Published twice annually by Michigan State University Press, Fourth Genre is a literary journal that explores the boundaries of contemporary and creative nonfiction. Personal essays are welcome—including nature, environmental, and travel essays—as well as memoirs, personal critical essays, and literary journalism. We are also interested in queries for interviews and for reviews of current books.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION & SUBMISSION

SUBMISSIONS THAT DO NOT COMPLY WITH THESE GUIDELINES WILL BE RECYCLED UNREAD. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING THOROUGHLY PRIOR TO SUBMISSION.

 Fourth Genre Author Publishing Agreement

Important – please read prior to submitting your work for consideration. This contract is for reference only and should be completed only after acceptance for publication by the editor.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Two (2) issues published annually. Spring (#1) and Fall (#2)

• General Submissions: Accepted August 15-November 30 only. Authors selected for publication paid with two (2) complimentary copies of the journal.
• Fourth Genre Steinberg Essay Prize submissions: Accepted January 1-March 15 only. For additional information about contest submissions, visit the Essay Prize Page.

PREPARATION

• Typed, double-spaced, on one side of 8.5” x 11” paper
• Include cover letter (one page limit): name, address, phone number, email address, title of piece, and approximate word count
• 8,000 word limit for general submissions; 6,000 word limit for Fourth Genre Steinberg Essay Prize (longer submissions will not be read)
• Do not send disks or electronic files
• Multiple submissions not accepted from individual authors (non-contest submissions only)
• Simultaneous submissions require immediate notification to Fourth Genre if accepted elsewhere

REPLIES

• Please do not include SASE. We will reply via email.
• All manuscripts will be recycled (keep a personal copy!)

IMAGES & DERIVATIVE MATERIALS

• Electronic files accepted; all images must be minimum 300 dpi at planned publication size
• It is the author/researcher’s obligation and responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright and/or other use restrictions prior to submitting materials to MSU Press for publication
• Citations, permissions, and captions are required upon submission for all images, including those derived from the internet
• Use the Fourth Genre Permission Request Letter to obtain permission from image’s rightsholder
• MSU Press cannot publish such materials until written clearance is obtained

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO:

Laura Julier, Editor; Fourth Genre 
235 Bessey Hall
Dept. of Writing, Rhetoric & American Cultures
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1033

BOOK REVIEWERS:

Ned Stuckey-French, Book Review Editor; Fourth Genre 
English Department
419 Williams Bldg.
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1508
Nstuckey-french@fsu.edu

 

“WRITER AS READER” SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Fourth Genre’s “WRITER AS READER” will feature essays that respond to creative and literary nonfiction, focusing primarily on a single work. Successful “WRITER AS READER” essays will be neither jargon-laced nor disinterested, but will find a home in the personal and will tell a story about the author’s relationship with one particular work of nonfiction.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Under essay title, include complete list of your essay’s focal work (as book review identifies volume reviewed).
• Cover letter required, including:
• Your biographic information – writing qualifications and other pertinent information
• Description of the work that is the topic of your essay
• Complete bibliographic information on the work
• 3,000 word limit

“WRITER AS READER” essays are invited as responses to:

• A personal essay or memoir
• Literary journalism
• Personal cultural criticism
• Another work commonly classified with creative nonfiction

“WRITER AS READER” essays may focus on work that:

• Has influenced the author’s own writing
• The author provides to students as an example of the genre’s possibilities
• The author has reevaluated over time
• Is widely influential
• Is challenging due to its form, innovation, content, history, or politics
• May be contemporary in form or from another historical period

Send submissions to:

Laura Julier, Editor; Fourth Genre 
235 Bessey Hall
Dept. of Writing, Rhetoric & American Cultures
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1033

Queries welcome at genre4@msu.edu