Peauxdunque Review Submission Guidelines
General Submissions
Peauxdunque Review welcomes unsolicited submissions of fiction, poetry, flash fiction, and literary non-fiction. Send us your best work. Dazzle us. Tear our hearts out. The best way to learn about what we are looking for is to order sample copies of the magazine through our website.
GENERAL GUIDELINES: Please include a cover letter that includes your name, address, phone number, and email with your submission. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Prose pieces should be double-spaced and no more than 7500 words total. Submit one prose work per submission. Submit up to three poems per poetry submission (for the Patty Friedmann Writing Competition, this limit is five poems). Except for competition entries, please make sure your name appears on the first page of your manuscript and the title on all subsequent pages. See specific genre and competition guidelines for further guidelines.
DEADLINES: Our reading period is currently open year-round. The submission period for the 2023 Patty Friedmann Writing Competition (formerly the Words and Music Writing Competition) is now open through July 31, 2023.
NOTIFICATIONS AND QUERIES: Our response time varies and may range from one to six months. We receive a high volume of submissions and appreciate your patience. Please do not query us until at least six months have passed. We appreciate your patience.
Our submission process is handled online via Submittable. We are unable to consider manuscripts sent through any other medium.
Patty Friedmann Writing Competition Eligibility and Conflicts of Interest
The high school short story category is open only to students in public schools.
The Beyond the Bars category is open to juveniles throughout the United States who are incarcerated (whether in juvenile detention facilities, jails, prisons, or any other carceral facilities); who were 18 years old or younger as of January 1, 2023; and who can provide the name and email address of a teacher, counselor, or other educator who sponsors the entry. Beyond the Bars is open to writing in any genre, and is free to enter, but is limited to one entry per person. Any additional entries beyond the first entry per person will be disregarded.
Previous Patty Friedmann or Words and Music Writing Competition winners are not eligible to enter the competition in the same genre in which they have won.
2023 final-round judges are Sahar Mustafah (short story), Ariel Francisco (poetry), and Hannah Pittard (CNF). The Peauxdunque Review editorial board will be the final-round judge for the public high school short story and Beyond the Bars categories.
Current Words and Music Conference administrators, Peauxdunque Writers Alliance members, and Peauxdunque Review staff are ineligible to enter the contest. Current or former students of the category judge are ineligible to enter the contest. Judges are instructed not to award the prize to entrants with whom they have had a personal or professional relationship. Even if they can't tell during the judging process, they have the right to change their decision if it turns out that the entrant is someone with whom there is any appearance of conflict of interest.
Work is ineligible to win or be considered a runner-up for our contest if it has been accepted for publication elsewhere. No exceptions. Please withdraw work from our contest immediately if these conditions apply.
Contest Submissions
Patty Friedmann Writing Competition (formerly the Words & Music Writing Competition)
2023 Final-round judges: Short Story - Sahar Mustafah; Poetry - Ariel Francisco; CNF - Hannah Pittard; public high school short story and Beyond the Bars final judging by the Peauxdunque Review editorial board. Past Final-round judges include Ladee Hubbard, Skye Jackson, Michael Adno, Ravi Howard, Elizabeth Miki Brina, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Stacey Balkun, Beth Ann Fennelly, Kiese Laymon, Jamey Hatley, Michael Zapata, Nathaniel Rich, Kim Chinquee, Brad Richard, Chuck Reece, and Zachary Lazar.
