Our emphasis is on new writing and artwork created by Latter-day Saint women. We encourage contributions from beginners as well as practiced amateurs and professionals.
We are accepting submissions for our essay contest.
We are not yet accepting submission for 2011. Themes for the 2011 issues have not been set yet.
Submission Categories
Personal Essay | Features | Essay Contest
Poetry | Poetry Contest | Artwork
Additional Submission Information
Essay Helps | Style Guidelines | Copyright Policy
Personal Essay
We accept personal essays written by LDS women which correspond to one of our upcoming issue themes, or which address other subjects in harmony with our mission statement. Suggested length for prose submissions is 1000-2500 words (approximately two to five single-spaced pages).
“He Says” Column We also welcome personal essays or narratives by men, especially those related to the featured issue topic. Suggested length is one to three pages (675-2000 words). No need to query, but please send submissions to submitprose@segullah.org, subject line of email should say “He Says.”
Please follow these instructions:
- See style guidelines for instructions on formatting your submission.
- Send your submission in the body of the email, not as an attachment.
- In the email body include your full name, street address, email address, phone number, and your essay’s word count.
- In the email subject line type the name of the issue you’re submitting for, followed by your first and last name. For example: Consecration, Jane Doe.
- Send your submission to submitprose [at] segullah [dot] org. You will receive an automated email response confirming our receipt of your submission.
- Other correspondence for the prose editor may be sent to prose [at] segullah [dot] org.
Submissions accepted for publication will be subject to a revision process. By submitting work to Segullah, contributors implicitly accept the terms of our copyright policy. Submissions not accepted for publication in the journal will be considered for use on blog Segullah. Submissions will not appear on blog Segullah without the author’s permission.
Features
Faces (2-3 pages/ 1350-2000 words). We are interested in hearing what women have to say in an interview format, especially if the interview relates to or the woman is especially qualified to speak to the featured issue topic. Well-known women are excellent candidates for an interview, but we also encourage interviews with any interesting woman. If you know of someone who would be a great interview subject, please query the Features Editor at segullah DOT features AT gmail DOT com
Historical Essay (2-4 pages/ 1350-2850 words). Short historical articles on topics of interest to LDS women are welcomed, especially if they are related to the featured issue topic. References should be used, though overuse is discouraged. Historical articles should be appropriately formal in tone and style. Please use Chicago Manual footnote style in references. Query the Features Editor at segullah DOT features AT gmail DOT com
Theological/doctrinal Essay (2-4 pages/ 1350-2850 words). We are interested in publishing theological or doctrinal expositions if they are related to the featured topic. This type of essay should provide meaningful and unique insights into a particular topic or scripture, possibly connected with personal experiences. While a theological essay should be in line with official LDS doctrine, it should not be a simplistic restatement of that doctrine (ie, a “cut-and-paste” research paper of scriptural and general authority references on a given topic). This type of essay may be more formal in tone than a personal essay, but it does not have to be. Any references should be cited with Chicago Manual footnote style. Query the Features Editor at segullah DOT features AT gmail DOT com
Heather Campbell Essay Contest
We welcome unpublished personal essays as entries for our 2010 contest. Entries may address any subject in harmony with our mission statement. Entries should not exceed 2900 words. Members of the staff and their families are ineligible to enter. Entrants must be female members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and citizens or legal residents of the United States of America. No essay may be submitted simultaneously to the Heather Campbell Personal Essay contest and to any other contest or publication. Segullah has the right of first refusal to publish all entries.
Entries will be judged by the editors and by representatives from the editorial and advisory boards. The winning author will receive the Heather Campbell Award for Excellence in Writing ($100). We will publish the winning essay and any receiving honorable mentions in one of our 2011 issues. The authors of these pieces will each receive a complimentary printed copy of the issue containing their work. The judges reserve the right to withhold any award if no entry merits the ratings established.
Personal essays are first-person accounts of life experiences. Please read some of the personal essays published in Segullah to understand what we are looking for. Our Essay Helps section may also be useful for you. The Heather B. Campbell essay contest is not open to writing from other genres, including fiction, doctrinal essays or historical analysis, even though some pieces representing these genres may be appropriate for general submission to Segullah.
Please follow these instructions:
- See style guidelines for instructions on formatting your submission.
- Send your submission in the body of the email, not as an attachment.
