We accept submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
We accept electronic submissions through our ManuscriptHub system. To use the system, you must create a log in using an e-mail and password. We generally accept electronic submissions year-round, though submissions sent in the summer may not be read until the following fall. Please keep your email address up-to-date on ManuscriptHub because it’s how we notify you of our editorial decisions. We charge a modest fee of $2 to help offset the cost of maintaining the manuscript system and to help support Meridian.
We continue to accept regular postal submissions (free, no reading fee) during the fall and spring semesters. We discourage postal submissions postmarked during the summer (April 15 to August 15) since no one is likely to read these submissions until after August 15. We accept submissions sent over our winter break (December 12 to January 15), but we are unlikely to begin reading them until late January. Postal submissions should contain only one prose submission or three to five poems. Please also enclose an SASE for our reply. Please note: all manuscripts will be recycled. DO NOT send us your only copy! We cannot guarantee that it will be returned.
We do not accept e-mail submissions because we cannot track their receipt and processing. Please use either our ManuscriptHub system or send them postal.
The authors we publish receive two complimentary copies and can purchase more at a reduced rate. We do accept simultaneous submissions; however, if we accept your work for publication, it is your responsibility to immediately notify all other magazines it is no longer available. Similarly, if someone else accepts your work, please write or e-mail us immediately.
We try to respond in 2-4 months, but we have sometimes taken longer. Status queries are always welcome, but if our online system shows that your piece has not yet been read, it is still in the pile awaiting an editor or reader’s attention.
We generally do not accept creative work by current University of Virginia students. University of Virginia students should not send unsolicited work.
In order to increase the general quality of our lives and to speed the evaluation of your work, please address your mailed submissions TO A SPECIFIC EDITOR (i.e. Fiction Editor, Poetry Editor, or Nonfiction Editor).
Mailing Address: Meridian | UVa | P.O. Box 400145 | Charlottesville, VA 22904-4145