About the Competition
Each Spring, the Peauxdunque Review invites submissions to its annual writing competition. Formerly the Words & Music Writing Competition, due to a generous underwriter it has been rechristened the Patty Friedmann Writing Competition. Ours is a writing competition in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, public high school short story, and “Beyond the Bars” (a multi-genre competition for incarcerated juveniles), associated with the Words and Music writers' conference that takes place in November each year. Except for what the Peauxdunque Review must pay to Submittable for each entry, entry fees from the competition are donated to the literacy project that runs the Words and Music writing conference, One Book One New Orleans. Winners in the poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction categories receive $1000 plus admission to all Words and Music conference events. Public High School Short Story winners receive $500 plus admission to all Words and Music conference events. First runners-up in the poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and public high school short story categories receive admission to all conference events (except for manuscript reviews, which may be paid for separately). The winner of the Beyond the Bars category will receive $500. Honorable Mentions in all categories receive half-off all conference events. Winners in all categories will be published in a subsequent issue of the Peauxdunque Review, and all runners-up, finalists, and all entrants will be considered for publication.
Competition Rules
Prose entries must be double-spaced and no longer than 7500 words. Poetry entries may be no longer than five pages, comprised of either one poem or up to five, with no more than one poem per page (that is, a poetry entry may be one five-page poem or five one-page poems or anything in between, but may not be, for example, ten half-page poems). Work must be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are fine assuming you inform us of acceptance elsewhere.
To submit, visit peauxdunquereview.submittable.com through July 31st and follow these instructions:
- Select the appropriate genre category. Entries submitted into the wrong category will be declined without refund.
- Include a cover letter listing your name, address, e-mail address and/or telephone number, and the title of each submitted work. (Please use the "Cover Letter" form field in Submittable; do not include the cover letter as part of your uploaded document.) Cover letters for entry into the public high school submission category must also include the name of the student's high school. Cover letters for entrants into the Beyond the Bars category must indicate the name of the entrant’s facility where they are incarcerated, age as of January 1, 2022, and name and email address of sponsoring educator (counselor, teacher, etc.).
- Do not include your name on the manuscript itself.
- Upload your entry. Each prose piece constitutes one single entry, requiring one entry fee. Any additional prose entry requires an additional submission and entry fee. There is no limit to the amount of entries per author, except in the Beyond the Bars category. One poetry entry constitutes up to five pages of poetry and no more than five poems (e.g., an entry may be one poem up to five pages, or up to five separate one-page poems, or any combination within those parameters). The Beyond the Bars category is open to any genre (poetry, short story, or creative nonfiction, subject to the word limits or page limits listed above), but is limited to one entry per person.
- If you submit more than one entry, even within the same genre, you must submit a new entry fee with each entry (not applicable to Beyond the Bars submissions, which are limited to one entry per person).
Judges will select winners from a group of finalists chosen by Peauxdunque Review editors. All manuscripts, whether selected as finalists or not, are considered for publication.
Notice: We do not accept paper competition submissions.
Eligibility and Conflicts of Interest
The high school short story category is open only to students in public schools.
The Beyond the Bars category is open to juveniles throughout the United States who are incarcerated (whether in juvenile detention facilities, jails, prisons, or any other carceral facilities); who were 18 years old or younger as of January 1, 2023; and who can provide the name and email address of a teacher, counselor, or other educator who sponsors the entry. Beyond the Bars is open to writing in any genre, and is free to enter, but is limited to one entry per person. Any additional entries beyond the first entry per person will be disregarded.
Previous Words and Music Writing Contest winners are not eligible to enter the competition in the same genre in which they have won.
Current Words and Music Conference administrators, Peauxdunque Writers Alliance members, and Peauxdunque Review staff are ineligible to enter the contest. Current or former students of the category judge are ineligible to enter the contest. Judges are instructed not to award the prize to entrants with whom they have had a personal or professional relationship. Even if they can't tell during the judging process, they have the right to change their decision if it turns out that the entrant is someone with whom there is any appearance of conflict of interest. Work is ineligible to win or be considered a runner-up for our contest if it has been accepted for publication elsewhere. No exceptions. Please withdraw work from our contest immediately if these conditions apply.