- In the email body include your full name, street address, email address, phone number, and your essay’s word count.
- In the email subject line type “Contest,” followed by your first and last name. For example: Contest, Jane Doe.
- Send your entry to hcampbell_essay [at] segullah [dot] org. You will receive an automated email response confirming our receipt of your submission.
- Other correspondence regarding the Heather Campbell Essay Contest may be sent to prose [at] segullah [dot] org
Deadline: December 31, 2010
By submitting work to Segullah, contributors implicitly accept the terms of our copyright policy.
Contest results will be announced in our Spring 2011 issue. Authors of the honored essays will be notified in advance.
We gratefully acknowledge Beverly B. Campbell for sponsoring this contest in honor of her daughter Heather. You may learn more about Heather Campbell on this page.
Poetry Submissions
We are currently accepting submissions for the Spring 2011 issue. You will hear back from us about your submission towards the end of the year (2010).
We accept submissions which correspond with one of our upcoming issue themes, or which address other subjects in harmony with ourmission statement. If we have not heard from you before, we prefer you to send two to three poems as your first introduction, in order for our board to get a better impression of your work as a whole (although you may send just one if you prefer). Please choose your best, most polished pieces for our viewing, to stand as an example of your writing.
Please follow these instructions:
Poetry Submissions:
- Send your entire submission, with one to three titled poems, in the body of one email, not as an attachment. We are sorry, but we accept electronic submissions only.
- Include your full name, address, phone number, and preferred email address at the top of the page, and each piece, titled.
- Submissions to Segullah Poetry should be subject headed as follows: “Segullah Poetry: Title of Poem.” For example, if the name of your poem is Ravensbrooke, then your email’s subject line will read: “Segullah Poetry: Ravensbrooke.” That, along with your personal information included in the body of your letter, will make your poem easier for us to find and organize in our files, and will expedite your reply should your poem be published in our journal.
- Email poetry submissions to submitpoetry [AT] segullah [DOT] org. You will receive an automated email response confirming our receipt of your submission
- Often a poem is easiest read 1.5 or double spaced. Your aesthetic preference, however, is taken into consideration.
- We prefer not to read poetry which is all capitalized, as it seems to be shouting, unless that is your intent.
- Please check your spelling carefully, since any unusual spelling in a poem will be considered intentional.
- Other correspondence for the poetry editor, such as questions and inquiries, may be sent to segullah.poetry [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
These are our upcoming issue themes:
Poetry Contest
We welcome unpublished poetry as entries for our 20010 contest. Entries may address any subject in harmony with our mission statement. There is no length limit. Poets may submit multiple entries. Members of the staff and their families are ineligible to enter. Entrants must be female members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and citizens or legal residents of the United States. Segullah has the right of first refusal to publish all entries. No poems may be submitted simultaneously to the Segullah poetry contest and to any other contest or publication.
Entries will be judged by Segullah’s editorial staff. Prizes will be awarded as follows:
First place: $50
Second place: $30
Third place: $20
All winning entries, as well as any receiving honorable mentions, will be published in one of our 2011 issues. The authors of these entries will receive a complimentary printed copy of the issue containing their work. The judges reserve the right to withhold any award if no entry merits the ratings established. Additionally, all entries will be considered for publication in later issues of the journal. If we are interested in publishing a poem that did not place in the contest, we will contact you about it.
Please follow these instructions:
See style guidelines on this page for instructions on formatting your submission.
- Send your submission in the body of the email.
- Include your full name, street address, email address, and phone number in the email body.
- Type “Segullah Poetry Contest” in the email subject line. If you do not type “Poetry Contest” in the subject line, your poetry will not be entered in the contest but will be considered a regular submission.
- Send your entry to poetrycontest [AT] segullah [DOT] org.
- You may submit up to three poems for the contest.
- Other correspondence regarding the contest may be sent tosegullah.poetry [AT] gmail [dot] com.
Deadline: December 31, 2010
By submitting work to Segullah, contributors implicitly accept the terms of our copyright policy.
Contest results will be announced in our Spring 2011 issue. Authors of the honored poems will be notified in advance.
We gratefully acknowledge Johnna Cornett for sponsoring this contest.
Artwork
We encourage submissions of black-and-white artwork and photography, especially pieces which correspond to our issue themes.
Please follow these instructions:
- Submit a scanned image of your work as an email attachment.
