The Tusculum Review

Prose fiction under 7,000 words. The journal seeks lush, immersive, urgent stories led by characters in immediate danger, with rich cultural milieus, palpable settings, dialogue, and people; all styles and genres are welcome. Reading is year round; work received after September 1 is considered for the following year's volume.

Essays and straight memoir, including work that falls between those forms; formal variety and intertextual gestures are welcome. Prose submissions must be under 7,000 words. Reading is year round; work received after September 1 is considered for the following year's volume.

One-act plays with running times of 10 to 30 minutes, up to 30 pages; the journal favors character-centered comedies and dramas suitable for small casts and low-budget black-box production. Reading is year round; work received after September 1 is considered for the following year's volume.

Original translations into English are accepted. Reading is year round; work received after September 1 is considered for the following year's volume.

Poetry of five pages or less; the journal welcomes traditional, surreal, experimental, and all other schools or traditions, with attention to rhythm, imagery, narrative, and form. Reading is year round; work received after September 1 is considered for the following year's volume.

The 2026 annual chapbook contest is a poetry prize, judged by Nate Marshall, and closes June 15, 2026. The winning poem cycle will be published as a chapbook and in the journal issue.