Discover the Bear Deluxe Magazine

The Bear Deluxe is an environmental magazine established in 1993 by Orlo, a Portland-based nonprofit organization that explores environmental issues through the creative arts. Published twice yearly, the magazine includes creative nonfiction, literature, art, and journalism and has about 44,000 readers. The Utne Reader has called it "a hip look into the creative arts and the environment," and other agree: Print, Adbusters, the Regional Arts and Culture Council, and the Oregon Art Commission, among others, have all recognized the magazine for its editorial and design excellence.

The Bear Deluxe seeks high-quality "place-based" fiction; though it is an environmental arts magazine, they don't look for stories with overtly environmental themes. Editor-in-Chief Tom Webb explains: "Stories that find cultural connections beyond purely a sense of place, or take radical new approaches, catch our attention. One of our favorite early stories was about floating body parts outside a VA hospital. It was one of Gina Ochsner's first published short stories."

Send stories of 750-4,000 words, essays of 750-3000 words, and 3-5 poems of up to 50 lines each. For unsolicited fiction in the range of 3,000 to 4,000 words, they pay $300 to $400 plus subscription and writer copies ($20 per poem). Include a 20-word biographical statement and an SASE, if you would like your manuscript returned. Address submissions to the appropriate editor, i.e., "poetry editor," "fiction editor," or "nonfiction editor." For creative work, they respond in about six months. Send all materials to The Bear Deluxe Magazine, c/o Orlo, P.O. Box 10342, Portland, OR 97296, or email bear@orlo.org.

The Bear Deluxe receives around 600 unsolicited fiction submissions per year and publishes only two or three of these: most of their fiction comes from their annual Doug Fir Fiction Contest. From the contest's first two years, they have published six stories, choosing from a pool of around 175 submissions. Webb cautions, "That's not to say that writers have to enter the award to be considered for publication, because we do read every submission." They receive approximately 5,000 poems per year, and publish 12-18 for publication.

The 2008 Doug Fir winner illustrates both the kind of stories they publish and the criteria behind their choices. The story follows a girl and her father as they try to help a cow who has gone into labor on a remote farm. It might sound benign, but "Winter Count," with its graphic detail and gripping prose, reveals a world in which the wrong choice can have horrific consequences. Webb calls it a "blood-soaked thriller," adding, "while we don't normally think first of horror or suspense, there are strong moral and social forces at play, and the two main characters slowly reveal themselves beneath the carnage."

Her father is out of his coat now, and taking off his long-sleeved flannel shirt. His big belly with graying hair protrudes below his T-shirt. He pushes the short sleeve up over his shoulder, lies down behind Madeline, grasps a thin silver chain, and slides his hand and the chain along the head of the calf, inside Madeline.

"The baby's got a leg back?" she asks.

Her father gasps from the force he's exerting, reaching into the cow. He grits his teeth and nods.

Webb adds: "Don't be boxed in by the terms "place-based" or "environmental." As we say with the award, "every story begins somewhere"; so what you might think isn't "green" fiction could still be for us. Stories don't have to be based in the hinterlands either; a sense of urban place is finding our attention too. (Still, it's not a bad idea to include a couple trees.) Also, we prefer the artistic and literary voice over the activist voice. If not submitting for the award, be sure and keep stories under 4,000 words."

Authors may also join their online writer-call list, which includes news about reader-response opportunities to submit short/flash fiction or creative nonfiction.

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.