The Franklin County Arts Council’s Writers’ Guild is accepting submissions for one-time rights to poetry, short or flash fiction, essays, creative non-fiction, and illustrations or photographs for publication in County Lines: A Literary Journal Vol. 9, 2022. Writers and artists of all ages, worldwide, are encouraged to enter before the deadline of August 15, 2021.
There is no entry or reading fee. To have an item considered for publication, submit each separately via email to CountyLinesLiteraryJournal@gmail.com. Additional guidelines are included below.
Writers, poets, and photographers/artists who have works accepted for publication will receive one complimentary copy of the printed journal.
Submission Guidelines
Email submissions only.
No age or location restrictions.
We do not accept work containing erotica, violence, hate, political editorial, or excessive profanity.
Type your name, address, phone number, word count (line count for poems), and your email address in the upper left-hand corner of the first page of your manuscripts.
Poetry – No more than 30 lines per poem, single spaced and typed in 12-point font. You may submit up to five poems. Each poem must be attached separately to one email.
Prose – No more than 2,000 words per entry. Typed in 12-point font and double spaced. Limited to three entries per author. Each prose entry should be in a separate document attached to your email.
Art – Send copies of art as a jpeg attachment in high resolution. Paintings, drawings, and photographs are acceptable. There is a 5-entry limit per artist.
All journal submissions should be emailed to CountyLinesLiteraryJournal@gmail.com. Entries not adhering to guidelines will not be considered for publication.
The deadline for submissions to County Lines is Sunday, August 15, 2021. The 9th Edition of the journal will be published in late 2021, available for purchase before the holidays.
A Brief History of County Lines
The FCAC Writers’ Guild has published County Lines: A Literary Journal for the past eight years, with the 9th Edition coming out at the end of this year for 2022.
Each journal is a compilation of prose, poetry, and photography/art that provides a variety of local and far-flung works to readers. While many of the entries come from the local area, with the addition of an annual contest with prizes, submissions come in from across the globe.
From submissions collected in 2012, the first edition of County Lines: A Literary Journal was published by the newly formed FCAC Writers’ Guild, led by its Team Leader, Donna Campbell Smith.
When the “call for submissions” for the second edition drew 123 submissions from local writers and artists, the Writers’ Guild knew the publication was hitting the mark and providing writers, poets, photographers, and artists with a path to publication. That year, the first-annual launch party was held to celebrate, with readings of its contents by local poets and authors, with art on display for the public audience in attendance.
In 2015, a contest was added to the journal, which became the annual “Carolina Prize for Writing.” Each year since, the Carolina Prize has collected entries, along with a $10 fee to help fund the FCAC Writers’ Guild, and had entries judged by an independent judge for each category. Winning prose, poetry, and art are published in each year’s journal.
Said Donna Campbell Smith: “Next year we will publish our 10th edition! When we published the first one, my hope was we’d become a respected literary journal and folks whose work is published in it could be proud to add that to their list of credits. I think we have accomplished that goal. We have, over the years, gained attention not only throughout the state, but have had submissions from all over the country, and even internationally with submissions from Canada and Africa.”
The journal is distributed as a paperback via Amazon.com, sold at the FCAC Gallery on the Hill in Louisburg, NC, and available at FCAC local events. Its price is kept low to promote widespread distribution. Editions are available for purchase at www.amazon.com.
The FCAC Writers’ Guild supports and encourages writers of all genres and levels of expertise. The FCAC mission is “to promote and encourage the development and advancement of the arts; to cultivate an appreciation of the arts; and to promote funding and coordination of arts activities county-wide.” See more at fcacarts.org.
