Quirk is the Literary and Visual Arts journal of the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.
Quirk Online: https://www.uiwquirk.org/
What We’re Seeking: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Visual Art.
Eligibility for Quirk Print & Online:
1. Any current undergraduate student of an accredited college or university in the United States.
2. Current UIW students.
Anyone may submit work in multiple categories (please ONLY ONE SUBMISSION IN EACH CATEGORY). Simultaneous submissions accepted; we only ask that you notify us as soon as possible if your work is accepted elsewhere.
Eligibility for High School Rising Writers & Artists:
Writers and artists submitting to the High School Rising Writers & Artists category should be attending an accredited high school in the San Antonio and surrounding area.
Eligibility for UIW Alumni Featured Selections:
Writers and artists submitting work to the UIW Alumni Featured Selections must have graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word. Please include your graduation year in your cover letter. We want to hear from you, whether you graduated one year or fifty years ago.
Commitment to Diversity: We want to hear from the diverse voices reflecting undergraduates across the country, including those of all underrepresented and marginalized groups.
Submissions must be original, not the work of someone else, not the generated work of AI, and must not have been previously published.
All publishing rights revert to the author/creator upon publication.
For more information about Quirk, please check out our online issues at https://www.uiwquirk.org/ and go to our UIW website: http://www.uiw.edu/quirk/. For any further questions, please contact the Quirk faculty advisor, Dr. David Armstrong at darmstro@uiwtx.edu.
Quirk is currently closed to submissions. We will accept work again in Spring 2026!
Fiction: 1,000 to 4,500 words. Please submit only one short story per issue. Stories may be on any subject. We're looking for your best.
Flash Fiction: From 250 words (minimum), up to 1,000 words. (If submitting Flash Fiction, you can submit up to 3 FLASH FICTION PIECES. These should be in A SINGLE DOCUMENT, clearly demarcated.)
File: Word Documents only (.doc or .docx).
Format: Stories should be submitted in standard manuscript format: a standard 12-pt. font like Times New Roman or Courier; double-spaced; one-inch margins; pages numbered. All submissions are read blind by our editors, so be sure to remove any identifying information from your manuscript (e.g. name, etc.).
Submissions: Submit up to 3 poems in a single document. Poems may be on any subject.
File: Word Documents only, please.
Format: A standard 12-pt. font like Times New Roman or Courier; single-spaced; each poem on a separate page. All submissions are read blind by our editors. Be sure to remove any identifying information from your manuscript (no names, etc.)
Creative Nonfiction: 500 to 3,000 words. Submit only one essay per issue. Essays may be on any subject. We're looking for your best.
File: Word Documents only, please.
Format: Essays should be submitted in standard manuscript format (unless a non-traditional form is necessary to the piece): a standard 12-pt. font like Times New Roman; double-spaced; one-inch margins; pages numbered. All submissions are read blind by our editors, so be sure to remove any identifying information from your manuscript (name, etc.). If your piece contains any identifying information, it will not be considered for acceptance.
Creative and personal essays only (these are nonfiction works meant for a general readership, e.g. memoir, personal accounts, autobiography, etc. NO ACADEMIC PAPERS). If including names of real people, please only do so if it will not invade the privacy or well-being of yourself or others; you are welcome to change names.
Visual Art: You may submit up to three visual pieces. Any medium or combination of media are welcomed, including, but not limited to: photography, painting, mixed media, sculpture, graphic design, 3D arts, fashion design, and interior design. No AI-generated art, please.
Format: All work must be submitted in JPG or PNG format.
Resolution: Scanned and/or photographed visual art should be at least 1024 x 768 pixels minimum. Submitting a lower resolution file will not disqualify your submission, but we will only publish images of at least the standard resolution above.
Artist Statement: In your cover letter/artist statement, please tell us the title of each piece, the medium used, and if you so choose: a little bit about your work, what it means to you, how you went about creating it, etc. In order to keep work(s) anonymous, please be sure to avoid any identifying information in your statement.
Usage:Quirk reserves the right to use accepted work in cover design, issue design, webpages, and promotional material. If we do use your work beyond featuring it as a publication, we will always make every effort to acquire your additional consent. Our goal will always be to provide the best platform for your work while championing you as an artist.