The opportunity for students to be published in Utica University’s annual literary magazine, Ampersand, is here again for the 2023 academic year. Submissions are due by Friday, Feb. 17.

The Ampersand is published every spring semester and contains original art including digital artworks, photography, poetry, short stories and personal essays by students. Students can submit up to 10 pieces to the magazine.

The publication offers a competitive element with the Joseph E. Vogel Awards, where an anonymous judge will choose a first and second place poem and first and second place prose, offering cash prizes for each. First prize winners will be awarded $100 and second place $75.

List of Guidelines: 

• All submissions must be from students, faculty, or staff of Utica University. Students can be recently graduated and still submit to that year’s publication.
• Submissions may be poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, photography, or artwork. If fiction or creative nonfiction, the pieces must be fifteen pages maximum.
• Submission is not a guarantee of acceptance into the literary magazine.
• Submitted works must not contain graphic sexual or violent content.
• Submitted work cannot contain material promoting discrimination or stereotypes of people of various races, ethnicity, religions, genders and/or sexual orientations.

The Ampersand staff will review the submissions and notify submitters via email if their work has been accepted into the publication.

Editors of the magazine use InDesign and collaborate with faculty advisor Gary Leising, distinguished professor of English, to create the magazine.

Once the recent volume is edited, it will be sent to a printer. Once the finished magazine arrives, the Ampersand will be distributed across campus for the community to read and take home.

Toward the end of the spring semester, the editorial staff will hold a launch party with an open mic and an invite for all contributors to read from the newest issue.

Contact [email protected] with questions and submissions by Feb. 17.