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Clinch Mountain Review

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Welcome

The Clinch Mountain Review is an annual publication of works by writers who live in Southwestern Virginia or have lived here in the past. No one style, theme or sensibility dominates.

Intermixed on our pages one can find the contemporary and the traditional, the realistic and the fanciful, the innocent and the experienced, the playful and the serious, the secular and the religious, the violent and the pacific, the disturbing and the reassuring, the gritty and the smooth.

This means that, although a single reader is unlikely to resonate with every work, virtually everyone should be able to find some pieces which strike an inner chord.

Download the Clinch Mountain Review 2022 (pdf)

Contact Information:

The Clinch Mountain Review

PO Box 1101
Richlands, VA 24641-1101
Contact Email Address:  russ.wood@sw.edu

Request Current Edition

Copies (while they last) are available in the Arts & Sciences Division Office or by mail nationally. Contact 276.964.7510 or russ.wood@sw.edu  for more information.

If you are thinking about submitting material, first read the Submission Guidelines.  If you still have questions please contact the CMR Editor, Russ Wood at russ.wood@sw.edu .

Submission Guidelines

Who Can Submit?

Contributing authors must be

  •  AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE and
  • CURRENT OR FORMER RESIDENTS OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA

What Can I Submit?

  • Materials will be considered in the genres of poetry, short fiction, and memoir (personal narrative non-fiction) with any setting and on any subject, traditional or contemporary.
  • We do not accept previously published works or simultaneous submissions.

How Much Can I Submit?

  • Please submit no more than 3-5 poems and/or no more than one piece each in the prose genres per year
  • Poems should be a maximum of 40 lines.
  • Prose submissions should be a maximum of 3000 words.

How Do I Submit?

  • ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE BY E-MAIL to russ.wood@sw.edu as an ATTACHMENT saved in Microsoft Word format or, in Rich Text Format (RTF) (Please put all poems into one document.)
  • Include your name, your e-mail address, and your current place of residence with mailing address and zip code. (If you are a former resident, also include your previous place of residence in Southwestern Virginia.)
  • Include in the MESSAGE PORTION of the e-mail 1) your name, 2) the title(s) of the work(s) submitted, and 3) a statement that all the work submitted is eligible according to these guidelines.
  • Do not submit anything on paper. Submissions on paper or in any form other than that described above cannot be considered for publication and will be discarded.
  • Please note: All prose works will be considered to be fiction unless designated “Memoir” or “Nonfiction” on the attached work itself (not in the message portion of the email).

When Can I Submit?

Unsolicited submissions will be considered only if received BETWEEN JANUARY 15 and JUNE 3. Notification will be by e-mail in early summer. Publication will be in the Fall.

What do I get if I have something published?

Payment is one copy of the issue in which your work appears.

Who retains the rights to something that is published?

All rights revert to the author after publication in The Clinch Mountain Review.

What will increase my chances of acceptance?

  • Be real. Ground your writing in particular times and places.
  • ESPECIALLY FOR POETS
    • Condense; don’t gush.
    • Avoid rhymes unless you are a widely published poet.  The chief malady which causes rejection of poems by CMR is the “rhyme at any price” syndrome.  (If you don’t know what this means, your rhymed poems probably suffer from it.)
  • ESPECIALLY FOR FICTION WRITERS:
    • Create character by focusing on decisions (small  and large) that people make.
    • Let character determine plot, not vice versa.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get a copy?

Copies (while they last) are available in the Humanities Division Office or by mail nationally. Contact 276.964.7392 or ginger.rife@sw.edu for more information.

Am I eligible to submit works for consideration?

Contributors must be at least 18 years of age and be a CURRENT or FORMER RESIDENT of Southwest Virginia.

Where can I read samples?

Samples from each issue can be found on that year’s publication page link listed on the CMR Menu.

My writing is not specific to this region. Can I still submit work?

Yes, CMR is looking for pieces written by individuals from Southwestern Virginia (current and former) not about Southwestern Virginia. Pieces about Southwestern Virginia are accepted and encouraged, but this is not a requirement.

My writing is more contemporary than traditional in style. Can I still submit work?

Yes, CMR is looking for a variety of styles both contemporary and traditional.

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