Author Guidelines

Submissions are now open for the thirteenth issue of The Digital Literature Review, "Space Exploration: Examining How Physical and Theoretical Spaces Shape Us." This year, we are looking for writing that examines spatiality: how space (the spaces we inhabit or our ideas about space) is represented and how it influences individuals, society, and the narratives we create. Recent scholarship in literary studies (Bachelard, Bhaba, De Certeau) registers an increased awareness of the value of space as an interpretive lens. Submissions can include, but are not limited to, the topics listed below:

• How our identity is linked to space (belonging, code switching)
• Representations of space in media and literature and the impact on setting character, or genre
• Liminal, hybrid, and thresholds as critical frameworks (the backrooms in video games, the "in-between," abandoned places)
• Sacred spaces
• Ecocrticism
• Mapping and literary cartographies
• Narratives of diaspora, exile, and borderland narratives
• Segregation, gentrification, cultural spaces
• Speculative Spaces (utopias and dystopias)

Essays must be anchored in a work of literature, cinema, or other artistic media and relate to the journal's theme of spatiality. They must also be supported by scholarly research. We encourage submitters to explore the many nuances of spatiality studies withing their essays.

All essays must be submitted as a Word document. Submissions should be between 2,500 and 5,000 words and adhere to MLA citation and formatting guidelines with double-spacing and 12 pt. Times New Roman font. Please direct any questions to dlrat@gmail.com. All journal submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. Monday January 26th.

Essay Submission Guidelines

• Paper submissions should be saved as a Microsoft Word document.
• Papers should be in MLA style format.
• Papers should be between 2,500 and 5,000 words (or 10-20 double-spaced pages).
• Submissions are to be well researched and must contribute to ongoing scholarly conversations.
• All submissions will be blindly reviewed, so please do not put your name on your essay.
• Submissions will close on January 26th, 2026.

Blog Submission Guidelines

• Posts should address the theme of “Space Exploration"
• Possible blog submissions may include high-resolution JPEG original photography (digital original prints), drawings, paintings, and digital art. We are also seeking poems or other short creative works, personal stories and testimonies, and TV, film, or music reviews (up to 5 separate pieces). Written pieces should be under 1500 words and submitted as a Word document. 
• Please include a biographical statement (3-5 sentences) and a rationale (4-5 sentences) with your submission.
• Please send all blog submissions via email to dlrat@gmail.com with “Blog Submission” as the subject.
• Submissions will be accepted and posted here on a rolling basis.

What happens next?

• The editing team will review your work.
• If accepted, you will have a chance to revise your piece and return it to the Digital Literature Review at dlrat@gmail.com. Along with this, you will need to include an abstract and a short bio about yourself.