Contest Submissions
Patty Friedmann Writing Competition (formerly the Words & Music Writing Competition)
2023 Final-round judges: Short Story - Sahar Mustafah; Poetry - Ariel Francisco; CNF - Hannah Pittard; public high school short story and Beyond the Bars final judging by the Peauxdunque Review editorial board. Past Final-round judges include Ladee Hubbard, Skye Jackson, Michael Adno, Ravi Howard, Elizabeth Miki Brina, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Stacey Balkun, Beth Ann Fennelly, Kiese Laymon, Jamey Hatley, Michael Zapata, Nathaniel Rich, Kim Chinquee, Brad Richard, Chuck Reece, and Zachary Lazar.
About the Competition
Each Spring, the Peauxdunque Review invites submissions to its annual writing competition. Formerly the Words & Music Writing Competition, due to a generous underwriter it has been rechristened the Patty Friedmann Writing Competition. Ours is a writing competition in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, public high school short story, and “Beyond the Bars” (a multi-genre competition for incarcerated juveniles), associated with the Words and Music writers' conference that takes place in November each year. Except for what the Peauxdunque Review must pay to Submittable for each entry, entry fees from the competition are donated to the literacy project that runs the Words and Music writing conference, One Book One New Orleans. Winners in the poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction categories receive $1000 plus admission to all Words and Music conference events. Public High School Short Story winners receive $500 plus admission to all Words and Music conference events. First runners-up in the poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and public high school short story categories receive admission to all conference events (except for manuscript reviews, which may be paid for separately). The winner of the Beyond the Bars category will receive $500. Honorable Mentions in all categories receive half-off all conference events. Winners in all categories will be published in a subsequent issue of the Peauxdunque Review, and all runners-up, finalists, and all entrants will be considered for publication.
Competition Rules
Prose entries must be double-spaced and no longer than 7500 words. Poetry entries may be no longer than five pages, comprised of either one poem or up to five, with no more than one poem per page (that is, a poetry entry may be one five-page poem or five one-page poems or anything in between, but may not be, for example, ten half-page poems). Work must be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are fine assuming you inform us of acceptance elsewhere.
To submit, visit peauxdunquereview.submittable.com through July 31st and follow these instructions:
- Select the appropriate genre category. Entries submitted into the wrong category will be declined without refund.
- Include a cover letter listing your name, address, e-mail address and/or telephone number, and the title of each submitted work. (Please use the "Cover Letter" form field in Submittable; do not include the cover letter as part of your uploaded document.) Cover letters for entry into the public high school submission category must also include the name of the student's high school. Cover letters for entrants into the Beyond the Bars category must indicate the name of the entrant’s facility where they are incarcerated, age as of January 1, 2022, and name and email address of sponsoring educator (counselor, teacher, etc.).
- Do not include your name on the manuscript itself.
- Upload your entry. Each prose piece constitutes one single entry, requiring one entry fee. Any additional prose entry requires an additional submission and entry fee. There is no limit to the amount of entries per author, except in the Beyond the Bars category. One poetry entry constitutes up to five pages of poetry and no more than five poems (e.g., an entry may be one poem up to five pages, or up to five separate one-page poems, or any combination within those parameters). The Beyond the Bars category is open to any genre (poetry, short story, or creative nonfiction, subject to the word limits or page limits listed above), but is limited to one entry per person.
- If you submit more than one entry, even within the same genre, you must submit a new entry fee with each entry (not applicable to Beyond the Bars submissions, which are limited to one entry per person).
Judges will select winners from a group of finalists chosen by Peauxdunque Review editors. All manuscripts, whether selected as finalists or not, are considered for publication.
Notice: We do not accept paper competition submissions.
Eligibility and Conflicts of Interest
The high school short story category is open only to students in public schools.
The Beyond the Bars category is open to juveniles throughout the United States who are incarcerated (whether in juvenile detention facilities, jails, prisons, or any other carceral facilities); who were 18 years old or younger as of January 1, 2023; and who can provide the name and email address of a teacher, counselor, or other educator who sponsors the entry. Beyond the Bars is open to writing in any genre, and is free to enter, but is limited to one entry per person. Any additional entries beyond the first entry per person will be disregarded.
