THEME ISSUE: DELUGE | DROUGHT

• Is less more? Is more too much? Can less be enough? Is more actually more? What has overwhelmed you? Underwhelmed you? When must we say, Stop? When do we beg, Keep going?
• Where do we live? An environment of too much or not enough? Or both? Can we achieve balance or is our fate locked in the extremes?
• Maximalist or minimalist…in possessions? Passions? Food? Drink? Love? Questions? Answers? Time? Flowers?
• Inundate ~ overflow ~ drown ~ shortage ~ lack ~ parched. Rebirth. Destruction.
• The possibilities are endless, and we want this theme to feel open to countless interpretation. As always, we’re eager to see what you come up with!

• Fiction submissions should be between 800 and 4000ish words. Please include word count. Flash fiction should be under 750ish words, submitted to the flash category. One story per submission.  

• Nonfiction submissions should be no longer than 4000ish words. Please include the word count on your submission.

• Poetry submissions should contain no more than 3 poems, up to 6 total pages, one poem per page.

• Please send only one submission per category (Poetry, Fiction, Flash, and Non-Fiction) during each reading period.  You are welcome to submit to multiple categories. We suggest including the title of your work in your file name.

• Submission fee = $3

• We will publish novel excerpts, provided they can stand on their own. We do not publish genre fiction or children’s stories. We encourage you to read archives of South 85 Journal and acquaint yourself with the material we publish before submitting your work. We encourage the use of a content warning if necessary, in consideration of our manuscript readers.

• Type should be no smaller than 12-pt. font. Please use a standard font such as Times New Roman or Arial, and refrain from script or “flowery” lettering.

• All work will be considered for our Editor’s Choice Award of $100, which be given to ONE piece in the issue.

• Submissions should be saved in Word or Rich Text format.

• Number pages consecutively, double space, and use margins of at least one inch.

• Place your name, email address, and word count in an upper corner of the first page.

• We do not solict work; each published piece comes to us through Submittable.

• Converse MFA students, grads, and faculty are not permitted to submit work to South 85 Journal.

• Writers whose work has been published in the journal are asked to wait one issue before submitting to the journal again (i.e. your poem appeared in Spring/Summer 2025, so you’re cleared to submit again for the Spring/Summer 2026 issue and any after).

• We accept simultaneous submissions. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please promptly withdraw your piece via Submittable or email to withdraw individual poems: south85journal AT gmail DOT com.

Please include a professional bio of 50ish words written in the third person with your cover letter. 

South 85 Journal does not publish work which has been previously published, either in print or online. Our reply time is typically eight weeks or so. If AI has been used in the creation of the work, please indicate so.

We acquire exclusive first-time Internet rights only. All other rights revert to the author at publication, but we offer formal, written reassignments upon request. Works are also archived online. We are unable to pay for submissions, however thanks to an anonymous donor, ONE piece in the issue will be awarded the Editor’s Choice Award of $100. We ask that whenever an author reprints the work that first appeared in our pages, South 85 Journal be given acknowledgment for the specific work(s) involved.