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, as well as concurrent students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

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 Please submit only previously unpublished work.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!

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. The Talon believes that creativity is a wonderfully human pursuit. Any work suspected of being generated by AI is grounds for immediate rejection.

The Talon seeks to include 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.

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.

Fiction:
We accept either one story of up to 3,000 words or up to 3 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 of up to 3,000 words or up to 3 pieces of flash non-fiction (up to 1000 words each).

Poetry:
We accept up to 3 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 pieces 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.

Though writers and artists for general submissions (aka, not high schoolers) don’t need to follow the theme, we welcome work that does speak to it. Open to all (not encouraged). See the issue theme for high schoolers below.

Submissions Are Open!

Deadline: Friday, October 3rd

Submission Form

Northeastern Oklahoma High School Special Theme: LEGACY

The Talon is celebrating its tenth issue. Our theme this issue speaks to that landmark, but we want the high school students of Northeastern Oklahoma to take the concept of ‘Legacy’ and run with it. Interpret it loosely or strictly. Start writing and see what happens.