Previous Words and Music Writing Contest winners are not eligible to enter the competition in the same genre in which they have won.
Current Words and Music Conference administrators, Peauxdunque Writers Alliance members, and Peauxdunque Review staff are ineligible to enter the contest. Current or former students of the category judge are ineligible to enter the contest. Judges are instructed not to award the prize to entrants with whom they have had a personal or professional relationship. Even if they can't tell during the judging process, they have the right to change their decision if it turns out that the entrant is someone with whom there is any appearance of conflict of interest. Work is ineligible to win or be considered a runner-up for our contest if it has been accepted for publication elsewhere. No exceptions. Please withdraw work from our contest immediately if these conditions apply.
Contest Submissions
Patty Friedmann Writing Competition (formerly the Words & Music Writing Competition)
2023 Final-round judges: Short Story - Sahar Mustafah; Poetry - Ariel Francisco; CNF - Hannah Pittard; public high school short story and Beyond the Bars final judging by the Peauxdunque Review editorial board. Past Final-round judges include Ladee Hubbard, Skye Jackson, Michael Adno, Ravi Howard, Elizabeth Miki Brina, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Stacey Balkun, Beth Ann Fennelly, Kiese Laymon, Jamey Hatley, Michael Zapata, Nathaniel Rich, Kim Chinquee, Brad Richard, Chuck Reece, and Zachary Lazar.
About the Competition
Each Spring, the Peauxdunque Review invites submissions to its annual writing competition. Formerly the Words & Music Writing Competition, due to a generous underwriter it has been rechristened the Patty Friedmann Writing Competition. Ours is a writing competition in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, public high school short story, and “Beyond the Bars” (a multi-genre competition for incarcerated juveniles), associated with the Words and Music writers' conference that takes place in November each year. Except for what the Peauxdunque Review must pay to Submittable for each entry, entry fees from the competition are donated to the literacy project that runs the Words and Music writing conference, One Book One New Orleans. Winners in the poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction categories receive $1000 plus admission to all Words and Music conference events. Public High School Short Story winners receive $500 plus admission to all Words and Music conference events. First runners-up in the poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and public high school short story categories receive admission to all conference events (except for manuscript reviews, which may be paid for separately). The winner of the Beyond the Bars category will receive $500. Honorable Mentions in all categories receive half-off all conference events. Winners in all categories will be published in a subsequent issue of the Peauxdunque Review, and all runners-up, finalists, and all entrants will be considered for publication.
Competition Rules
Prose entries must be double-spaced and no longer than 7500 words. Poetry entries may be no longer than five pages, comprised of either one poem or up to five, with no more than one poem per page (that is, a poetry entry may be one five-page poem or five one-page poems or anything in between, but may not be, for example, ten half-page poems). Work must be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are fine assuming you inform us of acceptance elsewhere.
To submit, visit peauxdunquereview.submittable.com through July 31st and follow these instructions:
- Select the appropriate genre category. Entries submitted into the wrong category will be declined without refund.
- Include a cover letter listing your name, address, e-mail address and/or telephone number, and the title of each submitted work. (Please use the "Cover Letter" form field in Submittable; do not include the cover letter as part of your uploaded document.) Cover letters for entry into the public high school submission category must also include the name of the student's high school. Cover letters for entrants into the Beyond the Bars category must indicate the name of the entrant’s facility where they are incarcerated, age as of January 1, 2022, and name and email address of sponsoring educator (counselor, teacher, etc.).
- Do not include your name on the manuscript itself.
- Upload your entry. Each prose piece constitutes one single entry, requiring one entry fee. Any additional prose entry requires an additional submission and entry fee. There is no limit to the amount of entries per author, except in the Beyond the Bars category. One poetry entry constitutes up to five pages of poetry and no more than five poems (e.g., an entry may be one poem up to five pages, or up to five separate one-page poems, or any combination within those parameters). The Beyond the Bars category is open to any genre (poetry, short story, or creative nonfiction, subject to the word limits or page limits listed above), but is limited to one entry per person.
