OXFORD MAGAZINE

We are currently closed for submissions.

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About OxMag

OxMag (or more formally: Oxford Magazine) is a literary & arts magazine edited and published by creative writing MFA students at Miami University. Since our premiere in 1984, our magazine has received Pushcart Prizes for both fiction and poetry, and has published authors such as Charles Baxter, William Stafford, Robert Pinsky, Stephen Dixon, Helena Maria Viramontes, Andre Dubus, and Stuart Dybek. Appearing biannually, OxMag is a web-based journal that accepts fiction, poetry, new media, and creative nonfiction/essays.

contests

The Crystal Ox Poetry Contest

For this year’s winter edition of Crystal Ox, we are interested in free verse and form poetry that captures the raw elegance of nature. We value poetry that has a strong command over language, poetry that illustrates the unbound allure of a tranquil snowfall, and the sincerity in a white-tailed deer’s gaze. Send us your single BEST poem which illustrates an appreciation for nature’s inherent charms. (If you send more than 1 poem, we will not read it.) Cover letters are not necessary, but a brief reader bio is required (about 50 words).

We do accept simultaneous submissions, but if your work is accepted elsewhere, please
withdraw it immediately via Submittable.

We do not accept previously published work. Upon publication, the rights to the poem(s) remain with the writer, though we ask for acknowledgement that the work first appeared in our journal.

Submissions will be open from December 10 through January 10, or until we reach our submission cap.

Awards:

First Place Winner receives a prize of $50 worth of books of your choosing and publication
Second Place Winner receives a prize of $25 worth and publication
Third Place Winner receives publication

The Golden Ox Flash/Micro Contest:

The Golden Ox awards small but mighty prose. We want to read your best flash fiction or micro essays under 1,000 words.

Please submit a flash fiction story or micro creative nonfiction essay of fewer than 1,000 words. The contest theme will be announced in the spring of 2023.

Please specify in your cover letter whether your piece is fiction or nonfiction. Also note that our submissions will close once we reach 100 total submissions, so be sure to get your submission in early!

Golden Ox Submission Schedule: Late Spring/Early Summer 2023

Awards:

First Place Winner receives a prize of $50 worth of books of your choosing and publication
Second Place Winner receives a prize of $25 worth of books of your choosing and publication
Third Place Winner receives publication

We can’t wait to read your strange and beautiful words.

biannual issues

Guidelines

Cover letters: Make sure to write a brief bio in the space marked by Submittable as “Cover Letter.”

Submissions: We accept submissions through Submittable only. We no longer accept email submissions. Please only send one submission per reading period.

Simultaneous submissions: are okay as long as you remember to withdraw your submission via Submittable if your work is accepted elsewhere. For poetry, you can add a note indicating which poems are no longer up for consideration.

Response time: Our response time varies. We will make every effort to accept or decline all submissions within four to six months. It could take longer, but hopefully not. If we haven’t gotten back to you and it’s past the response time, drop a gentle nudge to oxmag@miamioh.edu.

Rights: OxMag acquires first North American serial rights, one-time anthology rights, and online serial rights. Previously published work is not accepted.