MSU Roadrunner Review

The MSU Roadrunner Review, a well-read journal out of the creative writing program at Metropolitan State University of Denver, invites fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry from emerging and established writers.  We love reading high-level work and having hard choices to make.  Give us your best. 

We will be open for submissions November 1-15, 2025. All submissions will be considered for our eighth issue, which will be published in December 2025.  Multiple submissions are welcome, but writers should only include one piece per submission (aside from poetry, which allows up to three per submission). Please follow all guidelines for consideration.  

Only submit previously unpublished work. Naturally, we do not consider any AI-generated work. 

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GUIDELINES

Submissions should be attached as a double-spaced Word document, Times New Roman, 12-point font, with page numbering on all but the first page. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please use the Submittable tool to withdraw your work immediately if accepted elsewhere. You may include a bio as part of your cover letter (up to 50 words).

FICTION

• 3,200 words maximum.  
• Flash fictions (under 550 words) are welcomed. 
• We consider all fiction genres, publishing short stories with intricate thematic and character development built upon a strong narrative spine.  We appreciate pieces that challenge rather than panders to readers. 

CREATIVE NONFICTION

• 3,200 words maximum.  
• Flash personal essays (under 550 words) are welcomed. 
• We look for strong personal essays and will consider all types of CNF; excite us with pieces that have the potential to challenge readers and keep them thinking long after they’ve left the page. 

POETRY 

• No more than two double-spaced pages per poem.  
• Submit up to three poems per submission.
• We seek compelling, insightful poetry that explores, reveals, or surprises