Inlandia

However you feel about them, there’s no denying that insects are an important link in the human food chain. From providing sustenance to pollinating plants, our future—and the future of our Earth—relies on them.

This year, on Earth Day, invest in our planet—write a poem! 

Inlandia Institute and Riverside Insect Fair invite you to submit up to three poems inspired insects, specifically on how resilient they are. Selected poems will be invited to be read during the insect fair. 

Riverside Public Utilities’ theme for Earth Day this year is resiliency. Insects are resilient creatures, especially in the face of a persistent drought. Like humans, insects rely on water, and resiliency is the key to their survival. 

How to submit:

— Include up to three poems in one Word document that incorporates the theme of resiliency. Please be sure to include the author’s name, phone number, email address, and age.

— Each single poems should fit on one side of one 8.5”x11” (standard size) piece of paper in a standard size and font like Times New Roman 12 pt

— Poems written by a minor must be submitted by a parent or guardian.

Two poems each will be selected from each of three age categories: Under 12, 13-17, and 18+. Selected poets must be available to attend the fair in person and read their poem on stage on Earth Day, April 22, 2023.

Additionally, select poems may be published on the website or in a related publication.

Submit poems through this portal. If for any reason you cannot submit through this portal, please paste your submission into the body of an email and send them to specialevents@riversideca.gov.

Call for submissions for the Spring 2023 Teen Issue of Inlandia: A Literary Journey

Now accepting art, book reviews, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for the Spring 2023 Teen Issue of Inlandia Institute’s online literary journal, Inlandia: A Literary Journey. We dedicate each Teen Issue to work by and for teens, particularly — but not exclusively — with connections to Inland Southern California. Submissions are open to ages 13–19. We are also looking for Teen Editors (see the FAQs for more information).

Deadline EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2023!!

Submissions open Wednesday, February 1, 2023, and close FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2023, at midnight Pacific Time.

Updated Guidelines for Submissions

• Editors evaluate only anonymous submissions. Please remove your name from the submission, including the file name.
• For art you may submit 1–5 digital photographs and/or digital images of work each in its own submission including but not limited to drawings, paintings, sculptures, fiber art, and comics. We seek art that complements the written pieces and pulls the journal together as a cohesive whole.
• For book reviews you may submit an original review of fiction or nonfiction books across genres and readerships — from picture books to adult literature — that will appeal to teens. The review should not exceed 3,000 words.
• For fiction there is no minimum word count. Stories should not exceed 5,000 words. Any genre is okay. If you are submitting an excerpt from a larger work, it must be self-contained with a beginning, middle, and end.
• For nonfiction there is no minimum word count. Essays, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and creative nonfiction should not exceed 3,000 words. Any topic is okay.
• For poetry you may submit 1–5 poems each in its own submission. Poems should not exceed 100 lines.
• You may submit in more than one category of work, but please do not submit more than once for any category except art and poetry as noted.
• At this time, we can only accept submissions primarily in English or translated into English (with written permission).

FAQs

Where do I submit my work?

We accept submissions only through the Inlandia Institute’s Submittable portal. We will not consider mailed or emailed submissions.

Is there a submission fee?

No! Submissions are free.

How should I format my written work?

1. Font and Point Size: something standard such as 12-point Times New Roman.
2. Spacing: double space your work unless it is poetry, which should be single spaced (unless you want other formatting).
3. Margins: 1 inch on all sides.
4. Header: include the title of your work and page numbers.
5. Please remove your name from the submission, including the file name.

Anything else to submit?

We request a short biographical statement (up to 75 words) written in the third person (she/he/they).

Are there types of work you don’t want?

• Do not submit pornographic material or work that degrades any gender, race, religion, ability level, etc. In other words, nothing demeaning to others.
• We do not want assigned schoolwork you have no particular passion for, even if your teacher is giving extra credit for you to submit something. We do not want your college application essays.
• We do not want any work that you did not create yourself. Do not plagiarize. By submitting your work, you are verifying that it is solely your creation.

When will I know if my work has been accepted?

Please be patient as Teen Editors review and seriously consider every submission. It may be late April before you receive a response.

What if I want to be a Teen Editor?

By FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2023, please use the separate Teen Editor Submittable form to submit your name and a short cover letter as well as the categories you prefer to evaluate.

If I am a Teen Editor, may I still submit to the issue?

Teen Editors may still submit work for consideration, but they will not be reviewing their own submissions.

If I have a question that is not answered here, who do I ask?

Please email your question to the managing editor of Inlandia: A Literary Journey, Erin Michaela Sweeney (she/her), at journaleditor@inlandiainstitute.org.

I want to be a Teen Editor.

By FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2023, please submit your name and a short cover letter. Tell us in a paragraph why you want to spend some of your free time in March 2023 on this literary journey with us and if you have any experience, such as working on a school newspaper or literary journal. Be sure to let us know the categories you prefer to evaluate:

• fiction
• nonfiction and book reviews
• art
• poetry

If I am a Teen Editor, may I still submit to the issue?

Teen Editors may still submit work for consideration, but they will not be judging their own submissions.

If I have a question that is not answered here, who do I ask?

Please email your question to the managing editor of Inlandia: A Literary Journey, Erin Michaela Sweeney (she/her), at journaleditor@inlandiainstitute.org.

