Submit original work to Imaginary Gardens using this form.

Work Accepted

The journal accepts the following work: 

• Reported stories: journalism-style reported stories about on-campus, campus-related, and student-adjacent topics, up to 3,000 words
• Photojournalism: photos related to on-campus, campus-related, and/or student-adjacent topics; photo essays, up to 20 photos or as assigned
• Opinion Pieces: editorials or op-ed essays on topics of interest to student readers, up to 3,000 words
• Fiction: short stories, up to 15,000 words; graphic stories; screenplays; plays 
• Poetry: up to six poems in one submission 
• Nonfiction: creative nonfiction/personal/lyric essays, up to 8,000 words in written or graphic format; interviews; book reviews
• Fine Art: original photography; photos of paintings, sculpture, fiber arts, etc.
• Multimedia: short movies, documentaries, poetry in motion, spoken word, audio stories, interviews, claymation, performance art, musical performance; up to 30 minutes in length
• Translation: work from another author rewritten/translated in another language, or vice versa
• Other formats: query editors before submitting

General Submission Guidelines

• All submitted work must be created by a Pellissippi State Community College student, employee, or alum.
• Dual enrollment students may submit work.
• Creators must reveal conflicts of interest when submitting their work.
• Anonymous submissions cannot be accepted. All submissions must include the author’s name and contact information. If accepted, the author can choose to be published anonymously.
• All photo submissions must include the name(s) of the individuals appearing in the photo (failure to do so will disqualify the photo from consideration).
• All photos and videos must have the agreement/consent of the individuals appearing in the photo.
• Literary fiction is prioritized over genre fiction (i.e. science fiction, romance, mystery, thrillers, fantasy, etc.). All creative works (fiction, poems, nonfiction essays, photography, etc.) will be considered on literary and/or artistic merit.
• No pornography or graphic sexual content. Tasteful figure studies will be given serious consideration. Sexual content that advances the narrative will be given consideration.
• No graphic violence or depictions of murder, etc., unless the descriptions advance the narrative.
• No low-resolution photos or JPG files. Work must be submitted in its most robust format possible.
• All files MUST include the submitter’s last name, both in the header and in the file name. For example, two files could be submitted as follows: jones-alice-short-story.docx & jones-alice-art-photo.jpg.
• AI-generated or AI-adjacent work will not be accepted. Submitter must verify their work was created without the use of AI tools of any kind.

 

Please enter your personal contact information. If you wish to be published anonymously or using a pseudonym, you may indicate your preference below. Our editors will discuss this choice if the submission is accepted for publication.

If needed, upload any additional files with your submission. (e.g., Photo essays sometimes require multiple uploads.)

If appropriate, upload any associated artwork or illustrations for your submission.

Note: Please choose the answer that best fits your circumstances. Failure to have authorization does not mean your photograph(s) will be discarded.

By signing this Pledge of Authenticity, I acknowledge that the attached piece was planned, reported, investigated, and written and/or created by me. I personally completed all interviews, research, note-taking, documentation, creation, and other reporting. I certify that the submission does not contain fabrication of any kind. I did not knowingly plagiarize or otherwise incorrectly use someone else's published or unpublished work. I did not use AI to generate any part of the story or to check grammar and/or writing style. (This includes the use of Grammarly and other AI-driven works.)

I understand that failure to conduct my own interiews, research, note-taking, documentation, writing, reporting, or other means of production, or to engage in fabrication of any kind is a violation of Pellissippi State's academic honesty and integrity policy and could be grounds for disciplinary action from the college. Type your name in the box below to acknowledge your acceptance of this policy.