Bryant Literary Review: Bryant Literary Review — Nonfiction
Overview
Founded by Rhode Island poet laureate emeritus Tom Chandler and published since 2000 under the Department of History, Literature, and the Arts at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, Bryant Literary Review occupies a distinct position among American literary journals: it is an academic institution's public-facing organ, one whose stated mission is to cultivate an active and growing connection between its campus community and the global literary community. The journal publishes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, and its archive, maintained through the university's digital commons, reflects a deliberate balance of established authors and emerging voices rather than a house style or generational allegiance. For nonfiction writers, the terms are unambiguous. One submission per author: a single creative nonfiction piece of approximately 5,000 words or fewer. Previously published work is not considered. A $5 reading fee accompanies each submission. Copyright reverts to the author upon publication, a meaningful provision for writers who intend to anthologize or reprint their work. The journal does not attach a prize or contest apparatus to this call; it is a general reading period, which situates the submission within the ordinary rhythms of literary magazine publishing rather than the competitive economy of awards. The curatorial vision here is institutional and connective rather than thematic. Bryant Literary Review does not solicit work around a stated subject or issue; it reads for creative nonfiction that can stand alongside poetry and fiction within a single volume and speak to readers both inside and outside the university. The journal's longevity, twenty-five years of continuous publication, and its founding by a state poet laureate suggest an editorial temperament that values craft and durability over trend. Writers should approach the submission as they would any serious journal: with the understanding that the work will be read in the context of a broad, international, and institutionally anchored literary conversation.