The Missouri Review
Website:
From the Editor
The Missouri Review, founded in 1978, is one of the most highly-regarded literary magazines in the United States and for the past thirty-three years we’ve upheld a reputation for finding and publishing the best writers first. We are based at the University of Missouri and publish four issues each year. Each issue contains new fiction, poetry and essays, several of which from have recently been reprinted in the Pushcart Prize, Best American Stories, Best American Essays, and Best American Poetry. Also, we make an effort to be the first to publish new writers. We run interviews with famous authors and Found Text features, printing never before published works such as a short story by William Faulkner or one of Tennessee Williams‘ plays. Recently we did a feature on famous rejection letters of novels such as Lolita and The Bell Jar, the letters of James Stern, and Ben Hecht’s Hollywood letters.
Submissions
Some story types very frequently encountered by our readers include coming of age stories, sexual awakening stories, family trauma stories, and grieving process stories. We are always excited to see stories that introduce something memorable and fresh. Similarly, we receive a large number of poems each week that deal with either love or loss (sometimes both). Too often, the writers rely solely on the poignancy of the situation to carry the day. Ultimately, however, poems are judged not on what they are about but on how they are written – the freshness of the language and the evocative power of the images used.
Information on Contests:
Our annual Editors’ Prize Contest is in fiction, poetry, and essay, with a winner and three finalists named in each category. Length restrictions are 25 pages for fiction and essay, 10 pages for poetry. Winners will be published in the following spring issue plus each will receive a cash prize: $5,000 each for fiction, poetry, and essay. Postmark deadline is October 1. A $20 fee per submission includes a one-year subscription to TMR. We also have our annual Audio Prize competition, in four distinct categories – Voice Only Poetry, Voice Only Prose, Enhanced Poetry, and Enhanced Prose. First prize in each category receives $1,500, second prize $500. Five entries from both categories will be selected for a $100 Editor’s Prize. All entrants receive a 1-year subscription to The Missouri Review’s Print or Digital Edition. Entries in all categories will be considered for publication in The Missouri Review or on our website. The deadline is April 1st.
Information
Editor: Speer Morgan
Print Magazine? Yes
Circulation: 5000
Submission Guidelines:
Approximate Response Time 10-12 weeks
Publishes: Quarterly
Year Founded: 1978
Online Submissions? Yes
Contact
Mailing Address: The Missouri Review 357 McReynolds Hall University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211
Email: question@moreview.com
The Smith Prize has just extended its deadline by two weeks to Oct 15. Winners in each category receive $5000. Several runners-up are published each year.