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Black Warrior Review

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About

2,479 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Established in 1974 by graduate students in the MFA Program in Creative Writing, Black Warrior Review is named for the river that borders the campus of The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The city, the river, and the magazine all derive their names from the 16th-century Indigenous leader Tuskaloosa (also spelled “Tushkalusa”), whose name comes from two words of Creek or Choctaw origin—tasca, meaning “warriors,” and lusa, meaning “black.” In 1540, Tuskaloosa battled the Spanish colonizer Hernando de Soto at Mabila, a fortified settlement perhaps in the vicinity of present-day Selma. Tuskaloosa was likely among the thousands who perished in the resistance effort, which is thought to have stopped the advance of de Soto’s campaign. BWR publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, and art twice a year. Contributors include Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners alongside emerging writers.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions, except for writers for whom the fee presents a financial hardship, who can request fee waivers. The fee is USD $5.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States Established in 1974

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print PublicationPublished 2 x per year.

Fiction Open Fee-based
Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 01 March 2025* (approx. 41 days from now). 11

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:
General General
Lengths:
Flash Fiction Flash FictionUp to 1,000 words.
Short Story Short Story1,000 - 6,000 words.
Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $50-$250.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Nonfiction Open Fee-based
Dates:

Open to nonfiction submissions through 01 March 2025* (approx. 41 days from now). 1

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:
Essay EssayUp to 6,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction Narrative NonfictionUp to 6,000 words.
Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $50-$250.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Poetry Open Fee-based
Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 01 March 2025* (approx. 41 days from now). 18

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:
General General
Lengths:
Poem PoemNo line limits known; Up to 3 pieces.
Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (US$5-49 per poem) to Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $50-$250.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Visual Art Closed
This project has permanently closed to submissions in this category.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Black Warrior Review Submission Statistics — Free Preview!

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.
This project ranks among the 25 Most Challenging Fiction Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the 25 Most Challenging Poetry Publishers in our database.
AccuracyWe have received 336 reports from 275 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported0 min | 88.3 mean avg | 92.0 median | 322 max days (284.5 std dev)
Responses92.27 %
Acceptances0.60 % of submissions accepted (124.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 0.73 % of submitters accepted Rejections are often underreported, which skews the statistics in favor of acceptances. Most publishers have a lower acceptance rate than indicated here.
Rejections91.67 % (84.6 avg. days per rejection) | 32.5 % personal, 50.0 % form, 17.5 % unspecified | 0.6 % shortlisted
Non-Responses7.74 %
Lost/Returned-
Never Responded0.89 % (279.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals6.85 % (51.4 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending84 responses are pending (1 min | 49.1 mean avg | 40.0 median | 232 max days waiting | 832.3 std dev) from 84 different members This only includes pending reports from users who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 180 days. (4.5 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 180 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 180 days have passed.
The most common submission fee paid: USD $5.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 14 Jan 2025.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 02 Dec 2024.

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Your Submissions

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Black Warrior Review Contest Charges fees for all submissions
Black Warrior Review Creature(s) Contest CLOSED Charges fees for all submissions
BWR Online: Boyfriend Village Charges fees for some submissions

Dates

Last Updated: 17 Dec 2024
Last Audited: 16 Oct 2024. (We audit each active listing twice a year. Learn more at link.)
Date Added: 02 Aug 2005

Before Submitting

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  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
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