Scorpion’s Quill

Hello and welcome from all the editors of Scorpion’s Quill, a literary and arts journal showcasing the incredible artwork, photography, and writing of Texas Southmost College’s students, faculty, and staff. Published yearly, Scorpion’s Quill seeks to promote creativity, foster self-expression, and provide members of our school community the chance to become published authors and artists.  

Our journal accepts many forms of art and creative writing, including digital and traditional drawings and paintings, poetry, photography, short fiction, sculpture, memoir, and scripts. Access to the online version of the journal is always free, to share the joy of fantastic art and writing with everyone at TSC and beyond.

Submit

Submissions are accepted yearly from September 1^st to October 15^th. All current Texas Southmost College students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to submit.

Please review our submission guidelines below before submitting.

Submission Guidelines

General Submission Guidelines

This journal is open only to Texas Southmost College students, faculty, and staff members. You must have an active TSC email account to submit.
Each person may submit up to three pieces in total. These pieces may be from the same genre (for example, three poems) or may be from a combination of genres (for example, one photograph, one digital painting, and one short story).
When submitting pieces, please name your files in the following manner:
Last Name_Type of Work_Title of Work.filetype.
Example: Smith_Digital Art_Fireflies.png
Example: Rose_Short Fiction_Untitled.docx
Scorpion’s Quill can only publish original, never-before-published works. If your work has appeared in any other formal publication, such as another journal, magazine, book, or publishing website, unfortunately it will not be eligible for publication with Scorpion’s Quill.
Simultaneous submission (submitting pieces which are already being considered by other journals/magazines/publishers) is permitted; however, please note again that Scorpion’s Quill can only publish original, never-before-published works. If your work is accepted for publication elsewhere before our selection is complete, please contact us at [email protected] to withdraw your submission.

Content Limitations

The editing team at Scorpion’s Quill believes in freedom of expression. We recognize that artwork and creative writing can help artists, readers, and viewers explore complex, difficult, uncomfortable, and sometimes even frightening aspects of human life. At the college level, where a majority of our artists and writers, as well as our audience, will be over the age of 18, some content in the journal may address adult concepts, including violence, drug use, or sexuality.

However, as this journal is a collection representing Texas Southmost College, it is still necessary for the contents of the journal to remain appropriate for a general college-level audience. Therefore, there are some limitations on what kind of content will be accepted:

Hate speech or explicit political speech targeting specific demographics of people will not be permitted.
Explicit depictions of sexuality or sexual content will not be permitted. Artistic nudity and implied sexual content are acceptable. In general, we ask that submitters keep sexual content to a level that would be appropriate for a late-teen audience (17 years+).
Explicit depictions of violence or gore, as well as depictions of murder or suicide, will be reviewed on an individual basis. In general, we ask that submitters keep depictions of violence or death to a level that would be appropriate for a late-teen audience (17 years+).
Works that address issues of substance abuse, including drugs and alcohol, will be reviewed on an individual basis by the editing team.

AI Policy

While the editors of Scorpion’s Quill recognize that generative AI can be a powerful tool that may transform industries in the future, our journal aims to celebrate original works produced solely by the hands and individual creativity of human artists and writers. Therefore, AI-generated works will not be accepted. If a piece is determined to be AI-generated during the submission review process, that submission will be considered ineligible for publication.

Writing Guidelines

Short Fiction/Short Story Submission Guidelines

Fiction submissions may include any of the following: flash fiction, vignettes, short stories, or chapters of a longer original work (such as the first chapter of a novel; please note that chapters must stand alone in order to be accepted).
Each submission may be up to five double-spaced pages long.
Please submit your fiction as a .docx or .pdf file. .Pages files may not be read.
There are no genre limitations at this time. Fiction submissions of all genres (fantasy, sci-fi, horror, adventure, romance, etc.) will be considered equally.

Memoir/Creative Nonfiction Submission Guidelines

Nonfiction submissions may include any of the following: memoir, autobiography/biography, reflective essays, investigative journalism, or any other piece describing true events.
The key point dividing fiction and nonfiction is whether the content of the work describes events which actually occurred. If you are submitting a work as nonfiction, please verify that it contains a truthful account of real events and real people.
Each submission may be up to five double-spaced pages long.
Please submit your nonfiction as a .docx or .pdf file. .Pages files may not be read.
There are no genre limitations at this time.

Poetry Submission Guidelines

There are no format or genre limitations on poetry submissions at this time. Free verse, form poems, prose poems, and rhyming poems will all be considered equally.
Each poem may be up to five double-spaced pages long.
Please submit your poetry as a .docx or .pdf file. Utilize PDF files for poems with special formatting to ensure that your formatting is maintained when submitted. Page files may not be read.

Script/Playwriting Submission Guidelines

Please utilize standard screenplay formatting, such as described here: How to Write a Movie Script.
Script submissions may include scripts for film, TV, or stage theater scenes.
Each script submission may be up to five double-spaced pages long.
Please submit your script as a .docx or .pdf file. .Pages files may not be read.
There are no genre limitations at this time.

Artwork Guidelines

Our journal is printed in a 6-inch by 9-inch trade paperback format. Single page artworks will be displayed in a portrait orientation; two-page spreads will be displayed in a landscape orientation. Because of binding requirements, some portions of the page may be cut off or not visible after the printing process.

To ensure that your artwork will display in the ideal format, please download and compare your artwork to our templates below:

Single-Page Template	Double-Page Template

To guarantee high-quality printing, we ask that all artworks be at least 1800 x 2700 pixels and at least 300 dpi.

Digital Artwork Submission Guidelines

Digital artwork submissions may include any of the following: digital paintings or drawings, graphic designs, webcomics, or large pixel artworks.
Most digital artwork submissions should cover a single page or two-page spread. Webcomic submissions may be up to five pages long.
When submitting comics, please keep our journal’s page size in mind: Comic pages should be no more than 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches.
Please submit your artworks as .jpg, .png, or .pdf files. Specialized file formats like .heic may not be viewed.
There are no genre limitations at this time.

Traditional Artwork Submission Guidelines

To submit a traditional or physical piece of art, please take a high-quality photograph of your physical artwork. When photographing your physical artwork, we recommend using medium natural lighting to avoid glare, blur, or reflections, and photographing from directly in front of your piece. We encourage submitters to photograph physical artworks against a plain white or background (as appropriate). Please crop out portions of the background that are not related to your artwork.

Examples of acceptable traditional/physical artwork submissions

Traditional artwork submissions may include any of the following: drawings, paintings, designs, sculptures, glass or mosaic work, jewelry, pottery, or other physical art installations.

Please submit the photograph of your artwork as a .jpg, .png, or .pdf file. Specialized file formats like .heic may not be viewed.
There are no genre limitations at this time.

Photography Submission Guidelines

High-quality photographs of a variety of subjects, such as portraits, nature/landscapes, action shots, artistic shots, and more will be welcome for submission.
Photographs are sensitive to printing distortions such as pixilation. When submitting, please aim to submit large photographs (1800 x 2700 pixels or more) that are at least 300 dpi.
Please submit your photographs as .jpg, .png, or .pdf files. Specialized file formats like .heic may not be viewed.
There are no genre limitations at this time.