Polyphony H. S. Basics:
Polyphony H. S. is a student-run national literary journal founded in 2005 and based in Chicago. It has the laudable mission of building "respectful, mutually beneficial, writer-editor relationships that form a community devoted to improving students' literary skills."
Polyphony H. S. Writing:
As the name suggests, Polyphony H.S. strives to present the voices of high school students from all walks of life. Published annually, they feature poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Writing in Polyphony H. S. shows a level of sophistication unusual in young adult journals, and as the sample below illustrates, they are open to work that pushes the boundaries of language.
Writing Sample, from "Nora" by Lauren YoungSmith:
"With clockwork limbs like limber wintergreen branches shaking off snowfall, with hard candy-snailed teeth and ceramic hip bones pushing at her skin like little sisters with drippy noses pressed up against the candy store's windows, Nora is the girl with crossed arms and crossed fingers while the school bus monologues around her, organic chocolate chips, she's cooing gently to a panda-colored rat named Oreo, a lullaby of gossamer moths all stumbling from aspen-cracked lips."
Submission Details:
Polyphony H. S. considers stories of 1,500 words or less and poems of 80 lines or less. They accept work all year round and read from September 1 through February 15. (To be considered for the next issue, work must be received by February 15.) Submit work online, using their submissions manager. At this time, writers are compensated through free copies of the issue in which their work appears. They receive close to 400 submissions a year and accept 40-50 pieces. See site for full guidelines and for their excellent submissions advice.
General Info on Submitting Your Writing:
New to the world of publishing? You can find more information on how to submit writing to a journal on this site, including info on how to write your cover letter and your bio.
