We are always keen to receive submissions from writers and artists. Here are a few simple guidelines that make it easier for us to deal with submissions and respond to you as quickly as possible.

HOW TO SUBMIT
Fiction and nonfiction: up to 20 double-spaced pages
Poetry: up to five poems
Art/photography: up to ten prints or images

Please do not submit by e-mail. Formatting problems often occur, leading to us not being able to fairly consider your submission. Mail your submission to:

Columbia: A Journal of Literature & Art
415 Dodge Hall
2960 Broadway
New York, NY 10027

Please address your submission to the respective editors: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry or Art. All submissions should include a cover letter and a SASE for response (we cannot guarantee a response if there is no SASE). We do not generally return manuscripts, so please do not send us your only copy! For art/photography submissions, slides are acceptable, providing the proper return packaging is included. (For more detailed information on how to submit art, please contact the Art Editor or Assistant Art Editor.) Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please state this in your cover letter. Previously published work is only accepted in rare circumstances, and must be noted in your cover letter.

WHEN TO SUBMIT
Submissions are accepted and read year-round. Our issues are published in October and April. Work submitted from August 1st will be considered for the Fall/Winter Issue, and work submitted from February 1st will be considered for the Spring/Summer Issue.

WHAT TO SUBMIT
Columbia prides itself on including work in a variety of styles. Since our staff changes every two years, there is a refreshing flexibility to the type of work each issue contains, from the experimental to the surreal, from open forms to metered verse, from personal essays to creative nonfiction, from prose poetry and short shorts to narrative fiction.  What we're interested in is exciting writing, the sort of writing that instantly makes a reader want to read the piece again. Check out our current and back issues to get a feel for what we've published lately.

Please note: Columbia does not accept any submissions from Columbia University MFA candidates, nor from those who have graduated within the previous five years.

WHEN WILL I HEAR BACK?
We aim to respond to submissions within four months. Please do not contact us regarding the status of your submissions before this time. If you have not heard from us after four months, please e-mail columbiajournal@columbia.edu with the subject line "Submission Status" and include your name, the title of your piece(s), and the mailing date. We aim to respond to all inquiries within seven business days. Please do not contact individual editors about the status of your submission, as these inquiries have to be dealt with by the management team and it will slow down our response time.

All contributors receive two copies of the issue in which they feature. In return, Columbia purchases first serial rights to the piece.