WHO WE ARE
“Outside the Wire” is a literary magazine based out of Rutgers-Camden. Our purpose is to give veterans, service members, and military families with ties to South Jersey and Pennsylvania a platform to express themselves and find their voices—whether that is through prose, poetry, art, or the spoken word.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We will be accepting submissions from November 22nd, 2025 to February 23rd, 2026.
We are currently accepting previously unpublished work in the following mediums that deal with the theme of CELEBRATION:
- Short fiction and essays (up to 5,000 words)
- Flash fiction and essays (Up to 1,000 words each)
- Poetry (Up to 3 poems)
- Digital Paintings
- Photographs (including photographs of a separate art piece you’ve made, such as a painting or sculpture)
With CELEBRATION we are looking for writing which captures all of the emotions and experiences associated with celebration, even if they feel unconventional. Whether it’s an exploration of overcoming hurdles and reaching milestones, how we celebrate in hard times, searching for joy when the world feels joyless, or an unexpected encounter with a different emotion when celebration was expected, we would love to read your short fiction, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry, and look at your art.
We invite work that broadly interprets our theme. You are welcome to make multiple submissions (limit of 3) which can be of the same or different genres.
AI POLICY
All submissions should include a statement declaring that no generative artificial intelligence was used in the creation of the work.
HOW TO SEND US YOUR WORK
Please email your submission to writers@camden.rutgers.edu by February 23rd, 2026.
- The subject of your email should say “Outside the Wire Magazine Submission” followed by your name.
- Written pieces should be submitted in .doc or .docx format and visual pieces should be formatted as .png or .jpg files.
- Make sure you include your name and the title of your piece in the name of the file.
- In the email, please also share the genre of your pieces (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc), some additional information about yourself and your military connection, and some thoughts or context for the piece you are submitting; and your AI statement declaring that no generative artificial intelligence was used in the creation of the work.
We look forward to seeing your work and to sharing it with our community!