General Submissions are now closed.
We accept submissions for previously unpublished fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and hybrid texts. If your work is accepted, we will ask you for a high quality photo portrait and/or an original artwork to attach to your work. Do not send this to us upon submission.
Send your most polished work to theromereviewlit@gmail.com with a 250-words-long, third-person bio. We will only accept submissions in a .docx file, titled as “GENRE_TITLE_LAST NAME”. Please also write “GENRE_TITLE_LAST NAME“ in the subject of your email. Also, include your social media links, handles and whatnot. This prevents us from searching for you online and possibly tagging the wrong person on Instagram.
We do accept translations, in English, in all categories. Be sure to secure the rights before submitting to us. Include the original work in the submission.
Writers from underrepresented backgrounds are strongly encouraged to submit.
AI-generated works are strictly forbidden.
We are not (yet) a paying market.
FICTION/CREATIVE NONFICTION: one to five thousand words. We are above genre, so feel free to amaze. Novel excerpts are accepted. Please include “TITLE_WORD COUNT_GENRE” in the header of your .docx file. Times new roman, 12 point font size, double spaced is preferable.
POETRY: up to 6 poems of whatever length and style.
HYBRID: Anything that dares to err so far from the boundaries of narrative that even the term experimental becomes meaningless. Please include “TITLE_WORD COUNT_GENRE” in the header of your .docx file.
Writers Writing in Another First Language. An Exophonies Zine
International Call for Authors to be Featured in The Rome Review’s First Zine
Duration of the Call: 20th June – 1st September 2025
Introduction
The Rome Review was born out of the necessity of its team to share creative writing through a non-native language with the biggest number of people possible.
A literary journal couldn’t meet its full potential in a language that was limited to one single country, but couldn’t even be something squashed by an hegemonic weight. However, English represented an open door on connection and exchange. Hence the English language as a bridge, a first meeting point for a multicultural community of people who express themselves in a non-native language.
Writers Writing in Another First Language. An Exophonies Zine stems from Exophonies, a permanent lab for multilingual writing and art, to build a hub for writers writing in a non-native language. In this case, English.
However, English is not to be intended as the only possible meeting point. It’s an entrance in a multicultural room in which other doors can be open. Exophonies wants to open them all in the future.
Themes
Writers Writing in Another First Language is a zine that stems from the desire of investigating the exophonic experience. That is the word Japanese writer Yoko Tawada uses to describe the act or choice of writing creatively in a non native language. In her case, German.
The Rome Review calls for authors whose native language is not English to share their best writings in said language in the genres of fiction, poetry and autofiction (more info in Submission Guidelines section). The selected writings will be included in the first open access digital zine of The Rome Review.
The theme of Writers Writing in Another First Language is simply in the title. Within the aforementioned genres, we seek works and authors that explore the following conditions:
Writing across two or more languages
Expressing oneself in a non-native language while living across more than one
Struggling to find or finding new freedom in writing in a non-native language
We seek bold, vulnerable and honest explorations of multilingualism, living across cultures, belonging and estrangement.
Submission Guidelines
Send your crafts to: theromereviewlit@gmail.com
Submission must be in English, and English must be your second or third language. We will not consider submissions from people whose first language is English;
Please include “TITLE_WORD COUNT_GENRE” in the header of your .docx file. Times new roman 12, double spaced;
In the same file, add a short bio of 3 to 6 lines. In your bio, briefly tell us about you, your work, your native language and the cultures across which you live;
Novel excerpts are not accepted. AI-generated content is not accepted.
Unpublished submissions only.
We seek authors writing in the following genres:
FICTION
800-2500 words.
In this category, please send us your best piece of fiction. Your submission must be written in English. English must be your second or third language;
The theme of your story can be related to exophony, multilingualism and multiculturalism, but we will also accept fiction revolving around other themes.
AUTOFICTION
800-2000 words.
In this category, please send us your best piece of autofiction. Autofiction is to be intended as creative nonfiction that explores the personal experience of the author(s);
The theme of your piece of autofiction must be related to exophony, multilingualism and multiculturalism. Pieces of autofiction revolving around other themes will not be accepted.
POEMS
Up to 5 poems, 30 lines each max.
In this category, please send us your best poetry;
The theme of your poem(s) can be related to exophony, multilingualism and multiculturalism, but we will also accept fiction revolving around other themes.