Fiction wishlist from Fiction Editor, Daniel DeRock

Dear readers,

As I begin my first submission period as fiction editor for Reservoir Road, I’m eager to read any story that conforms to the Reservoir Road philosophy and submission guidelines. There are very few limits. That said, here are some topics and themes that I would love to see in the fiction queue:

• Stories about painful experiences that we, or our fictional characters, don’t usually feel entitled to complain about. Experiences we convince ourselves don’t constitute real pain, real trauma, because it always could be worse—but that nonetheless nearly break us.

• Stories that deal with neurodivergence and the damage brought on by a world not designed for you. For writers hesitant to share those experiences (even through fiction), it might help to know that I have inattentive ADHD. Personally, I find it too painful to write about. I know there are many writers braver than me. (And our EIC is autistic and has ADHD, too!)

• Stories that play with the boundaries between fiction genres but remain rooted, however loosely, in what we might call the real world. Alternatively, “realism” so raw that it feels like genre fiction.

I’m sure my vision for the fiction section will evolve over time. I can’t wait to see what you submit.

Best,

Daniel DeRock
Fiction editor

Editor’s note: Issue 08

Dear reader,

Thank you for your continued readership. We’ve been enjoying the quarterly release schedule and hope that you have found added anticipation between issues due to the longer lead time.

Please note that this issue deals with heavy topics. Of course, this is the way of Reservoir Road, but these stories face serious issues in a more brutal, direct way than previous issues. Please read with care.

Numbers

In April, the submission period for Issue 08, we increase our poetry cap from 75 to 100 and kept our other submission caps the same. Again, as with Issue 07, we decided to be more fluid with acceptance across submission categories, resulting in half poetry, half prose, meaning another high poetry acceptance rate. We had considered increasing the number of pieces included in the issue, but we found the consistent top 12 to make the most sense for now. Increasing acceptance rates remains a future possibility.

Here are the total submissions by category with acceptance rates.

• Fiction: 150 submissions (150 cap), 0 acceptances; acceptance rate of 0%

• Flash fiction: 137 submissions (150 cap), 2 acceptance; acceptance rate of 1.4%

• Flash creative non-fiction: 80 submissions (150 cap), 4 acceptances; acceptance rate of 5%

• Poetry: 100 submissions (100 cap), 6 acceptances; acceptance rate of 6%

• Photography: 56 submissions (150 cap), 3 acceptances; acceptance rate of 5.4%*

TOTAL ACCEPTANCE RATE: 523 submissions, 15 acceptances; acceptance rate of 2.9%

*Please note: This is calculated based on submission count, not based on the number of photographs per submission.

Insights

We accepted zero longer fiction pieces for this issue. Often, in the longer fiction pieces, we see the same overtones and approaches to typical topics: the saccharine side of grief and loss, the malingering grief underneath relief or retribution. It’s not that death, sadness, and grief don’t each have a place among the stories in Reservoir Road; clearly, they do. We seek stories that take us beneath and beyond these typical expressions that border on tropes—little setup, direct language, brutal honesty.

We also went a different direction with photography. Instead of selecting individual photographs to pair with stories based on mood or general “vibes,” if you will, we chose photographs from just three photographers, opting for larger sets that balance each other: light and dark. We hope you enjoy the mood this sets.

Wish list

Our world has been in and is headed into some darker times. I hope you will take us with you as you explore the burden of daily existence. I would like to see more stories from autistic and disabled people forced to live “normal” lives that stretch them beyond capacity.

We also have our new Fiction Editor, Daniel DeRock, starting with us on Issue 08. I look forward to seeing how he shapes that category and what he finds within your stories. Stay tuned for any wish list items from him as we move forward.

Changes to next reading period

The only changes to the upcoming reading period are that we now have Daniel on the longer fiction category. No other changes to note.

Closing

I hope you enjoy Issue 08. And again, please take care in reading; this issue deals with heavy topics, but heavy topics must be acknowledged if ever we are to address them.

