Roanoke Review, a literary journal with a long-standing commitment to contemporary writing, opens its 2026 nonfiction reading period with a call that is as unrestricted as it is exacting. The journal seeks one creative nonfiction piece per contributor, permitting any topic, and sets a maximum length of 5,000 words. There is no submission fee, and simultaneous submissions are accepted, provided the writer withdraws the work promptly upon acceptance elsewhere. The review maintains a clear preference for Word documents and stipulates that all work must be previously unpublished. This is not a contest with a prize or a themed issue; it is a straightforward editorial call for work that will be considered on its own merits. The absence of a fee and the acceptance of simultaneous submissions reflect a practical respect for writers’ time and resources. The journal’s decision to limit each writer to a single piece during the reading period suggests a curatorial focus on quality over quantity, and it places the burden of selection squarely on the strength of the submitted work rather than on volume. The reading period closes on December 2, 2026. Writers should note that the guidelines are minimal but firm: one piece, unpublished, Word format preferred, and withdrawal upon acceptance elsewhere. The journal does not specify a theme, leaving the field open to a wide range of nonfiction approaches—memoir, personal essay, literary reportage, and other forms that fall under the creative nonfiction umbrella. The lack of a stated aesthetic or thematic agenda means that the editorial decision will rest on the execution, voice, and integrity of the writing itself.