Common Ground Review is a free access on-line magazine as of Fall 2020.
We do not charge to read general submissions for the magazine. Please send us your as-yet-unpublished original work. For poetry, 3 poems (to give us a sampling) is ideal, but we will read one poem, if that's what you send, or up to five. For fiction and creative non-fiction, we are happy to read up to twelve pages for each entry, whether that is several flash-fiction pieces or one longer one.
We do have a $15 fee for entering the poetry contest (see Spring/Summer). We are happy to accept simultaneous submissions as long as you let us know when a poem has been accepted elsewhere. We will rejoice with you.
We are a member of CLMP.
Fall/Winter
We are open for all submissions from September 1 to May 1.
Spring/Summer
Our Poetry Contest offers a $500 first prize, $200 second prize, and $100 third prize, in addition to publication. We also publish Honorable Mentions. The Poetry Contest has a different guest judge each year, and a deadline: entries for the contest must be postmarked or emailed by April 15th. Simultaneous submissions are accepted on condition that we be told immediately if those poems have been accepted elsewhere. Poems can not have been published elsewhere and must be your own original work.
Each contest entry can have up to 3 poems, of no more than 60 lines each, and poets can submit more than one entry as long as they also pay the fee for each entry. The fees pay for the contest.
See our website at: http://cgreview.org
Sample Copies and Ordering
If you are interested in ordering copies of our earlier print issues, these cost $6 per copy (includes the cost of mailing.)
Please send a check made out to Western New England University to
Janet Bowdan, H-5132
Common Ground Review
Western New England University
1215 Wilbraham Rd.
Springfield, MA 01119
Please submit 3-5 poems in a single document. Poems should be single-spaced, and no more than 60 lines each.
Of course, these poems should not have been previously published or created by AI. You are welcome to submit them elsewhere while waiting to hear from us; just let us know if they are accepted, and we will rejoice with you.
Please include a brief bio (50-75 words).
Creative Non-Fiction submissions should be no more than 12 pages, double-spaced. While we are equally intrigued by memoir, travel writing, literary journalism, and lyrical essays, we are, above all, looking for well organized, thoughtful and imaginative discussions. And of course, these should not have been published elsewhere or created by AI.
In the document, please include a brief bio (50-75 words or so).
Short stories should be a maximum of 12 pages, double-spaced. While we love reading well-written genre fiction in our daily lives, our aim for the magazine is to spotlight more innovative and thoughtful stories that could be categorized as literary. As CGR is primarily a poetry magazine, we are particularly interested in stories that are attentive to and careful about the use of language. We are not interested in AI-generated work, and we do not accept previously published stories, though you are welcome to submit them simultaneously elsewhere. Just let us know if they have been accepted, and we will rejoice with you.
In your document, please include a brief bio (50-75 words or so).