About River City ReviewThe River City Review was founded in St. Louis in 1963 and has, over the decades, continued in other river cities, both in America and abroad. ItS location has never been fixed for long, but its orientation has remained consistent: toward the movement of people, language, and ideas.
From its earliest issues, the Review has published a wide range of fiction, essays, and poetry, featuring both emerging writers and more established voices. While many contributors have gone on to notable literary and journalistic careers, the Review has maintained its original intention to find new voices.
The founding editor, Thomas Hale, described the journal’s purpose in simple terms: to provide a place where writing could appear without excessive filtering, where boundaries between genres may disappear. That principle has guided the Review’s editorial approach, even as its form and location have shifted from print to digital formats.
River City Review continues to operate with a preference for independence over consolidation. It resists the concentration of attention in a small number of outlets and remains committed to a broader, more distributed literary culture. In short, we believe that literature is best when it adheres to the Gettysburg principles; of the people, by the people, for the people.
SubmissionsRiver City Review is currently accepting submissions for the Fall 2026 issue.Deadline: July 31, 2026We publish original fiction, essays, and poetry that resist easy classification. We are less interested in polish for its own sake than in work that feels necessary—writing that risks something, that unsettles its own conclusions, that lingers.We do not require formal credentials, prior publication, or affiliation. We are interested in the work itself.We read all submissions, though response times may vary.Guidelines• Fiction and essays: up to 5,000 words
• Poetry: up to 5 poems
• Simultaneous submissions are allowed; please notify us if accepted elsewhere
• Previously unpublished work preferredHow to SubmitPlease send your work as a PDF or Word document to:[email protected]Include a brief note in the body of the email. No biography is necessary.Editorial NoteRiver City Review was founded with the belief that literature, like government, should remain of the people, by the people, and for the people. We are not interested in reputation as a substitute for substance. We do not privilege the known over the unknown.We read accordingly.