Submission Guidelines
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Submission Guidelines
​Issue 16, November 2023

** Call for Submissions **

Vistas & Byways welcomes submissions in all genres (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, book reviews, interviews, etc.) on all topics and themes. We also have a separate section devoted to pieces on our special literary theme. We encourage you to submit material (up to three pieces) in any genre to either the special literary theme section (A New Day) and/or to other sections in the magazine (Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Bay Area Stew, Inside OLLI).
 
We also welcome photographic submissions in our Bay Area Byways Section. We encourage you to submit photo essays (up to five photographs per essay) on our November 2023 Issue's theme (Ironies and Incongruities).
 
Special Note:   Submissions for Vistas & Byways Issue 16, Fall 2023, will be accepted in August 2023.
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Literary Submissions for Issue 16 -    Fall  2023

​A New Day (Special Literary Theme):
Following is a list of suggestions. But feel free to write on A New Day as you see fit.
1.That first day on my new job
2.The day I gave that up
3.The day after graduation
4.The day I met him/her
5.The day of my wedding
6.The day he/she left me
7.The day after the diagnosis
8.The day he/she recognized what I was doing
9.The day the baby came
10.The day I found out
11.The day after

​(See complete Submission Guidelines below.)

Photographic Submissions for
Issue 16  -  Fall 2023

Photo Essays MUST be on the special photographic theme and MUST be comprised of photos taken in the San Francisco Bay Area. (See note on current-issue exception below.)
 
Bay Area Byways Section:
Ironies and Incongruities (Special Photographic Theme):
Include photos taken in the Bay Area of anything ironic or incongruous.
(See note on current-issue exception below.)

Create a photo essay of up to five photos, include a brief overall explanation or narrative describing how the scene (s) was (were) ironic and/or incongruous, and provide a caption of a few words for each photo.

Current-Issue Exception:
Besides the usual photo essays comprised of photos taken in the Bay Area’s great outdoors, for this issue only, we will also accept photo essays, displaying irony or incongruity, that you design at your kitchen table, garage or wherever. These photo essays also must be comprised of no more than five photos, include a brief overall explanation or narrative describing how the scene (s) was (were) ironic and/or incongruous, and provide a caption of a few words for each photo.
(See complete Submission Guidelines below.)
 
Banner and Accent Photos: These standalone photographs (no number limit) do NOT go through the Editorial Board or Visual Arts review process and do NOT appear in the Bay Area Byways Section, but may serve as background displays for literary works, with credit given.
(See complete Submission Guidelines below.)
 
Cover Contest: A photograph selected from the Special Photographic Theme Section OR Banner and Accent submissions will be chosen for display on the cover page of Vistas & Byways, with credit given.
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General Guidelines

Vistas & Byways invites members of the OLLI at SF State community to submit original written work for publication. All work received within a submission period will be reviewed by our Editorial Board and considered for publication in the next issue of the magazine. Decisions of the Board are final.
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In order to submit to Vistas & Byways, you must be a current OLLI at SF State member. If we accept your submission (s), and your membership is not current, you will be informed of that by an OLLI at SF State staff member and asked to update it.
 
Prose and Poetry:
You can submit up to three pieces (in any genre or combination of genres).
Literary Word Limits:
Fiction: 6,000
Nonfiction (memoirs, essays and other works of nonfiction): 6,000
Poetry: No limit
Drama: 6,000
Excerpts from longer works of fiction or nonfiction: 6,000
100-Word Story: 100-word limit 
Accompanying Illustrations: Up to four photographs, pieces of artwork or other illustrations may be submitted along with each literary submission to illustrate a written work. These illustrations MUST be original works by the author OR a specified relative or friend.
 
Photography:
NOTE:  There are TWO types of photographic submissions, one type limited to the special photographic theme, Ironies and Incongruities, the second type not limited to that theme:
1. Ironies and Incongruities: up to five photographs reviewed by the Visual Arts Editor and, if accepted, displayed in the Bay Area Byways Section of the magazine. These photographs will also be considered for the cover. (See note on current-issue exception above.)
2. Banner and Accent Photos: any number of photographs NOT subjected to our Editorial Board review process but may serve as background for literary works and may appear anywhere in the magazine, with credit given. These photographs will also be considered for the cover. These photos are NOT required to be on the photographic theme.
 
