Island Writer Submission Guidelines

Please read carefully as the Submission Guidelines have changed for 2026. Only submissions from members are eligible for consideration. 

The submission window is open Jan 15-Feb 15, 2026.

Please allow 5-7 business days for receipt of your submission to be acknowledged. 

Categories:

  • Cover Art
  • Poetry
  • Long Fiction
  • Long creative nonfiction
  • Flash fiction and nonfiction
  • Book Reviews

Submission Guidelines:

  • Cover Art Photograph. Subject matter must relate to Vancouver Island and its surrounding islands. If photograph is of artwork, it must be the submitter’s own artwork.
  • Poetry: maximum 100 lines.  Poets should submit their work in both PDF and Word format.
  • Fiction: maximum 5,000 words (Chapters from novels accepted if they can stand-alone)
  • Flash Fiction/Nonfiction: maximum 500 words.
  • Creative Nonfiction: maximum 2,500 words
  • Book Reviews: Maximum 500 words. Reviews must be of a new or current publication by a member of the Victoria Writers’ Society. Reviews cannot be done by the author of the publication.

Editorial Guidelines:

  • Editorial Policy: We welcome submissions for the magazine from both established and emerging writers currently living on Vancouver Island and its surrounding islands. Only submissions from members are eligible for consideration. 
  • Authors are requested to use inclusive language that respects diversity. No racism, hate terrorism or sexism will be tolerated. 
  • Poetry layout is dependent on available page space. Generally, 25 lines fit comfortably on one page.
  • Selection is “blind,” and each submission stands on its own merit. Content editors do not know who has submitted particular pieces of writing. For this reason details such as the writer’s name should not be present anywhere in a submission or in the file name, but will be added after acceptance for publication.
  • Content editors and the editor-in-chief strive to publish pieces that encompass a variety of topics, genres, perspectives and experiences.
  • Authors whose work is selected for publication will be given an opportunity, consistent with publication timelines, to proofread their pieces but will not be able to make substantive edits.
  • All members of the Island Writer team are volunteers.  Please be considerate of their donated time.
  • All interactions between and among Island Writer team members and authors must be respectful.
  • Content editors look for literary and poetic elements such as:
    • demonstration of the art of storytelling
    • character development, accounts of personal change or unique understanding of the human condition;
    • a variety of plots, settings and themes;
    • vivid imagery, keen observation, lyrical or emotive language;
    • use of convention in grammar, spelling, punctuation and syntax following the Canadian Press Stylebook unless there is a literary rationale for deviation.

We do not accept stories written by AI tools such as Chat GPT. You are perfectly capable of telling a great story or writing a wonderful poem!

How to Submit:

  • The selections are made blindly – that is, without author identification. Please remove your name from your submission.
  • MS Word document. Times New Roman, 12 point font, double spaced.
  • Except for the opening line, use tabs, not space bar to indent paragraphs and leave no spaces between paragraphs when submitting fiction, creative nonfiction and flash fiction.
  • Before submitting, please check spelling and grammar. It is strongly advised to seek an independent review of your work before submitting.
  • Please, no more than one submission at a time. You are welcome to enter one piece in each category, but they must be submitted separately, following the appropriate guidelines.
  • Send to the Editor-in-Chief, Valerie White, at editor@victoriawriters.ca who will forward the pieces to the appropriate content editor. In the subject line put:

“Island Writer – Content” (Content: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, flash fiction/nonfiction, cover art or book review)

  • In your accompanying e-mail, note the title of your piece and the word count. Also add your name, mailing address (for residence verification) and phone number, so we can reach you if something weird happens to your e-mail.
  • Include a brief bio (30-40 words) in the body of your email.

Copyright Information

Authors and photographers retain all copyright after publication.

To become a member of Victoria Writers’ Society, click HERE

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