Welcome to Greyrock Review

Greyrock Review is Colorado State University’s undergraduate literary journal, created and published by a group of undergraduate students during a year-long internship. The content of Greyrock Review comes from submissions from CSU’s students of all majors who seek to show off their talents and become published writers and artists. The goal is to support and promote the literary arts, while learning the intricacies of printing, promoting, and publishing a high-quality literary journal.

We are eager to see works that explore the unique way that individuals experience the world. Whether it's about culture, nature, harmonies, emotions, dreams, the supernatural, horror, or anything else that inspires you, we want to see your fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art in this year's Greyrock Review.

Our name

The Greyrock trail is one of the most famous hikes in Northern Colorado, located some 30 minutes outside CSU's hometown of Fort Collins. From 1979 to 2001, CSU's undergraduate literary journal, Greyrock Review, took its name from this landmark. In 2002 it was renamed A, and in 2012 it was renamed Garden Level. The 2013 team's choice to renew the Greyrock name takes it back into the wilderness, but not so far as to lose sight of home. The hope is to reestablish Greyrock Review as a premier undergraduate literary journal, building on the foundation laid by each previous edition and every edition to come. The journal features outstanding creative undergraduate works of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art.

Submissions

Every fall semester marks a new period of submissions to Greyrock review. Beginning in September, the Greyrock team will accept undergraduate work from all majors in the categories of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art.

Poise your pen, queue your word processor, focus your camera, or clear your throat. We are ready to read the stories of CSU students in whatever form they may come. Voice your experience in a whisper or a shout. Show us the world as viewed from space or from the window of your childhood home. Identify yourself as a friend or stranger, adult or not-so-adult, dreamer or observer. Craft the story of your diverse experience with words, negative space, truth, metaphor, pixels, rhymes, magic, heart, or all of the above.

These are only a few possibilities for what pieces will cross our desk. Submitted work, whether prompted or unprompted by the above, will be evaluated by our editorial staff for content, creativity, and quality. Send us something to remember.

Thank you to all of our contributors. Your submissions are our foundation, and we look forward to finding the pieces that will comprise an issue of Greyrock Review we can all be proud of.

Submissions of original work are accepted from September to December. Scroll down this page for technical guidelines and the submission link.

Submission guidelines

Why should you submit your work to us?

Creativity and inspiration can be found in every aspect of our lives, and sometimes it finds its way to the page. We are looking to showcase the creative work written by our very own undergraduate CSU students, regardless of their previous artistic experience, current major, or aspirations.

When can you submit your work to us?

Submissions open on September 10^th and close on December 1^st. We know that life can get busy, but we will not accept any work after December 1^st at midnight—so try to submit sooner rather than later!

How do you submit your work to us?

We use Submittable (see the link below). To remain unbiased in our selection process, we require you to provide a cover letter with your selected works. Please include:

your full name
e-mail address
submission title
genre
total word count

Identifying information should only appear in the Submittable cover letter and should not appear anywhere in the title or content of your submission. Please note, you must be a current CSU undergraduate student to submit. For more details on how to submit a piece in a particular genre, see below.

*Simultaneous submissions are accepted but please notify us immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere. We do not accept previously published work.

Guidelines by genre

Each genre has different rules to follow. Please see below for more details.

Fiction Submissions

We consider all forms of short fiction, including flash or excerpts from longer works so long as they stand on their own. Be fearless and view your fiction writing as a way to get at the truths of the human experience. You are welcome to submit up to three pieces of fiction, each submitted separately.

Submission requirements include:

250 to 3,500 words
Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx format)
Double-spaced
12-point font (Times New Roman preferred)

Poetry Submissions

We welcome poems of any length and style. You may submit a maximum of five (5) poems, totaling no more than fifteen (15) pages. Line length should not exceed 60 characters, including spaces and punctuation (otherwise lines may be broken to accommodate layout).

All poems must be uploaded in a single document and each poem should begin on a separate page.

Note: formatting on an MS Word file may be altered by upload; if the format is important to you, please upload your poem(s) as a PDF file.

Nonfiction Submissions

We consider all forms of creative nonfiction, from flash to literary journalism to lyric essay. All pieces should either be grounded in truth or make it clear to the reader when the piece departs from the truth. Any piece of creative nonfiction must stand on its own, and you are welcome to submit up to three pieces, each submitted separately.

Submission requirements include:

250 to 3,500 words
Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx format)
Double-spaced
12-point font (Times New Roman preferred)

Cover Art Submissions

We welcome visual art of all categories. You may submit a maximum of five (5) pieces of your best work for consideration—multiple images of a singular piece are allowed for three-dimensional artworks. Please upload your visual work as a PDF or high-resolution JPEG file, 300 dpi minimum. We are not accepting any hard copies.

If you would like any sculptural pieces or large paintings/drawings to be considered, we require that you photograph the work yourself and then submit that image.

Submit your work now with Submittable

The Greyrock Review uses Submittable to receive, review, and accept work for publication. Submittable is a cloud-based online platform that is secure and simple to use. All art, fiction, poetry, and nonfiction must be submitted through Submittable. All original works will be considered for publication. Work may be accepted, declined, or resubmitted with suggested revisions from the editors. All majors are encouraged to submit.

