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The alchemist review, the UIS ENGLISH DEPARTMENT'S LITERARY JOURNAL

Some writers take to drink, others take to audiences.”
- Gore Vidal The Alchemist Review


The Alchemist Review is a 30-year literary tradition at UIS, published each April and celebrated at the annual Verbal Arts Festival. All UIS students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to share their creative writing projects. To prepare students for further publishing success, our guidelines reflect those of other peer-reviewed journals.

In the spring of 2007, The Alchemist Review Through the Years online library was established by the English Program Graduate Assistant. The online library enables The Alchemist Review to reach a wider audience and further showcases the talents of UIS students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

Guidelines

The Alchemist Review seeks non-fiction, fiction, playlets, and poetry submissions from UIS students, faculty, staff, and alumni. There are no genre restrictions.

  • Non-Fiction: Critical analyses, reviews, and essays up to 5,000 words in length.
  • Fiction: Up to 5,000 words in length. Flash fiction (stories of 500 words or less) is also sought.
  • Playlets: One act plays or shorter playlets.
  • Poetry: Up to three poems per batch submission. There are no length requirements.
  • Artwork: Black and white or grayscale artwork that enhances the text submissions and the appearance of The Alchemist Review are accepted with no limit to quantity. Potential cover art may be two-tone.

How to Submit

Manuscript submissions should be sent electronically as either .doc or .rtf attachments to literati@uis.edu. List your contact information and university affiliation in the body of the email. Please also include a brief author's bio. The email is the only place any identifying information should appear. Do not include your name or any contact information on the attached submissions--only the title of your submission should appear along with the body of the work.

Fiction and non-fiction submissions should be double-spaced in a standard, 12-point font.

Please no multiple submissions.

Submitting Art

The Alchemist Review forms around the year's submissions. Therefore, art that best coordinates with the accepted manuscripts will receive preference. To increase the chance of good coordination, no quantity limit is placed on art submissions. They must be sent in electronic for via email attachment, or, in the case of large quantities of high quality files, they can be sent to the following address on a compact disk:

The Alchemist Review
The University of Illinois at Springfield
Mail Stop UHB 3050
UHB 3065
One University Plaza
Springfield, IL 62704

For more information, please contact the English Department's Graduate Assistant or the Department Office.

*Please note that The Alchemist Review no longer sponsors the Writer's Repertory Short Fiction Award.