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The Arkansas International is committed to writing that transcends borders— be they borders of place, language, form, or assumptions. Our magazine features work from over 70 countries, from Egypt to Brazil, South Korea to Russia, as well as U.S. writers working out of regions not centered by the literary marketplace. We support fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and graphic storytelling, in translation and source English alike.
Themed Submissions
The Arkansas International publishes biannually; one of the two issues centers on a theme, announced every May when the submission window opens.
Issue 18: Arkansas • Fall 2025
The Arkansas International is now open for submissions for our Fall 2025 Arkansas themed issue.
Our magazine has long been dedicated to showcasing the relationship between Arkansas and the international literary landscape. In this themed issue, we aim to reflect the incredible diversity of our home—its geography, history, and peoples—and challenge the narrative of Arkansas as a homogenous, un-literary place. We seek stories, poems, essays, comics, and translations by anyone who identifies as an Arkansan writer—authors either from or with ties to Arkansas. We ask that submissions include a brief note in the cover letter explaining the author’s connection to Arkansas.
This state has a knack for finding diamonds in unexpected places. Some of Arkansas’s greatest writers had unassuming origins. Maybe you’re a young Black woman from Forks like Maya Angelou, a Marine from El Dorado like Charles Portis, or a college dropout from Mountain Home like Frank Stanford. With this issue, the Arkansas International will discover what can be unearthed from our soil and put those voices and stories on a global platform.
We know our home state as an international hub of writers with a rich literary tradition—let us show you our Arkansas.
We’ll consider previously unpublished fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translation between May 15 and August 15.
general guidelines
We accept simultaneous submissions, provided we are notified if your work is accepted elsewhere; however, we do not accept multiple submissions. Writers are welcome to send new work once a year.
The Arkansas International cannot consider creative work from anyone currently or recently affiliated with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, which includes those who have studied or worked there within the past four years. Existing members of our community are, however, welcome to submit critic pitches.
Our submission windows open in November and May of each year. Please follow our social media channels for announcements and visit Submittable for details.