Best,

Adrienne Marie Barrios
Editor-in-chief

Editor’s note: Issue 07

Dear reader,

Thank you for your continued readership, now following us into our second year of existence!

This last issue marks the first with editors driving the vision and acceptances for creative nonfiction and flash fiction, and I very much enjoyed experiencing the leadership of Kavan and Wilson and the continued passion of Dorian. We saw a very competitive submission landscape for both poetry and photography. Overall, I have no doubt this issue will be just as poignant for you as readers as the previous six.

Numbers

In January, the reading period for Issue 07, we kept our caps at the standard limits due to a lack of bandwidth for more. We also decided to even the ratio due to the exceptional quality of poetry across all the submissions, meaning our poetry acceptance rates are higher and our prose, lower.

Here are the total submissions by category with acceptance rates.

• Fiction: 150 submissions (150 cap), 1 acceptance; acceptance rate of 0.7%

• Flash fiction: 150 submissions (150 cap), 1 acceptance; acceptance rate of 0.7%

• Flash creative non-fiction: 91 submissions (150 cap), 4 acceptances; acceptance rate of 4.4%

• Poetry: 75 submissions (75 cap), 6 acceptances; acceptance rate of 8%

• Photography: 87 submissions (150 cap), 11 acceptances; acceptance rate of 12.6%*

TOTAL ACCEPTANCE RATE: 553 submissions, 23 acceptances; acceptance rate of 4.2%

*Please note: This is calculated based on submission count, not based on the number of photographs per submission.

Insights

I think it’s no mistake that all the pieces you’ll read in this issue seem to dance around the same undercurrent of emotions: grief, despair, examining hypothetical and real traumas of ourselves and of others. Many people are looking at the past and at the present and wondering when they might feel some reprieve, and this desire came through all of our submissions. We saw a lot of focus on grief of all different forms. I think we’ll likely continue to see that in coming submission periods.

Wish list

Sometimes, a heavy focus on grief and trauma in the expected sense can lead to overdone plots and trite conveyances of emotion. I’d like to see more unusual takes on these shared emotions that look past the surface of the experience and dig into everything surrounding: You’re grieved, but what does your day look like? How do you continue to do the things you have to do? How does that feeling slip back beneath the surface when something or someone distracts you, and what is it about that person or moment that so captures your attention? Follow that thought. Take us with you.

Changes to next reading period

We don’t have any specific changes coming at this time and are pausing ideas around themed issues.

Closing

I hope you enjoy Issue 07. We were delayed, but it promises to be worth the wait. And the sole longer fiction piece is one of the best stories I’ve ever read.

Best,

Adrienne Marie Barrios
Editor-in-chief

Editor’s note: Issue 06

Dear reader,

Thank you for closing out your year with another issue from Reservoir Road Literary Review. Looking back on this debut year, we’re absolutely humbled and filled with joy from the experiences we’ve had reading and viewing the work of contributors and submitters, interacting with authors and readers on various platforms, and hearing from those of you kind enough to reach out with feedback and praise for the magazine or individual pieces. We’ve already got some new things planned for 2022 and look forward to sharing those plans in another post. We’ll also share the annual 2021 numbers (after we pull them together from all six issues and submission periods) and a 2021 award nomination recap, each in their own separate post.

Numbers

In November, the reading period for Issue 06, we cut our submission caps in half due to a lack of bandwidth.

Here are the total submissions by category with acceptance rates.

• Fiction: 75 submissions (75 cap), 2 acceptances; acceptance rate of 2.6%

• Flash fiction: 75 submissions (75 cap), 3 acceptances; acceptance rate of 4%

• Flash creative non-fiction: 75 submissions (75 cap), 3 acceptances; acceptance rate of 4%

• Poetry: 75 submissions (75 cap), 4 acceptances; acceptance rate of 5.3%

• Photography: 61 submissions (75 cap), 10 acceptances; acceptance rate of 16.3%*

TOTAL ACCEPTANCE RATE: 361 submissions, 22 acceptances; acceptance rate of 6%

*Please note: This is calculated based on submission count, not based on the number of photographs per submission.

