We are now taking submissions for Issue 3 of Muscle & Blood, due out in Fall 2011. 

The best way to get an idea of what we’re looking for is to purchase an issue. They are available both in reasonably-priced print formats, and extremely affordable e-book formats for various devices. Our current issue is Issue 2. Sample poems and fiction pieces are also available conveniently from each issue’s page.

Please submit only once per reading period. If your work appeared in Issue 2, please wait until Issue 4 before submitting again. Exceptions: photography, essays, and articles.

We encourage simultaneous submissions, but recommend that you tell us up front that your work is a simultaneous submission, and require that you inform us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. No reprints. We ask for First Worldwide Serial Rights to any work we accept.

Contributors are guaranteed a free PDF copy of the issue in which they appear. After that, we will offer whatever is within our budget. Issue 2 contributors received a 50% discount on as many copies of the print edition as they wanted.

Include a third-person bio of 100 words or fewer with your submission, listing no more than five previous journal publications, if you list any. You may additionally list up to two chapbooks or full-length collections (incl. e-books and e-chapbooks) if you have them. We are serious about our upper bounds on listing publications. If you go above them, we reserve the right to reject your pieces immediately without reading them.

Above all, write in your authentic voice. We’re not going to accept anything that seems inauthentic. But we also will not accept poorly-written writing, or anything that does not fit into our aesthetic. The best way to understand our aesthetic is to read an issue.

Guidelines for specific submission types follow below.

Photography: We only want black-and-white photography, preferably of urban and/or working-class settings, but we will look at anything. Please submit photographs as attachments, in PNG or JPG format, in order of preference. You may submit in low resolution first, but if we accept your work, we will need a high resolution PNG. You may submit as many photographs as you like. Send to art-submit@muscleandblood.com with “Submisssion” and your last name in the subject line.

Creative nonfiction (1,000 to 5,000 words): We consider creative nonfiction in all of its various forms, but are least interested in personal memoir, though we’ve accepted it before and will accept it again if it’s outstanding. One submission at a time. Attach in one .doc or .rtf file and send to nonfiction-submit@muscleandblood.com with “Submisssion”, “Creative nonfiction” and your last name in the subject line.

Essays and Articles: We are very interested in expanding the scope of our magazine to include essays and articles. Critical essays are especially welcome, though essays need not be critical to be considered. We are mostly interested in essays and articles about literature, particularly the kind of literature we publish. We welcome book and chapbook reviews. We also are interested in essays about issues related to modern society. If you want a good idea of what we’re interested in, read this whole page, the whole About page, and Issue 2. Attach in one .doc or .rtf file and send to nonfiction-submit@muscleandblood.com with “Submisssion”, plus “Essay” or “Article”, and finally your last name in the subject line.

Interviews: We now actively seek third-party interviews. Attach in one .doc or .rtf file and send to nonfiction-submit@muscleandblood.com with “Submisssion”, “Interview”, and your last name in the subject line.

Short fiction (1,000 to 5,000 words): Stories that focus on the fundamentals of literary storytelling, with no frills or romanticism. We do not consider genre fiction. One submission at a time. Attach in one .doc or .rtf file and send to fiction-submit@muscleandblood.com with “Submisssion”, “Short fiction” and your last name in the subject line.

Flash fiction (under 1,000 words): Flash fiction should not waste a single word. Much like short fiction, it should also catch us with the first sentence and keep us interested until it reaches an effective resolution. We do not consider genre flash fiction. You may submit up to five at a time. Attach in one .doc or .rtf file and send to fiction-submit@muscleandblood.com with “Submisssion”, “Flash fiction” and your last name in the subject line.

Poetry: We are looking for well-rounded, well-executed poetry that is both meaningful and aesthetically strong. We welcome freeverse, prose poetry, and form. If you use form, you should be able to pull it off flawlessly. If you use freeverse, you should understand the fundamentals of modern poetry and be able to utilize them expertly. If you use prose poetry, we better be able to tell it’s a poem. You may submit up to 5 poems, which should be in a single .doc or .rtf file. Each poem should be separated by a page break, and the document should be no more than 5 pages. Send it as an attachment to poetry-submit@muscleandblood.com with “Submisssion” and your last name in the subject line.

Questions, clarifications, etc. can be sent to muscleandblood@diamondpointpress.com. Comments and feedback are welcome at this address too. Submissions sent to this address will be rudely and sarcastically chastised.