Bayou Magazine is a biannual literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction and the winner of the annual Tennessee Williams One-Act Play Contest. Our mission is to present exceptional, original writing by both established and emerging writers. For more information about the magazine, go to bayoumagazine.org  or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

We accept submissions September 1 through May 1.

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$3.00
Submit to Fiction

Submission Guidelines:

  • We do not accept email submissions or snail mail submissions. All email and paper submissions will be recycled without reading.
  • *NOW WE PAY EVEN MORE!* For stories accepted after January 1, 2021, payment for fiction of 3000 or more words=$100, less than 3000 words=$50
  • Submissions must be 7,500 words or less, double spaced, 12pt Times New Roman. NO COURIER FONT. Ever. 
  • flash fiction and short-shorts are welcome, but we accept only 1 story per submission
  • Please notify us if a simultaneous submission is published elsewhere
  • Please include a cover page with title, author, contact information (including an email address) along with an author's BIO in 3rd person. This is the BIO we will use should your story be accepted.

If we decline any submission, we ask that you wait 3 months from the date you receive notice before submitting anything else. More frequent submissions will be declined. Sorry, y'all.

Students, faculty, and alumni of the University of New Orleans are not eligible to submit.

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Submit to Poetry

Poetry Submission Information     

  • Send only one submission of up to 5 poems at a time. Please wait until you receive our decision before submitting anything else.  
  • BAYOU accepts simultaneous submissions. If work you submitted is accepted elsewhere, immediately add a note to your submission specifying the poem/s no longer available.
  • We do not accept e-mail submissions.
  • We review submissions from September 1 - March 1.
  • We do not accept submissions from those who are current or former students or faculty of the University of New Orleans.
  • If after 5 months you have not received a response from us, feel free to contact us by email at bayoumagazine@gmail.com, and we will be happy to check on the status of your submission. 
  • If possible, please upload your submission through Submittable. However, we do accept paper submissions. Work submitted via email will be deleted. You may submit poetry by mail to the following address:

Bayou Magazine

c/o Submissions Manager

Department of EnglishUniversity of New Orleans

2000 Lakeshore Drive

New Orleans, LA 70148

  • Paper submissions will not be returned, and response times are much longer for paper submissions. We do not email results for paper submissions. Notification of results will be sent only if an SASE is included.

Publication Rights and Payment
After publication in Bayou Magazine, all rights revert to the author. Payment is two contributor’s copies unless otherwise specified by genre. All work published in Bayou Magazine is considered for Pushcart Prize nominations. All prose is sent annually to Best American Essays and Best American Short Stories for consideration. 

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Submit to Nonfiction

 We are looking for literary or creative nonfiction. This  includes but is not limited to creative personal essays, memoir,  environmental writing, literary journalism and travel writing. We are interested in a unique voice—passion tempered by craft. No scholarly articles or reviews, please. We will consider submissions of 7,500 words or less.   

All submissions must be via Submittable. We do not accept previously published work. We will only consider one submission per author at a time. 

We review submissions from September 1- May 1, with a response time of 1  to 5 months. If after 5 months you have not received a response from  us, feel free to contact us by email at bayoumagazine@gmail.com, and we  will be happy to check on the status of your submission.  

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Submit to Cover Art

Bayou Magazine accepts images of fine art in all media to feature on our cover, the trim size for which is 6" w x 9" h. 

Image Specifications: 300dpi and a minimum of 1800 pixels wide. Submit up to 5 .tiff or .jpg files that
can be reproduced at 1,800
pixels wide.

Submissions that do not meet the specifications will be rejected without review.

Submission period: Sept 1 through May 1.

Current and former UNO students are not eligible to submit.

$18.00
$18.00
Submit to One-Year Subscription


A one-year subscription includes two issues, one fall and one spring release. You can subscribe  for one year to Bayou Magazine for $18.



Subscriptions begin with our most recent issue, unless you specify otherwise. 



Please fill out the following forms with your name, address, email and phone number.



Thank you for supporting the magazine!



 

$16.00
$16.00
Submit to Returning Subscriber 1-year Subscription

We're so glad you decided to come back for more! And to thank you for your loyalty, we're offering you a discount on the price of a 1-year subscription!

A one-year subscription includes two issues, one winter and one summer release. Returning subscribers receive a discounted rate for a subscription to Bayou Magazine for $16.

Subscriptions begin with our most recent issue, unless you specify otherwise. 

Please fill out the following forms with your name, address, email and phone number.

Thank you for coming back to Bayou Magazine!

$10.00
$10.00
Submit to Current Issue (76)

You can order a copy of our current issue for $10. Thank you for supporting the Bayou Magazine!

Past Issue
$8.00
$8.00
Submit to Past Issue

You can order a copy of any past issue for only $8.


Fill out the following form with your name, mailing address, the number of the issue you desire, email and phone number, and we will mail your copy.


Thank you for supporting the magazine!