The Garfield Lake Review

***SUBMISSION PERIOD EXTENDED: Regular and University of Olivet Submissions now closing SEPTEMBER 27TH AT 11:59PM!***

The Garfield Lake Review prides itself in accepting a wide selection of fiction, poetry, and visual arts from the Olivet community and beyond. This year's theme is “Coming of Age." As we grow older, we begin to lose the childhood innocence that we so desperately once wanted to get rid of. We begin to find ourselves and face challenges that introduce us to adulthood. For this theme, we are looking for pieces that illuminate those thresholds that are crossed when we move from one phase of life to another.

We accept art in any form that may be reproduced on a page. We are looking for work that is engaging and striking. Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, drama, photography, and other art are all welcome. All submissions are reviewed anonymously, regardless of form, which ensures that no author will be judged by race, creed, sexual orientation, or political ideology.

Technical Details

• Prose submissions should be double-spaced and not include your name in the body, header, footer, or file name.
• We accept files in the following formats: docx, doc, and rtf. Submissions with strong visual components like comics or graphic narratives should be submitted as .jpg or .png files.
• Please name your files with your submission's title (NOT your name) -- file names like "Story 1" make file management difficult. Prose submissions are limited to 5000 words. We do accept excerpts of longer work and may publish the longer piece on our website--please include and label the excerpt and the entire work in your submission.
• The only guideline we have content wise is that we would prefer works that do NOT contain epic acts of gore, hate crime, or hate speech.

Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions

• Individuals may submit up to five pieces total, in any combination of media. If your pieces are the same genre, you may put them in the same submission. All pieces will be reviewed individually.
• Our review time is short: we hope to make decisions by the beginning of December. We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know immediately if your work is no longer available because it has been accepted elsewhere.

The Garfield Lake Review is the annual literary and visual arts magazine produced by The University of Olivet students, and it is a proud member of The University of Olivet Media Board. We produce a print journal and post an online edition on our website. Contributors in the continental U.S. may choose to receive a complimentary copy and purchase additional copies. Other contributors may pay shipping and receive their copy.

Not Open

**Public submissions close September 27th, 2025**

**University of Olivet submisisons close October 1st, 2025**

The Garfield Lake Review prides itself in accepting a wide selection of fiction, poetry, and visual arts from the Olivet community and beyond. Our theme this year is Grief and recovery.

Grief takes many forms. It can arrive suddenly or unfold slowly over time. It might be tied to the loss of a person, a place, yourself, or something less easily named. Recovery, too, is not a single path, but a rocky road, a reimagining of life after loss.

For the 2026 issue, we invite work that explores the vast landscape of grief and/or recovery. Pieces may focus solely on the ache of absence, the disorientation of change, the sharp edges of sorrow. Or they may lean into the fragile, powerful, steps toward healing. Some may hold both grief and recovery in tension; others may rest entirely in one. We are not seeking neat conclusions. We are seeking truth; in whatever shape it takes.

We accept art in any form that may be reproduced on a page. We are looking for work that is engaging and striking. Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, photography, and other art are all welcome. All submissions are reviewed anonymously, regardless of form, which ensures that no author will be judged by race, creed, sexual orientation, or political ideology.

Technical Details

• Prose submissions should be double-spaced and not include your name in the body, header, footer, or file name.
• We accept files in the following formats: docx, doc, and rtf. Submissions with strong visual components like comics or graphic narratives should be submitted as .jpg or .png files.
• Please name your files with your submission's title (NOT your name) -- file names like "Story 1" make file management difficult. Prose submissions are limited to 3000 words. We do accept excerpts of longer work and may publish the longer piece on our website--please include and label the excerpt and the entire work in your submission.

Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions

• Individuals may submit up to five pieces total, in any combination of media. If your pieces are the same genre, you may put them in the same submission. All pieces will be reviewed individually.
• Our review time is short: we will make decisions by the beginning of December, so we ask that you wait until you hear back from us before submitting your work elsewhere. However, please let us know immediately if your work is no longer available.

The Garfield Lake Review is the annual literary and visual arts magazine produced by University of Olivet students, and it is a proud member of the University of Olivet Media Board. We produce a print journal and post an online edition on our website. Contributors in the continental U.S. may receive a complimentary copy and purchase additional copies. Other contributors may pay shipping and receive their copy.

Not Open