Veterans-Lit Submissions Window to Open in July

The tenth and latest issue of the on-line literary journal "As You Were" landed over the recent Memorial Day weekend, disgorging stories and art via the non-profit organization Military Experience & the Arts. The journal is published twice annually, and includes poetry, short stories, non-fiction, and visual art produced by veterans, family members, and others with connections to military service.

The journal can be read on-line for FREE here.

In the international "veterans lit" publishing space, the journal uniquely packages itself as a virtual writing workshop. Unlike the thumbs-up-or-down approach of other journals, writers of all experience levels may engage in multiple drafts with peer editors and readers, while preparing pieces for publication. Regardless of whether a piece is accepted after one edit or many, however, the objective, however, is always the same: Help writers find new ways to document and communicate the military experience.

In its guidelines for prospective writers, editors say:

We welcome new writers or experienced ones. It’s our mission at MEA to help veterans and family members enrich their writing, regardless of their skill level. We encourage writers to let our staff help you craft the best possible piece. You’ve invested time and emotion in writing your story. Our purpose is to invest our time in helping you tell this story in the most highly effective manner possible and to impart universally applicable skills and perspectives in your respective genre.

If you’re willing to be revised, editors may make bigger-picture suggestions such as reordering a sequence of events, more fully developing a theme, elaborating on or trimming some sections. They’ll also be looking at the paragraph and sentence level, and may, for instance, make requests and suggestions for more details in a description, a richer scene, or trimming of extraneous information that slows the pace or distracts from the overall theme of the piece.

Submissions are open twice annually: January 1 to February 1, and July 1 to August 1. New work only. No previously published material, whether in print or on-line. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, as long as writers inform editors if a given piece is accepted elsewhere during consideration. In cover letter or remarks, include statement that describes your connections to military experience.

Disclosure: The writer of The Aiming Circle blog is also the poetry editor of the journal "As You Were."

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