Red River Review

About

Founded in Texas in 1999 as one of the early online poetry journals, Red River Review now re-emerges from the creative landscapes of the Rocky Mountain West with a renewed editorial vision. Poetry remains at the heart of the journal, while its scope has expanded to include short fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and hybrid and interdisciplinary work.
We are drawn to writing and art attentive to image, language, memory, place, lived experience, and the physical world. We look for work rooted in close observation and emotional or intellectual complexity — pieces that engage interiority, interconnected relationships, family, identity, history, or the difficult material of being human with precision and a distinctive way of seeing.
Through publication, archive stewardship, craft conversations, workshops, classes, and educational resources, Red River Review supports writers, artists, contributors, and readers while building a sustainable publishing home for literary and visual art.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions, and they do not offer monetary payment for accepted submissions. (Note: About 8% of magazines always charge fees.)
The fee is USD $10 (above average for magazines that charge).

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 1999

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 4 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

148 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Regular Speed: Red River Review's overall average response time is within a normal range for magazines.
More Approachable: Red River Review's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
More Responsive: Red River Review's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open Fee-based

We welcome short fiction in a range of styles and approaches, including literary, lyrical, narrative, experimental, place-based, psychologically attentive, and hybrid work.
We are interested in fiction shaped by close observation, intentional language, atmosphere, character, and emotional complexity. We are especially drawn to stories where image, memory, place, relationship, or interior experience deepen the movement of the piece.

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 30 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Short Story: 1,000 - 3,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Open Fee-based

We welcome creative nonfiction in a range of forms, including personal essays, lyrical essays, place-based writing, memoir, hybrid nonfiction, and reflective prose.
We are interested in nonfiction shaped by attentive language, clear perception, emotional or intellectual depth, and a meaningful relationship to lived experience, memory, place, culture, art, or the natural world.

Dates:

Open to nonfiction submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 30 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 3,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 3,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Memoir.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Open Fee-based

We welcome poems in a range of styles and approaches, including lyrical, narrative, experimental, image-driven, place-based, embodied, hybrid, and formally structured work.
We are interested in poems shaped by intentional language, strong images, careful attention, and a felt relationship to subject and form. The work may move through memory, landscape, interior experience, interconnectedness, history, observation, or imaginative inquiry.

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 30 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; 3 - 5 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Beat poetry, Experimental poetry, Formal verse, Free verse, Hybrid form, Lyric poetry, Visual poetry. Excluding: Rhyming.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Visual Art Open Fee-based

We welcome photography and visual art created in physical media, including painting, drawing, collage, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, and other physical forms. At this time, we accept photography and artwork originating in physical media rather than digitally created artwork. All submitted work must be original and not created or meaningfully assisted by generative AI tools.
Submitted images must be publication-ready and of sufficient quality for both editorial review and web reproduction.
If selected for publication, an artist may be invited to provide a brief statement when additional context would support presentation of the work.

Dates:

Open to visual art submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 30 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 5 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including...
Drawing.
Mixed media.
Collage.
Painting.
Photography.
Printmaking.
Sculpture.

Art Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Image.

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.

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Red River Review Submission Statistics

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.

Filter:

Group by submission

Accuracy

We have received 38 reports from 37 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

1 min | 51.3 mean avg | 54.5 median | 110 max days (29.6 std dev)

Responses

92.11 %

Acceptances:

31.58 % of submissions accepted (64.3 avg. days per acceptance) | 32.43 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

60.53 % (50.7 avg. days per rejection) | 91.3 % personal, 8.7 % form, 0.0 % unspecified

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

7.89 % (17.7 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

8 responses are pending (1 min | 10.7 mean avg | 11.5 median | 198 max days waiting | 66.8 std dev) from 8 different members

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $10.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 11 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 10 Sep 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 02:19 UTC (7 hours, 25 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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Before Submitting

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Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
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Dates

Last Updated: 06 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.