- If you submit more than one entry, even within the same genre, you must submit a new entry fee with each entry (not applicable to Beyond the Bars submissions, which are limited to one entry per person).
Judges will select winners from a group of finalists chosen by Peauxdunque Review editors. All manuscripts, whether selected as finalists or not, are considered for publication.
Notice: We do not accept paper competition submissions.
Eligibility and Conflicts of Interest
The high school short story category is open only to students in public schools.
The Beyond the Bars category is open to juveniles throughout the United States who are incarcerated (whether in juvenile detention facilities, jails, prisons, or any other carceral facilities); who were 18 years old or younger as of January 1, 2023; and who can provide the name and email address of a teacher, counselor, or other educator who sponsors the entry. Beyond the Bars is open to writing in any genre, and is free to enter, but is limited to one entry per person. Any additional entries beyond the first entry per person will be disregarded.
Previous Words and Music Writing Contest winners are not eligible to enter the competition in the same genre in which they have won.
Current Words and Music Conference administrators, Peauxdunque Writers Alliance members, and Peauxdunque Review staff are ineligible to enter the contest. Current or former students of the category judge are ineligible to enter the contest. Judges are instructed not to award the prize to entrants with whom they have had a personal or professional relationship. Even if they can't tell during the judging process, they have the right to change their decision if it turns out that the entrant is someone with whom there is any appearance of conflict of interest. Work is ineligible to win or be considered a runner-up for our contest if it has been accepted for publication elsewhere. No exceptions. Please withdraw work from our contest immediately if these conditions apply.
FICTION GUIDELINES: Include a cover letter with your submission. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Our reading period is currently open year-round. Each story should be no longer than 7500 words. Please submit one story per submission. Stories should be typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double-spaced. Please make sure your name appears on the first page of your manuscript and the title on all subsequent pages. Please make sure the pages are numbered. All works must be previously unpublished (in all formats). We only accept electronic submissions for this genre.
FLASH FICTION GUIDELINES: Include a cover letter with your submission. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Our reading period is currently open year-round. Each story should be no longer than 750 words. Please submit one flash fiction piece per submission. Stories should be typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double-spaced. Please make sure your name appears on the first page of your manuscript and the title on all subsequent pages. Please make sure the pages are numbered. All works must be previously unpublished (in all formats). We only accept electronic submissions for this genre.
NON-FICTION GUIDELINES: Include a cover letter with your submission. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Our reading period is currently open year-round. Each story should be no longer than 7500 words. Please submit one story per submission. Stories should be typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double-spaced. Please make sure your name appears on the first page of your manuscript and the title on all subsequent pages. Please make sure the pages are numbered. All works must be previously unpublished (in all formats). We only accept electronic submissions for this genre.
POETRY GUIDELINES: Include a cover letter with your submission. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Our reading period is currently open year-round. Please send no more than 3 poems per submission. Please make sure your name appears on all pages of your manuscript. Please make sure the pages are numbered. All works must be previously unpublished (in all formats). We only accept electronic submissions for this genre.
We run approximately ten images, photography or other visual media that work well on a page, that meet a loose framework interpreted how the artist wishes: The general Peauxdunque ideal is that important, significant ideas and expressions and experiences do not need to come from traditionally or stereotypically "important," "significant" places or people, but reside in the most forgotten, most stereotypically-thought "insignificant" spaces and folks and experiences. So, not "podunk" in the literal rural/small-town sense, but more a grande Peauxdunque of the mind and spirit. So. That being said, do you have artwork you think exemplifies that ideal? Submit up to three .jpeg, .tiff, or .png files here of work you feel best captures this, and if you have additional pieces you think may fit this, as well, then in the Comments section provide a link to a site where we can view that additional work.