Blue Lyra Review (Defunct)

Blue Lyra Review

Defunct

M. E. Silverman

No

bluelyrareview@gmail.com

http://bluelyrareview.com/submissions/

2-4 weeks

3 times per year

2012

Yes

We want poetry, essays, fiction, translations, and art. We accept submissions through Submittable from Jan 01 – Oct 15th only. We only consider unpublished work which means no online reprints from magazine, blogs, or other formats. We accept simultaneous submissions. We do not accept anything pornographic or something that may be offensive (use your judgment).

Translations: We are looking for translations that read as if they were originally written in English, rather than as “translations.” We especially prize translations that “honor” the music of the original text. In addition, translators should choose poems of high literary merit. We consider previously unpublished translations of poetry from any language. Submissions should include 3-6 poems, and should include both the original and the translation. Biographies of both the author and translator should be included in a cover letter, as well as a short paragraph on the process of translating these particular poems and/or why this particular author was chosen. Translators are expected to have acquired copyright permission to publish (online and in print) the original poems, if they are not in the public domain, BEFORE submitting. Nonfiction: We’re looking for work that doesn’t shy away from how hard life can be but which also explores courage, resilience, and life’s beauty. Please show up on the page with passion and a personal stake in a heartfelt struggle or meaningful search. Life is contradictory – barren one moment and flourishing the next; full of unnecessary ugliness yet sheltering awe-inspiring beauty; where cruelty is living alongside connection, meaning and strength. We’re looking for writers who can take a journey along these and other contradictions, and who eventually arrive at a greater understanding (or at least some good questions.) No safe, saccharin stories or unearned happy endings, please. We’re open to all topics, including humorous pieces, but have a special interest in nature- or Jewish-oriented work. We take creative nonfiction, personal essays, or memoirs of 500 to 4,000 words, maximum. (The longer the essay, the tighter the focus needs to be on story and theme.) Our most compelling essays are nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Web, Best American Essays, Best American Nature and Science Writing, and similar honors. Make sure your submission has your contact information (name, address, phone number, email) on the attached (brief) cover letter ONLY. Please do NOT have any identifying information on any page of your submission except the cover page! Poetry: Whether narrative or lyrical or experimental or prose poetry, we are simply looking for something that moves us. Please attach 3-5 poems at a time in a single file with a .doc, .docx, or .pdf extension, and put your name and poems in subject line (Silverman ? poems). Don?t send just one poem unless it?s a long poem (more than three pages). We want to get a sense of your style as a writer, and one poem is not enough to do this. Our most compelling poems are nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Web, and similar honors. Make sure your submission has your contact information (name, address, phone number, email) on the attached (brief) cover letter ONLY. Please do NOT have any identifying information on any page of your submission except the cover page! Type the titles of your poems, separated by commas, in the Title box. Fiction: The most important thing is that it needs to be based more on truth than experimentation for experimentation?s sake. It can be light or it can be serious, but for it to be worthy, it must reflect life, with some fundamental human idea. Fiction should be organic and natural, and accept its premise (whatever it may be) without a wink or a nod. We?re currently looking for works that thrum on all cylinders and that are confident in a unique way. We?re interested in solid stories with weight, regardless of length (anywhere from 200 to 7,500 words). Our most compelling stories are nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Web, Best American Fiction, and similar honors. Send your submissions in .doc or .docx format with your contact information (name, address, phone number and email address) on your (brief) cover letter. Please make sure that you put the word count on the first page of the submission or in the cover letter! Please do NOT have any identifying information on any page of your submissions except the cover page. You may submit 1-3 micro pieces, but any pieces 500 words or longer must be submitted alone. Art: If you would like to submit artwork, we would love to post it! Please send us a query with a link to your personal website or even better would be to send 3-4 low resolution jpgs of your work. Send art queries to bluelyrareviewgmailcom and put your name and art in subject line (Silverman ? art). Make sure your submission has your contact information (name, address, phone number, email) either on the document or in an attached (brief) cover letter. Please do not hesitate to send a link as we can easily link your photo/name to more of your work online! You can also send your submissions to Submittable for art but we prefer your artistic images sent directly to the email account. While we tend to not like collages and mixed media as much, we do love photographs and paintings. (We are open to any form, any theme, so long as it is not gruesome, offensive or erotic.) For more on what we like, look at past issues and check out our Pinterests!

We have our first theme issue for October 2013: Stories We Rather Not Tell. We hope to have a print anthology (best of) every December. We are accepting donations in order to have a print issue, to have AWP presence in Boston 2014, and to help support our charities (see our Charity Page online)!