Produced and published by Creighton University’s MFA students, Blue River is an online journal of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry written by emerging and established authors. MFA students working on the publication under faculty supervision gain experience that gives them a foothold in the publishing industry. Blue River reaches a broad audience and boasts literary and mainstream appeal. The best way to get a sense of what they publish is by reading the journal online.

Blue River has been published twice a year since 2016. For their last edition, they partnered with music composer Joseph Cline to produce audio recordings of poems from the journal.

Right now, Blue River is accepting submissions through mid-May. Poets may submit three to five poems, ten pages or fewer total. Authors of fiction and creative nonfiction may submit one piece, 4,000 words or fewer. All submissions should include a brief, third-person bio, 200 words or fewer.

Blue River accepts submissions via email, not online or by post. They accept simultaneous submissions but ask that authors immediately withdraw work published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published work. Authors should send only one submission per genre during each reading period.

If you would like to learn more or submit to Blue River, please visit their website here.

Bio: Ella Peary is the pen name for an author, editor, creative writing mentor, and submission consultant who works for Authors Publish. Over the past five years she’s written hundreds of articles for Authors Publish, and she’s also served as a copy writer and copy editor for a wide range of organizations and individuals. You can contact her at ellapeary@gmail.com.