Insights

This submission period brought a lot of stories that simply weren’t suited for Reservoir Road: they weren’t on topic, didn’t align to the vision, didn’t dig into difficult topics or the mundanity forced upon us throughout everyday life. Oftentimes, they were simply the wrong category, which is unfortunate. We hope the new year will bring more alignment to the kind of work we seek.

We did receive and accept a number of pieces that deviate from the standard format or flow, which is quite a nice way to end the year. We hope to see more that take risks and experiment in these ways.

Closing

I hope you enjoy Issue 06. As I said last issue, all issues are close to my heart. This one holds a special spot because it is our last issue of our first year, and what a year it has been. I look forward to many more.

Best,

Adrienne Marie Barrios
Editor-in-chief

Editor’s note: Issue 05

Dear reader,

Thank you for your continued readership. We’ve enjoyed the the slight shift in content in September submissions and incorporating poetry into our regular mix. It’s been a joy for me to work with Dorian, our poetry editor, who sees the vision of the magazine so clearly. As we near the submission period for our final issue of our first year, we may or may not do something a little bit different, so stay tuned!

Numbers

In September, the reading period for Issue 05, we kept our caps at the standard limits due to a lack of bandwidth for more.

Here are the total submissions by category with acceptance rates.

• Fiction: 150 submissions (150 cap), 1 acceptance; acceptance rate of 0.7%

• Flash fiction: 150 submissions (150 cap), 4 acceptances; acceptance rate of 2.7%

• Flash creative non-fiction: 60 submissions (150 cap), 3 acceptances; acceptance rate of 5%

• Poetry: 75 submissions (75 cap), 4 acceptances; acceptance rate of 5.3%

• Photography: 66 submissions (150 cap), 7 acceptances; acceptance rate of 10.6%*

TOTAL ACCEPTANCE RATE: 501 submissions, 19 acceptances; acceptance rate of 3.8%

*Please note: This is calculated based on submission count, not based on the number of photographs per submission.

Insights

This submission period brought more pieces aligned to the voice and topics we hope to publish. We saw a lot of familiar themes—death, terminal illness, grief, pain, violence—but with vulnerability, honesty, and bravery that make the topics new again: the way Barlow Adams dives into the complex layers of chronic and terminal illness while providing support for others experiencing the same things, the way Cathy Ulrich looks at murder and difficult family relationships from a POV that almost brings you into the mind of the killer himself, the way Robert Hamilton weaves in violent imagery such that it doesn’t shock but rather enhances, the way Wilson Koewing offers subtle hope at the edge of complacency. We also saw an uptick in images that really aligned to the magazine’s aesthetic: vast, open images with vibrant colors or some sense of something eerie. This issue is a masterclass in what we hope to publish.

Wish list

Although, this is from last issue’s editor’s note, this is still true. I want more mundanity. There’s a calm frankness to be explored in many of the difficult situations life brings to us. Not everything must be significant; not everything requires deeper meaning and explanation. Some things just are, and sometimes the weight of that realization is enough to break someone.

Changes to next reading period

We don’t have any specific changes coming, but we may have a theme for the final issue of this first year. To be determined (by the time subs open on November 1).

Closing

I hope you enjoy Issue 05. Although all issues are close to my heart, this one tackles some significantly difficult issues in a way that pulls me in each time I read each piece, leaving no room to stay separate or shield myself from the intensity of the experiences portrayed by our authors. I hope it floors you the way it has floored me.

Best,

Adrienne Marie Barrios
Editor-in-chief

Editor’s note: Issue 04

Dear reader,

Thank you for following our journey in this first year of publication! We’ve seen immense growth already, both in the number of submissions and in readership. Starting with this issue, Issue 04, I’ll release some insights and numbers from the corresponding submission period. I hope you find them helpful, if you’re a potential submitter, or fascinating if you aren’t!

Numbers

We always have separate categories for fiction, flash fiction, flash creative non-fiction, and photography, and this issue we’ve added poetry.

