Beyond Bars will publish short fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, poetry, drama, lyrics, and visual art (paint, pencil, charcoal, mixed media, photography, comic strips…).

No. This journal exists to amplify the voices of incarcerated writers, but the subject matter is up to each artist.

As we are working with writers who may not have regular internet access, we are reliant upon paper submissions. If you are not able to type your submissions, we will transcribe handwritten work. If you have email access, we are happy to accept emailed submissions, too. Use the following address and/or email address to send us your work:

Beyond Bars
Georgia State University
25 Park Place NE Box 125
Suite 2440
Atlanta, GA 30303

beyondbarsmag@gmail.com

Read our Call For Entries page for additional information.

We seek work that surprises us and helps us see the world in a new way. We seek work that exposes the complexity of human existence and delights us with humor. We want your vision and imagination to blossom on the page with specificity and nuance. We also seek work that has been carefully revised (so send us your best!).

Read our Submission Guidelines page for additional information.

While submission subject matter is the choice of each writer, we will not publish anything that contains hate speech, bigotry, or glorified violence. Beyond Bars exists to elevate the untapped creativity of incarcerated individuals. We endeavor to be a space where incarcerated writers and artists dismantle the damaging narrative that incarcerated people are a monolith. Incarcerated artists are individuals with varied experiences, and we want your exemplary work to illustrate that.

Additionally, please keep in mind that submitted work should never compromise the safety of the writer or anyone else.

We accept work from currently and formerly incarcerated people as well as those whose lives have been affected by the carceral system.

Yes, we do. Please follow the guidelines as you prepare your submission.

• • Fiction (Short Stories) and Creative Nonfiction: 7,500 words maximum
• • Flash Fiction: 250 words maximum
• • Poetry: 5 poems or 10 pages maximum

For Artwork Submissions, Please Include:

1. 1.) 2-18 images of your art (high resolution jpegs (300 dpi); title files as follows: “First Name Last Name.Title (Date)”)
2. 2.) One document which includes:
   (A) a short, one-paragraph, third-person biography (50-100 words),
   (B) a first-person artist’s statement (maximum 500 words),
   (C) an inventory list, formatted as follows:  Title (date) materials (dimensions)
   (D) your email address, website, and social media handles

Beyond Bars welcomes submissions from those who have been affected by the carceral system and those within the carceral system. We are open to all genres (artwork, rap lyrics, drama, etc.), but work that embraces racist, homophobic, xenophobic, slanderous, defamatory, or offensive language will likely be declined (swear words may be used for a purpose, but we will not publish hate speech). Additionally, we are not looking for genre fiction or scholarly nonfiction. Submit no more than three different pieces (up to 10,000 words) in a single submission. For multigenre submissions you may submit:

• • 1 story (max 7500 words) OR 3 flash fiction stories (max 750 words)
• • 1 CNF (max 7500 words) OR 3 flash CNF pieces (max 750 words)

Also, please wait to hear back from us before sending additional work.

Note: if you would like your submitted artwork returned to you, please clearly state it in your document so that we may accommodate your request.

Read our Submission Guidelines page for additional information.

It depends upon the number of submissions we receive. We will send out a postcard as soon as we receive your work and should have a letter of acceptance, rejection, or a request for revision sent out within 60 days.

Unfortunately, we are legally unable to provide any fiscal compensation to writers and artists. However, we hope that the exposure artists receive will encourage creativity and provide a better picture of the varied lives of incarcerated individuals to a broad audience.

We hope to have our inaugural issue of Beyond Bars published in May. As soon as we receive it, we will send copies to our contributors.