York Literary Review 2026
The York Literary Review is an anthology of new and inspiring writing, which is created, edited and designed by postgraduate students at York St. John University in collaboration and published by Valley Press. Now returning for its tenth year, the anthology was initially created to champion northern voices, though has now expanded to encompass writers from all walks of life.
We are now looking for any and all forms of fiction or non-fiction relating to this year’s theme of fragments. This can be interpreted and written in any way you see fit, such as fragmented community, identity and trust, but could also be interpreted through a more physical lens, though there should still be a strong connection to fragmentation. We are happy to receive work in any form, subject or genre. More innovative writing is strongly encouraged.
Submissions guidelines
All submissions must be previously unpublished and in English, though translations of poetry may be accepted provided the original text is provided. All submissions must be provided in a single document, either as a word document or PDF, along with a working title, author name and a short bio in the third person, though you may submit under an anonymous pen name if you prefer. We welcome you to include pronouns. Your submissions must not be currently considered for publication anywhere else and must not contain any AI generated content.
Please include disclaimers or trigger warnings for your writing where appropriate. This is purely for the benefit of the editorial team. This will not be included in the published work.
Theme: Fragments
We are calling for submissions to do with the theme of Fragments. This could include, but is not limited to:
- Broken boundaries and borders – North/South divide
- State of mind – memory, psyche and identity
- Physical fragments – broken bones, glass and art
- Fractured relationships – community, trust and estrangement
- Culture – myth, folklore and oral tradition
- Environment – seasons, place and urban/rural
- Experimentation with fractured form
Short stories and scripts
Short stories and scripts should not exceed 2,000 words and must be complete pieces. Please only submit one piece for this category.
Flash fiction
Flash fiction should not exceed 500 words per piece. We will consider up to four pieces of flash fiction.
Creative non-fiction
Creative non-fiction pieces, including memoirs and essays, should not exceed 2,000 words and must be complete pieces. We will consider one piece of non-fiction only.
Poetry
Poetry submissions in any form can be up to 60 lines. Authors can submit up to three poems per submission provided they do not exceed 60 lines in total.
For all categories, only one piece will be accepted from each author, if successful. Please only submit to one category.
Submissions window
Submissions for the 2026 edition of the York Literary Review will be open from 3rd February 2026 (12:00 midday GMT) until the end of 24th February 2026 (23:50 GMT).
Submissions sent outside of this window will not be read.
How to submit
Please send your submissions to yorkliteraryreview26@gmail.com with the subject ‘YLR 2026 Submission – [category, e.g., poetry, title]’.
If you are submitting multiple pieces of work, please include them in one document.
We do not accept any work that condones or glamourises problematic behaviours. We will not publish anything containing hate speech.
Feedback
You will receive an acknowledgement that your work has been submitted; however, we will only contact you directly if your work is shortlisted, given the size of our editorial team. We will notify all applicants of our decision via email. All applicants will receive a response by 24th March 2026.
Fees
There are no entry fees to submit to York Literary Review.
Although we cannot pay contributors, successful applicants will be featured in the printed anthology and receive a pre-release copy.
We look forward to reading your work!