Freshwater Literary Journal

The Freshwater Literary Journal is a professional literary journal coordinated by students at Asnuntuck since 2000. We seek submissions from the public and publish a wide variety of literary work from students and professional writers worldwide. We consider poetry, short stories, personal essays, and creative nonfiction.

Dates and Deadlines

Submission Period: August 15, 2026, to February 15, 2027. Acceptances and rejections will be sent on a rolling basis, no later than the end of March 2027. The new edition will be published in May 2027.

Submission Guidelines

Freshwater accepts poetry, short stories, personal essays and creative nonfiction submissions. We seek to publish a wide variety of literary works from people of all backgrounds. We look for new experimental takes on old mediums as well as more traditional approaches.

Poetry

Three poems maximum, up to 40 lines each.

Prose

Fiction or nonfiction
One or multiple pieces up to 1,500 words total.

Submissions should be sent to as_freshwater@ctstate.edu. (No snail-mail submissions, please.)

To submit, email your entire submission as one attachment, including your name.

No cover letter needed, but send a third-person bio (100 words maximum) with mailing address in the body of the e-mail.

No previously published material. Simultaneous submissions permissible if you notify us immediately of acceptance elsewhere. Payment is one contributor copy. Absolutely no AI-generated material.

Contact John Sheirer for details: John.sheirer@ctstate.edu.