the right to publish any part or all of a collection submitted,” Twisted Vine’s website said.
Twisted Vine accepts photography, painting, collage, graphic art, comics and drawing. The journal asks for visual art submissions in .jpg or .jpeg format. In multi-image submissions, each image file should be titled with the same name and corresponding number, and the group should be sent as a .ZIP file.
Interview transcriptions should be no more than 4,500 words long. “Stylistically, we want interviews that discuss interdisciplinary studies, literature and the arts at large. The edgier the better, but keep it above the belt,” Twisted Vine’s website said.
Twisted Vine adheres to a blind review policy, so contributors should not include any identifying information in submissions. Works from Twisted Vine and Western New Mexico University staff and faculty will not be accepted.
Submit pieces to Twisted Vine at twistedvine.wnmu.edu, and get news and announcements from the literary journal on Facebook and Twitter.