Guidelines

Open Road Review Guidelines

Submission period for ISSUE 9 (SPECIAL INDIA ISSUE) is 10 Feb 14 – 15 Mar 14. Only Indian citizens are eligible. For poetry, creative nonfiction and artwork, standard guidelines apply (as mentioned below). For fiction, Open Road Review will run its first contest. The guidelines for submission are as follows:

OPEN ROAD REVIEW SHORT STORY PRIZE 2014: ENTRY RULES AND GUIDELINES

  1. Prize 100 US $
  2. The prize is sponsored by Shanti Perez, Fiction Editor of Open Road Reviewto promote short story writing in India.
  3. There is no entry fee.
  4. E mail your story as an attachment and also in the body of the mail to [email protected]
  5. Only emerging writers who have not yet published a full length book in English are eligible. Indian citizens only.
  6. Contest opens 10 Feb 14and the last date of submissions is 15 Mar 14. Word limit 1000 – 4000. Font preferred is Time Roman 12, double spaced, with author’s name and contact details appearing on the top of the first page. A third person bio of fewer than 100 words is also required.
  7. A Shortlist of 5 best stories will be published on 1 May 14 as part of Issue 9 of Open Road Review literary journal. There is no cash prize for shortlisted stories. Rights revert to the author upon publication though Open Road Review reserves its rights to publish these stories in future anthologies. If the quality of writing is not appropriate, a lesser number of stories may be shortlisted.
  8. One among the shortlisted stories will be declared as the winner of the OPEN ROAD REVIEW SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2014.
  9. A judge will pick the winner. The name of the judge will be promulgated soon.
  10. The decision of the editors of Open Road Review and the judge will be final and nonnegotiable.

Starting from 20 Dec 2012, Open Road Review will pay Rs 1000 for all solicited works of fiction / poetry / artwork / creative nonfiction. Efforts are on to find ways to fund regular contributors too.

Fiction:  Open Road Review accepts previously unpublished short fiction up to 4000 words and flash fiction of 1000 words or fewer throughout the year, though we may close submissions on occasion to catch up on reading.

We look for literary work that is influential, yet elegant in a subtle way, fiction that effortlessly takes the reader to a deeper level, revealing the human condition without sloshing the flow of consciousness over its banks. We encourage work that has rich interior, a story that teaches us how to read it, something that if you can get it on a greeting card, it’s not working.

Stories must be typed, double-spaced and in MS Word DOC format with your full name and address on the manuscript. Submit only ONE story at a time. We accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know that the piece is submitted elsewhere. Query is unnecessary. We do not offer compensation. Send your submission as an attachment (and in the body of the mail) to [email protected]

Creative Non Fiction:One CNF piece, under 2000 words. Words that poke, teach, reason and stay put in the mind for a long time. Show us places we haven’t heard of, people we thought didn’t exist, misery or excess in any form, living or dead, that hurts. Send in the body of the mail to [email protected]

Poetry:

Please submit at a time 3-5 poems of under 30 lines each. The poems should be original and unpublished (we do not consider poems posted on a personal web site or blog as “published”).

Most forms and styles of poetry are eligible for publication, provided the poems are well-crafted and their content has a contemporary relevance. Of particular interest is poetry that is sophisticated and imaginative, but has the potential to be understood and enjoyed by an audience that goes beyond “other writers”. We are interested in fresh voices and wish to include poetry from diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

Open Road Review upholds the values of peace, community and universal love, so submissions that are deemed offensive for whatever reason will be rejected. The editor holds the right to reject or accept any work. Send your best poems in the body of an email to [email protected] (no attachments). 

Visual Art: Photographs (black and white, or colour), computer generated artwork, painting or pencil sketch that represents life on the road. Straight, curved, looped, up / down etc. Show us a good road and we will build our next issue alongside it. When you are ready, send a lowres image (under 10 mb) to [email protected] . Queries are welcome.

Blog: While the blog is a designated space for editors to share their random thoughts, we are willing to have guest posts too. Do send them to the CNF id and if we like your moving thoughts, it will appear online. Maximum word limit 750. Please include a picture that relates to the writing.

Rights revert to the author upon publication. It will be nice if you say we published it first. ORR also holds the right to include the works published on its website in future anthologies.

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