The 2023 Hillary Gravendyk Prize 

Sponsored by Inlandia Institute and published by Inlandia Books

One National and one Regional Winner will each be awarded $1000 and book publication.

The Hillary Gravendyk Prize is an open poetry book competition for all writers regardless of the number of previously published poetry collections. The manuscript page limit is 48 - 100 pages, and the press invites all styles and forms of poetry. Only electronic submissions accepted via Inlandia’s Submittable portal. Entries must be received online by April 30, 2022 at midnight Pacific Standard Time. Reading fee is $20. The winners will be announced late Summer/Fall 2023, for publication in 2024.

The competition was created in memory of the late Inland Empire poet, Hillary Gravendyk, who passed away in 2014.

HILLARY GRAVENDYK (1979-2014) was a beloved poet living and teaching in Southern California’s “Inland Empire” region. She wrote the acclaimed poetry book, HARM from Omnidawn Publishing (2012) and the poetry collection The Naturalist (Anchiote Press, 2008). A native of Washington State, she was an admired Assistant Professor of English at Pomona College in Claremont, CA. Her poetry has appeared widely in journals such as American Letters & Commentary, The Bellingham Review, The Colorado Review, The Eleventh Muse, Fourteen Hills, MARY, 1913: A Journal of Forms, Octopus Magazine, Tarpaulin Sky and Sugar House Review. She was awarded a 2015 Pushcart Prize for her poem "Your Ghost," which appeared in the Pushcart Prize Anthology. She leaves behind many devoted colleagues, friends, family and beautiful poems. Hillary Gravendyk passed away on May 10, 2014 after a long illness. This contest has been established in her memory.

Contest judges: Julian Talamantez Brolaski  & Megan Gravendyk Estrella

Julian Talamantez Brolaski is the author of Of Mongrelitude (Wave Books, 2017), Advice for Lovers (City Lights, 2012), gowanus atropolis (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2011), and coeditor of NO GENDER: Reflections on the Life & Work of kari edwards (Litmus Press/Belladonna Books, 2009). Its pronoun is it. It is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist in the country bands Juan & the Pines (NYC) and The Western Skyline (Oakland). Brolaski is currently researching and editing The Apache Pollen Path (University of New Mexico Press, 2020), a book on Mescalero Apache ceremony, with its grandmother, Inés Talamantez.  

Megan Gravendyk-Estrella is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse and Poet. Megan is a two time winner of the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prize and the author of the Seattle Young Playwrights prize winning short play “Good Evening Mrs.Gerfella”. Megan lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, Jose and his daughter, Sofia. Hillary and Megan wrote together their entire lives and most recently attended the Napa Valley Writers Workshop. Prior to Hillary’s passing, the sister’s work-shopped poetry and short fiction together, including many poems in Hillary’s book, Harm.

The details: One contest, two prizes, each award is granted publication and $1000: All entrants will be considered for the National Prize, and entrants who currently reside or work in Inland Southern California, the “Inland Empire,” will also be considered for the Regional Prize (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, and any non-coastal Southern California area, from Death Valley in the northernmost region to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in the southernmost). If you believe you reside or work in an area that falls within the I.E., please select the “Yes, I reside in the I.E.” checkbox on the Submittable form, or if you’re not sure, please contact the Inlandia Institute at Inlandia@InlandiaInstitute.org.) In addition, the editors may select one or more additional books for publication.

Eligibility: Any American writer may enter the contest, with the exception of current colleagues and/or students, close friends, or family of the judge. Additionally, anyone currently serving in the Inlandia Institute in the last two years, either as an employee or on the Inlandia Institute Board of Directors, or is a close family member of the above, is not eligible.

Manuscript Requirements: Please submit 48-100 pages of poetry through our Submittable portal as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf. 

***Submissions are read without identifying information.***Do not include your name or any identifiable information on the manuscript itself.*** Do not include a cover page.***Do not attach an acknowledgements page.*** 

No revisions to the manuscript are allowed while the contest is running; however, if your manuscript is selected for publication, revisions may be submitted at that time. Please use a standard 11 or 12 point font. If there is a significant amount of non-standard formatting, please submit as a PDF to ensure formatting remains intact. Individual poems may have been published in journals, anthologies, chapbooks, etc., but the collection as a whole must be unpublished.

Submission fee: $20 per manuscript. Multiple submissions accepted but a separate entry fee is required for each manuscript submitted. Simultaneous submissions also accepted. If accepted elsewhere, please formally withdraw your manuscript from consideration via the Submittable portal.

Prize: Each winner will receive $1000, 20 copies of their book, and a standard book contract.

The manuscripts will be screened by MFA students from local colleges and universities.

Inlandia Institute is a literary nonprofit and publishing house based in Inland Southern California dedicated to celebrating the region in word, image, and sound. Hillary Gravendyk Prize winners have gone on to win other post-publication prizes, including Rachelle Cruz's 2016 God's Will for Monsters, which received an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation.

Hillary Gravendyk Prize winners to date include Will Barnes, Tiffany Elliott, Angelica Maria Barraza, Alexandra Martinez, Michael Samra, Jonathan Maule, Bronwen Tate, Adam Martinez, Michelle Peñaloza, Elizabeth Cantwell, Malcolm Friend, Rachelle Cruz, Marco Maisto, Kenji C. Liu, and Angela Peñaredondo.