Cover Photo Contest:
The V&B staff will select the cover photo from photographs submitted to the Bay Area Byways Section OR to Banner and Accent Photos.
 
Inside OLLI Reports:
We welcome material related to OLLI at SF State. This includes, but is not limited to, interviews with instructors or staff, reviews of published books by members, descriptions/reviews of events, creative projects or programs members are involved in.​ These reports are not reviewed by the Editorial Board and do not count as literary submissions.

Policy

Copyright Protection:
The contents of Vistas & Byways will NOT be submitted for copyright protection to the U.S. Copyright Office. Contributors who wish to secure copyright protection for their work (s) are responsible for filing for such copyright before submitting their work (s). Neither the Editorial Board nor Vistas & Byways assume any responsibility for loss or damages to individual authors for copyright infringement of literary or photographic work displayed in the magazine.
 
Editorial Note:
Vistas & Byways is staffed solely by volunteers who are members of the OLLI at SF State program. Since staff members are also participants in writing classes at OLLI at SF State, some of their own works may be included in Vistas & Byways.
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  Submission Procedures

Submissions for the Fall 2023 issue of Vistas & Byways will be accepted during the month of August 2023.  No submissions received after the August 31, 2023 deadline will be considered for publication.

Literary Submissions:
​Literary submissions must be emailed as MS Word or rtf attachments (no other formats will be accepted).

Literary submissions should be single spaced with paragraphs flush left and a single empty line between each paragraph (no indents on first line of paragraph).
If you are submitting more than one piece, attach each one to the email SEPARATELY, not all in one file.

​Indicate whether you wish your piece (s) to be submitted to our special theme section for the Fall 2023 issue, A New Day.  (See description above.)

Accompanying Illustrations: Up to four photographs, pieces of artwork or other illustrations may be submitted along with each literary submission to illustrate a written work. These illustrations MUST be original works by the author OR a specified relative or friend. Accompanying illustrations must be in jpg or png format. List any captions you want included—captions are not required.

NOTE: Illustrations will be evaluated separately from literary pieces and may not be accepted, even if the literary piece is.
 
​Photographic Submissions (To Be Displayed in the Bay Area Byways Section):
Original photographs must be submitted in jpg or png format.
Photographs must be on the special photographic theme: Ironies and Incongruities. 
A brief overall explanation or narrative thread is required for each photo essay (no more than five photographs per photo essay).
A caption of a few words is required for each photograph.
(See description and note on current-Issue exception above.)
 
Banner and Accent Photos (To Be Displayed as Background Photos Anywhere in the Magazine):
Original standalone photographs (no number limit) must be submitted in jpg or png format.
A caption of a few words IS required for each standalone photograph. These standalone photographs should NOT include an overall explanation or narrative thread. These photos are NOT required to be on the photographic theme.
(See description and note on current-issue exception above.)
 
If you are a first-time contributor, please include all of the following information:
Name and pen name, if different
Email address
Phone number
Short bio (120-word maximum)
Recent photograph of yourself (jpg or png)
The literary genre (e.g., short story, poetry, memoir, essay, book review) of all literary submissions and the medium (e.g., photography, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal) of all accompanying illustration submissions.
 
​If you are a repeat contributor, the bio, picture and contact information on file will be used unless you specify that you want to update them.​
 
Where to Submit:
Submissions and all other information should be emailed to:
[email protected]
 
NOTE: Vistas & Byways accepts simultaneous submissions and previously published works as long as you inform us.
 
If your piece or pieces are accepted, you will be informed by email. In that acceptance email, there will be a link to the following certification statement:
 
"I certify that this is an original piece of literary work or photography created by me. I grant the Editorial Board of Vistas & Byways permission to publish my work and agree that I will receive no payment. Correction of typos, misspellings and grammatical errors, without consultation with me, is acceptable. I certify that, if substantive changes were made, a V&B editor discussed them with me and changes were implemented only after we reached mutual agreement. I understand that my work will be published in the upcoming issue."
 
Questions: email to [email protected] or use our online contact form. 
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Vistas & Byways Review is the semiannual journal of fiction, nonfiction and poetry by members of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at San Francisco State University​.​
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​Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at San Francisco State University (OLLI at SF State) provides communal and material support to theVistas & Byways  ​volunteer staff.