In July, the reading period for Issue 04, we saw an unprecedented rate of submissions. Some categories hit our standard submission caps within the first two weeks. The fiction category reached its cap within 10 days, so we lifted the cap for the month.

Here are the total submissions by category with acceptance rates.

• Fiction: 300 submissions (300 cap), 2 acceptances; acceptance rate of 0.7%

• Flash fiction: 112 submissions (112 cap), 2 acceptances; acceptance rate of 1.8%

• Flash creative non-fiction: 73 submissions (100 cap), 4 acceptances; acceptance rate of 5.5%

• Poetry: 70 submissions (70 cap), 4 acceptances; acceptance rate of 5.7%

• Photography: 75 submissions (100 cap), 10 acceptances; acceptance rate of 13.3%*

TOTAL ACCEPTANCE RATE: 630 submissions, 22 acceptances; acceptance rate of 3.5%

*Please note: This is calculated based on submission count, not based on the number of photographs per submission.

Insights

This submission period brought consistent themes of illness and death, hospital rooms, exploration during puberty, and difficult family relationships. Though undoubtedly and always difficult, the sentiments often resemble each other from story to story, making none jump off the page. To stand out within these themes, one must have something different to offer, some element or angle that examines these shared experiences in particularly interesting ways: the gruesome, the desperate—you get the idea. Conversely, I also welcome a perspective that sheds light on the mundanity and does not try to make these common experiences profound, but rather morose, expected, resigned. (And, please, remember that while we seek and welcome explicit content that pushes boundaries, we’re not interested in pornographic stories. It’s a fine line, but please try to walk it.)

Wish list

I mentioned mundanity in insights about the common themes, but it bears repeating: There’s a calm frankness to be explored in many of the difficult situations life brings to us. Not everything must be significant; not everything requires deeper meaning and explanation. Some things just are, and sometimes the weight of that realization is enough to break someone.

I would like to read pieces especially from those with chronic illnesses, whether physical or mental, that explore the state of simple existence within such diagnoses, how they navigate daily routine and expectations while balancing the weight of such difficulties—difficulties that have become commonplace and no longer have the dark luster of self-pity. In place of that self-pity, one may find either acceptance or, as mentioned previously, a heavy resignation. I want to explore those realities with them and bring them to readers who might not ever experience such things.

Changes to next reading period

You’ll notice some slight changes to our Submittable page this coming reading period, which begins on September 1 and closes on September 30, or until submission caps are reached—whichever comes first. Here’s what you can expect:

• We’ve added additional language around acceptance timeframes and expected responses. We’ve experienced an unfortunate number of no-response acceptances, even after several attempts to contact authors or photographers. We must hear from you after an acceptance. Otherwise, we must decline the piece and find a replacement. Because of our publishing schedule, we review all submissions by the end of the first week of the following month. For example, for the July reading period, which ended July 30, we read all pieces by around August 7. It’s a quick turnaround time, so please make sure you have your Submittable notifications properly configured.

• We’ve made the submissions caps visible for two reasons:

  • We want you to know how much space is left in a category if you plan to submit but aren’t sure how much time you have to polish your submission.

  • We want you to be aware that we have submission caps. We hope that displaying them will help people remember that when a category is no longer visible, it’s because it reached its submission cap.

• We’re offering optional paid feedback for prose. Please do not submit poetry or photography to the paid feedback category. As stated on Submittable, by submitting to the paid feedback category, you are paying me directly, a professional editor by trade separate from Reservoir Road Literary Review. All paid feedback submissions are still considered for publication, but paying for feedback does not guarantee publication. We have limited paid submissions slots and consider this an experiment for this reading period. We welcome your thoughts, questions, and feedback as we assess whether or not to continue offering this option. Please visit the Submittable page on September 1 for more details.

Closing

I hope you enjoy Issue 04. We continue to see increasingly staggering works of art, in both writing and photography, and continue to look forward to future issues. As we look to our second year, we’re beginning to plan new and different things for Reservoir Road. I hope you’ll continue along that journey with us.

Best,

Adrienne Marie Barrios
Editor-in-chief