- Use the submission’s title as the file name for the attachment.
- Include your full name, phone number and street address in the email body.
- In the email subject line, type the file name of your entry.
- Email your submission to artwork [AT] segullah [DOT] org.
By submitting work to Segullah, contributors implicitly accept the terms of our copyright policy.
No issue themes have been set for 2011 yet.
Themes
Issue themes are broad concepts intended to solicit a wide spectrum of insights and perspectives. The themes are not strict topics to follow. We encourage contributors to pursue thoughtful, imaginative interpretations and applications of the themes. We also welcome submissions addressing other topics which support our mission statement.
Essay Helps
Essay Helps: Printable (pdf 37KB) Version
A personal essay features life experiences which illustrate an idea. Essayist Edward Hoaglund explains that an essay “hangs somewhere between two sturdy poles: this is what I think, and this is what I am.” Your idea—what I think—is the core of the essay; it need not be stated explicitly, but it does need to be clear. The style and voice you use in communicating your idea reveals aspects of your self—“what I am.”
We are looking for essays which:
- Focus on the “local”—people you know, places you’ve been, things you’ve experienced.
- Use a conversational approach. Most personal essays are “chatty” or “talky,” although some may be more formal in tone. Use first person.
- Employ effective story-telling techniques (such as blending of scene and summary; imagery and five-sense appeal; characterization; active verb; “show not tell”).
- Rely on subtle meaning and avoid heavy-handed moralizing.
- Feature an authentic voice–this requires honesty about your feelings and ideas.
- Provide a good “road map” of where the essay is going (or, at least, where it has been).
- Use structure to emphasize meaning. You might try coming at your issue from a variety of different angles rather than using a methodical approach.
- Consider other points of view. Exploring conflicting ideas may lend depth to your essay’s meaning.
Through employing these techniques, you may move beyond merely reporting an experience or evidencing a point to creating insightful, personable literary art. Essayist Philip Lopate emphasizes, “While it is true that historically the essay is related to rhetoric, it in fact seeks to persuade more by the delights of literary style than anything else.”
You may also find the articles filed under writing tips at our blog to be helpful.
References:
Edward Hoaglund, The Tugman’s Passage (New York: Random House, 1982), 25.
The Art of the Personal Essay, Phillip Lopate, ed. (NY: Anchor Books Doubleday, 1994), 301.
Style Guidelines
Style Guidelines: Printable (pdf, 39KB) Version
We follow the Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.). To make the editing process run more smoothly, we ask authors to format their works as follows:
- Single space after punctuation marks and in between sentences. This is the current publishing industry standard. If you prepared your manuscript using two spaces after periods and colons, please remove the extra spaces. (An easy way to check for extra spaces is to use the “show ¶” command in your word processing program.)
- Single space between lines.
- Double space between paragraphs. Do not indent at the beginning of paragraphs.
- Use a plain font in 12-point size.
- Allow the program to wrap the right edge automatically.
- If documentation is required, use endnotes.
- Include your full name, phone number, e-mail address and street address at the beginning of your email.
- Include your essay’s title near the beginning of the email.
- Proofread carefully. There are many errors that your word processing program will not identify. We suggest having someone else read your manuscript and offer suggestions.
If you have additional questions about style, you can find the fifteenth edition of the Chicago Manual of Style at most libraries and bookstores.
Copyright Policy
Copyright 2005-2010, Segullah Group. All rights reserved. This notice pertains to journal issues and all other website material. For use and permission inquiries, or for more information about our copyright policy, contact the editor at editor.in.chief AT segullah DOT org. Inquiries pertaining to individual pieces will be forwarded to the respective author/artist.
By submitting their work to Segullah, contributors implicity license The Segullah Group to print, re-print, distribute, and display their work, in whole or in part, in print and web versions of the journal, without compensation of any kind. Published authors retain full rights over their work, and may submit their work to other publications after it has appeared in Segullah without obtaining permission; however, Segullah should be acknowledged as the place of first publication.
Authors who quote from other works must secure any necessary permissions, and will be responsible for any infractions of copyright law within their pieces.
The Segullah Group does not accept submissions which are under consideration by other publications. Submissions not used in the forthcoming issue of Segullah may be held, with the author’s permission, for possible use in later issues. Non-published authors are free to submit their work to other publications if they have received a rejection notice, or if they have requested their work on hold to be released from our files.