Questions regarding submissions can be sent to editor.csu@gmail.com.

SUBMIT YOUR WORK NOW

Read Greyrock Review

2024

This project was made possible in part through a grant from the Lilla B. Morgan Memorial Endowment, which works to enhance the cultural development and atmosphere for the arts at Colorado State University. This fund benefits from the generous support of all those who love the arts. https://president.colostate.edu/lilla-b-morgan-endowment/

Cover art by Peyton Farnum
Cover design by Eden Hanson
Logo design by Renee Haptonstall

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
in any form or by any means, without prior written consent from the authors.

Greyrock Review
Department of English
Colorado State University
359 Eddy Hall
Fort Collins, CO 80523
english.colostate.edu/greyrock/

Printed in the United States.

Read Greyrock Review - 2024

Purchase Greyrock Review - 2024

Managing Editor Cana Peirce

Fiction Editors Anna Jewett and Mikayla Crotchett

Poetry Editors Ryan Quinette and Alexa Holmes

Creative Nonfiction Editors Samantha Bilodeau and Dominica Steele

Typesetter Mandy Gonzales

Chief Copyeditor Tabitha Bryant

Promotion and Publicity Manager Cole Zimmerman

Graduate Advisor Abi Nelson

Faculty Advisor Stephanie G’Schwind

Sponsors Lilla B. Morgan
Memorial Endowment
CSU English Department

Greyrock Review Internships

Overview

Students participating in the Greyrock Review internship (E487B) will receive 1 credit per semester for 40 hours of work. Interns meet with the Graduate Student Advisor every week for an hour, and they complete assignments outside of the scheduled meetings. Students can register for E487B for 1 credit per semester for up to 4 semesters.

During this yearlong internship, students learn the intricacies of publishing, promoting, and printing a literary journal. As a staff intern, you will be expected to attend weekly staff meetings, where you will discuss advertising, promoting submissions, reading poetry, fiction and nonfiction submissions, copy editing, writing acceptance and rejection notices, and whatever else may come across the Greyrock Review desk.

Backgrounds in editing and/or creative writing are preferable, though not necessary. Students are asked to commit to working on the journal for the entire academic year so that they are able to see the journal to completion.

Time Involvement With E487B

Students meet every week, reading and deciding on submissions before winter break. Interns will begin copyediting near the end of the break. The graphic designers and the editor spend more time working on the journal during the spring semester.

The fall semester is a lot slower than the spring semester. In the fall, students meet for one hour each week. In the spring, students will meet for an hour twice weekly. The staff will work to find a time during which everyone can meet.

Internship editorial roles

Managing Editor

Duties include overseeing all editorial staff, communicating with contributors, working with BookMobile to coordinate the production timeline and costs, and serving as final proofreader before sending the journal to print.

Poetry Editors

Poetry editors will create submission guidelines, read all poetry submissions and decide which poems will appear in the journal. In the spring editors will copyedit selected poems as well as proofread pieces from their section and fiction/nonfiction.

Nonfiction Editors

Nonfiction editors will create submission guidelines, read all nonfiction submissions and decide which pieces will appear in the journal. In the spring editors will copyedit selected pieces as well as proofread in poetry/fiction.

Fiction Editors

Fiction editors will create submission guidelines, read all fiction submissions and decide which stories will appear in the journal. In the spring editors will copyedit selected pieces as well as proofread in poetry/nonfiction.

Visual Arts Editor

The visual arts editor will create submission guidelines, review all submissions and decide which pieces to include in the issue. The editor will also work with the artists and graphic designer on formatting.

Typesetter

The typesetter will insert all text into the InDesign layout, paying close attention to proper and uniform formatting, and perform corrections as dictated by the managing editor and section editors.

Graphic Designer

The graphic designer will be responsible for designing the cover and creating the master layout for the journal (decisions include typeface, trim size, margins, running head, placement of logo and page numbers etc.). Knowledge of InDesign necessary or a willingness to learn in your own time.

Promotions and Fundraising

The person with this position will manage the Greyrock Review Facebook page, organize fundraising events and classroom visits, create posters and flyers to promote the submission period as well as Greyrock Review events, and plan the release party.

Internship application

To Apply

If you are interested in participating, please e-mail Stephanie G'Schwind to determine your eligibility for this internship. Instructions for registration will be emailed once the override is complete.

In your email, include:

Full name
CSU ID
Year in college - junior or senior

Credit Information

E384A, E487A and E487B, and E495 cannot fulfill requirements listed in Column A of the check sheets. Undergraduates may count a total of only four E487A and/or E487B internship credits toward graduation. However, only 3 credits of E487A will satisfy graduation credits. These credits will count as free electives, not as replacements for other English courses.

Students taking E487C and/or E487D may be able to count up to 7 credits of internship toward graduation. E487C or E487D can satisfy 3 upper-division English elective credits in Column A. All students should consult their advisors regarding verification of the number of credits they may count toward graduation.

Positions

Faculty and Graduate Student Advisors will assign positions early in the Fall Semester.

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