Etchings Literary & Fine Arts Magazine

About Etchings Literary & Fine Arts Magazine

Etchings was the result of a revamping of University of Indianapolis’ former literary magazine, Tusitala, in 1989. After a student contest was held, the magazine was renamed Etchings. Organized and developed by students with the supervision and guidance of faculty members, a new issue was produced each year. In 2013, Etchings moved to being produced twice a year. Since the revamping in ’89, Etchings restored the emphasis on the initial intentions of the university’s literary and fine arts magazine showcasing the works of undergraduates, graduates, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Each semester, the students in Etchings work together to create the magazine in ENGL 379. They not only learn how to develop a literary magazine by assessing submissions and creating designs for the finished copy, but also learn how to market and promote the magazine on campus and through social media.

Now, more than thirty issues later, we celebrate the work that students and faculty put into many generations of the magazine.

Submit Your Work to Etchings Literary & Fine Arts Magazine

UIndy undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni are welcome to submit poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction essays, visual materials, and audio submissions (original music or spoken word) to Etchings.

Deadlines are generally during the third week of the fall and winter terms (September and January), but submissions are accepted year round (if you miss a deadline, your work will be reviewed for the next magazine). Watch our social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) for announcements of calls for submission deadlines and launch party dates.

We use a blind submission process at Etchings, and we appreciate your help with this process. Please do not include your name or identifying information within your pieces/your pieces files. You will provide your contact information within your Submittable account when you submit your pieces.

When you are ready to submit your work, visit Submittable at etchings.submittable.com for more details.

About Submissions

We encourage you to check out a past issue for examples of poetry, prose, visual art pieces, bios, and artist statements. If you have any questions or trouble using Submittable, please email the editors at uindyetchings@gmail.com.

Visual Art

  • Submit up to 5 pieces of visual art.
  • Please submit a separate form for each piece (so, up to 5 forms/submissions for the visual art category).
  • Please flatten files to 300 ppi in *.tiff CMYK 8 bit files, no more than 10 inches high by 7 inches wide. (For best results view in sRGB.) in .jpg format.
  • Please do not include your name inside your file(s) or as part of your file’s name (your title will do).
  • When you upload your file(s) in Submittable, please use the file’s name.
  • Let us know if your pieces are part of a series.
  • Please include an artist’s statement for each piece (each no more than 100 words).
  • Please include a bio (no more than 100 words) that you’d love to see published in our magazine.
Poetry
  • Submit up to 5 poems (no greater than 10 pages each).
  • Please keep in mind that your poem’s structure will be formatted to a 7 in x 10 in page (not 8.5 in x 11 in).
  • Please submit a separate form for each piece (so, up to 5 forms/submissions for the poetry category).
  • Please do not include your name inside your file(s) or as part of your file’s name. Label your file(s) with the submission title(s).
  • When you upload your file(s), please use the file’s name.
  • Please include a writer’s statement for each piece (each no more than 100 words) that shares the process, inspiration, and/or themes.
  • Please include a bio (no more than 100 words) that you’d love to see published in our magazine.

Short Stories

  • Submit up to 3 short stories (of no more than 5,000 words each).
  • Please submit a separate form for each piece (so, up to 3 forms/submissions for the short story essay category).
  • Please do not include your name inside your file(s) or as part of your file’s name (your title will do).
  • When you upload your file(s) to Submittable, please use the file’s name.
  • Please include a writer’s statement for each piece (each no more than 100 words) that shares the process, inspiration, and/or themes.
  • Please include a bio (no more than 100 words) that you’d love to see published in our magazine.

Creative Nonfiction Essays

  • Submit up to 3 creative nonfiction essays (no more than 5,000 words each).
  • Please submit a separate form for each piece (so, up to 3 forms/submissions for the CNF essay category).
  • Please do not include your name inside your file(s) or as part of your file’s name (your title will do).
  • When you upload your file(s) to Submittable, please use the file’s name(s).
  • Please include a writer’s statement for each piece (each no more than 100 words) that shares the process, inspiration, and/or themes.
  • Please include a bio (no more than 100 words) that you’d love to see published in our magazine.

Audio Files (Original Music or Spoken Word)

  • Submit up to 5 pieces of musical compositions and/or spoken word/slam poetry in .mp3 file format.
  • Please submit a separate form for each piece (so, up to 5 forms/submissions for the audio file category).
  • Please include only 1 song/poem in a file.
  • Please do not include your name inside your file(s) or as part of your file’s name (your title will do).
  • If a music composition, we hope you will include the score to your song in a separate file. Please do not include your name as part of your score or as part of your file’s name. Label your file with the submission title.
  • When you upload your file(s), please use the file name(s).
  • Please include a bio (no more than 100 words) that you’d love to see published in our magazine.
  • Please include a composers/writer’s statement for each piece (each no more than 100 words) that shares the process, inspiration, and/or themes.

Magazine Archive

Cover Art. Issue 30.1. Triangle featuring slivers of past cover art against a sliver background
Etchings 30.2

Spring 2018

Cover Art. Issue 30.1. Photo of staff in party clothes serving a birthday cake, all eyes are blacked out
Etchings 30.1

Fall 2017

Cover Art. Issue 29.2. Mixed media collage looks like patchwork quilt featuring two girls on a swing in white dresses
Etchings 29.2

Spring 2017

Cover Art. Issue 29.1. Young man in sweater who’s head above the nose is replaced with clouds and full moon, stary night
Etchings 29.1

Fall 2016

Cover Art. Issue 28.2. Close up of orange flower presented in a grid of small squares
Etchings 28.2

Spring 2016

Cover Art. Issue 28.1. Front half of an orange veil tail goldfish left justified against white background
Etchings 28.1

Fall 2015

Cover Art. Issue 27.2. Photo shot through car windshield at night, lights of town blazing in background
Etchings 27.2

Spring 2015

Cover Art. Issue 27.1. Illustration of tall cocktail tables in black/white. Bunch of colorful balloons draws focus
Etchings 27.1

Fall 2014

Cover Art. Issue 26.2. Photo close up of crochet set in a wooden box
Etchings 26.2

Spring 2014

Cover Art. Issue 26.1. Photo of 1950s camera sitting in a bed of colorful fall leaves
Etchings 26.1

Fall 2013

Cover Art. Issue 9. Illustrations. Ink, 3 stacked. Scene of mountains, villagers on island, and sun
Etchings 9

1997

Cover Art. Issue 8. Illustration. Pencil. Hand holding a pencil against white background
Etchings 8

1996

Cover Art. Issue 7. Illustration. Pencil. Suggests artists drawing at easels in class
Etchings 7

1995

Cover Art. Issue 6.2. Illustration. Pencil. Hand holding a pencil against blue background
Etchings 6.2

1994