Iowa Field Guides

Call for Submissions

In Volume II, we're looking for creative works that…

• center a particular place, plant, animal, or other aspect/inhabitant of Iowa's marshes, fens, lakes, or rivers,

• delight in the many unique ecosystems and species found in our state,

• celebrate the resiliency of flora, fauna, and fungi persisting in one of the most ecologically-altered regions in the country,

• grapple with the realities of species & habitat loss along with other environmental changes,

• and/or engage with themes of conservation, place, history, interspecies kinship, rematriation, or land-caretaking.

Because this is a deeply placed-based publication, we are looking for contributors with a connection to Iowa–those who (past or present) live, study, or work in Iowa, those with familial, tribal, or community connections to Iowa, those who have been displaced from Iowa, and anyone for whom Iowa holds a place in their heart.

This literary field guide will include…

• Short Prose

• Poetry

• Visual Art

• Hybrid

• Fragments

Areas of Interest

In Wetlands & Waterways, we'd love to see submissions connected to (but not limited to) any of these state preserves and natural areas: Silver Lake Fen, Okoboji, Clear Lake, Okamanpeedan Lake, the Missouri River, the Mississippi River, the Cedar River, Union Slough, etc.

Species of Interest

In Wetlands & Waterways, we'd love to see submissions connected to (but not limited to) fens, marshes, lakes, rivers, fish, turtles, beavers, otters, water and shorebirds, diatoms, aquatic plants, lichens, fringed gentians, and any other species you consider to be hallmarks of these environments. (Read some examples from the Cascadia Field Guide here.)

Submission Guidelines

Short Prose

• Each prose submission should be between 250-1,000 words. You may send up to 3 separate prose submissions. Please send .doc or .docx files.

• All forms of short prose will be considered. We are especially interested in flash nonfiction, lyric essays, and prose poems.

Poetry

• Poems of all forms are welcome. A single poem should not exceed 3 pages in length.

• You may submit up to 5 poems in a single attachment (.doc or .docx files).

• We are especially interested in poems that center a particular place, plant, animal, or other aspect/inhabitant of marshes, fens, lakes, or rivers.

Visual Art

• You may submit any type of visual art for consideration, but we are most interested in drawings, sketches, maps, and linocuts. When possible, please submit .jpeg or .pdf files of your artwork, with at least 300 PPI resolution.

• Field guides will be printed in black & white. Page dimensions will be approximately 4.5x7 inches (WxH).

  You may submit up to 3 pieces of visual art.

• A 1-2 sentence artist's statement including title, medium, and a brief description should accompany each visual art submission in the body of your email.

Hybrid

• Hybrid work blurs the lines between traditional genres. Please send to this category any submissions that blend prose, poetry, and/or visual art into a single piece of work.

• You may submit up to 5 pages of hybrid work. Please submit each piece in a single doc, .docx, or .jpeg file.

• Field guides will be printed in black & white. Page dimensions will be approximately 4.5x7 inches (WxH).

• We are especially interested in postcards, maps, collages, and ekphrastic poems (with their accompanying artwork when possible), and "how-tos" about engaging with land/water.

Fragments

• Fragments are the leaf litter of our physical and literary landscapes. These short excerpts could come from historical or contemporary:

  • journal entries

  • letters

  • excerpts or quotations

  • research/field notes

  • natural history papers

  • oral histories

  • place-words (the stories behind place names, local/historical landscape words and their definitions, etc)

  • resource lists (send us a list of your favorite books, poems, artworks, podcast episodes, research papers about a specific place or ecosystem)

  • places to visit (send us directions to a favorite natural area, a list of trails, or the inside scoop on where to spot a rare wildflower)

• You may submit up to 5 fragments for consideration. Each fragment should be no more than 250 words (think quotes, not paragraphs).

• For copyrighted materials such as newspaper articles, journal articles, and book excerpts, please: include a proper citation of the work, and abide by fair use copyright guidelines, or provide a reprint permission statement from the copyright holder with your submission. (Note: If you have something interesting but are unsure of its copyright status, please send it along with a note about where it came from, and we'll do our best to determine if we can publish it or not.)

How To Submit

• Please make sure you have reviewed the Submission Guidelines for the genres to which you plan to submit.

• Email your submission to submit@iowafieldguides.org with the subject line "Wetlands and Waterways: (Insert Genre)."

• Attach your submission to the email as the appropriate file type (.doc or .docx for text files .jpeg or .pdf for artwork/hybrid).

• Include the following information in the body of the email:

  • Name

  • Email Address

  • Title and genre of your submission

  • 1-2 sentence description of your submission

  • 1-2 sentence personal bio

Submissions will be accepted from January 26 - September 30, 2026.

Inclusivity Statement

Please send us your best work that honors your own authenticity and celebrates the self-expression of others. We especially encourage contributors from historically underserved communities to submit their work. Like the tallgrass prairie, we want this publication to be a space that celebrates diversity and mutual flourishing. Both emerging and established writers and artists are encouraged to submit!

Upcoming Calls for Submissions

Stay connected! Subscribe to our mailing list or follow us on Instagram @iowafieldguides for upcoming calls for submissions. Future themes will include: woodlands, savannas, caves & bluffs.