Submissions
Submission Guidelines
The Talon showcases literary and visual art from Northeastern State University. Submissions are open to current undergraduate and graduate students (including international students) from all NSU campuses, concurrent students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
Fiction:
We accept either one story up to 5,000 words or up to 5 pieces of flash fiction (up
to 1000 words each). We accept work in any genre.
Non-Fiction:
We accept non-fiction—creative non-fiction such as personal or travel narratives or
critical work. We accept either one work up to 5,000 words or up to 5 pieces of flash
non-fiction (up to 1000 words each).
Poetry:
We accept up to 5 poems per submission with a combined word count no higher than 3000
words. We welcome all forms.
Visual Art:
Art can be greyscale or full color. Up to 3 images total can be submitted. All images
should be submitted in PNG or PDF format. Please send highest quality image possible
and include title, year, name, and medium.
Non-Traditional Forms:
We are open to and try to accommodate non-traditional forms including graphic storytelling,
mixed genre work, or experimental work. Visual art submission guidelines apply to
graphic work.
Submitting Work:
Please use the link at the bottom of this page for all writing and art submissions.
Alumni or others without an NSU email address can submit their work to thetalon@nsuok.edu. Any writing questions can be sent to thetalon@nsuok.edu and any art questions to talonart@nsuok.edu. Please include the type of submissions in the subject line of the email (Ex: “Fiction
and Poetry Submissions”). Please submit only previously unpublished work.
All text documents should be submitted as a Word (.doc, .docx) file.
Each piece should be submitted as a separate file.
Please include a content warning if you feel your work necessitates it.
All pieces must include a title and a 50-word bio in 3rd person. You might tell us what you study (or studied!), where you're from, what you read or write, the names of your pets, etc. Include social media info if you'd like to promote anything!
You can submit to as many genres--fiction, poetry, non-fiction, non-traditional, and visual art--as you like. However, you're only allowed to submit once per genre.
Works submitted that don't follow the guidelines will not be considered. Staff may contact submitters to clarify aspects of their work or suggest revisions. Work generated by AI is grounds for immediate rejection.
The Talon seeks to promote writers whose voices have been historically underrepresented, including LGBTQ+ writers, female writers, writers of color, and disabled writers among others.
We happily accept works in other languages, provided a translation is included.
Submissions are open!
Northeastern Oklahoma High School Special Theme: FEAR
We’d like to see work from Northeast Oklahoman high school students that deals, in some way, with the concept of “fear.” You can interpret the theme as literally or figuratively as you like, though we’ll need to find some link to your work and the concept.
What can you say about fear? Here are some sorts of things we might be looking for:
-Everyday fear—Fear of the unknown; fear of change; fear of social alienation.
-How we deal with fear—processing fear, overcoming fear, fear as motivation, creating fear.
-Anything related to the horror genre--monsters, aliens, paranormal/ghosts, folkloric horror, analog horror, etc.
-The uncanny and liminal spaces--twilight, the moment before sleep, strange places.
-Horror poetry (like Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”) or poetry dealing with terrifying situations (Wilfred Owen's "Dulce Et Decorum Est.").
-All things Halloween!
We are very open to interpretation—what is fear to you? We look forward to your work!
Submissions are open!