What we’re looking for varies slightly from genre to genre, but it all follows the general theme of particular human experience seeking universal expression through words. Now, we’re a bit contradictory in what we think that means, because on one hand we are committed to the idea that there are universal truths that are omnipresent in the human experience. However, we also believe those truths always manifest in unique and irreducible personal experiences and are understood and interpreted through the phenomenological processes of the mind. Nevertheless, we believe there is fecundity in this tension, and we encourage submitters to feel free to approach us with pieces from either end of the spectrum or play in the tension in between.

For a little more specific guidance about what we’re looking for, here’s what we like to see in poetry, prose, and essays.

Poetry: We are looking for pieces that exemplify the concept of organic form articulated by Denise Levertov. This is not the same as simple free verse, although the vast majority of organic form will almost certainly utilize free verse. The point of organic form is that within each experience, or series of experiences, behind poetic expression there lies an intrinsic form that orders the experience itself and its relationship to other experiences. The task of the poet is to not only authentically recount their experience but make explicit these implicit relationships, which is accomplished through the form the poem takes as it communicates the poetic moments of interest. Thus, while we are not seeking formal poetry as-such, we are definitely seeking poetry with form. As Levertov comments, most free verse poetry is simply organic form that stopped too soon before the intrinsic form of the experience could be realized.

Prose: We like prose that grapples with, and tries to say something about, the human condition. To that end, we are huge fans of the thesis advanced by Stanley Williams in The Moral Premise, which argues “successful motion pictures are always structured around a psychological (or spiritual) premise [the “moral premise”] based on true moral values, and how screenwriters can appropriate the structural elements of the moral premise to write successful movies.” Likewise, for us, the most enduring stories take some sort of moral premise as their starting point and then twist its elements into the structure of a story. Don’t get us wrong, this does not mean we want polemical or moralizing stories, but think about it: in tragedy it needs to be clear what the main character is transgressing (and at least implicitly understood why the transgression matters) in order for the hero’s fall to resonate properly. Stories that do not have a convoluted moral premise, or one that is at odds with common sense (without doing the work to establish the subversion, that is) simply don’t hit the same as stories that do. Therefore, what we really like are stories that attempt to operate in this space regardless of specific genre or content.

Essays: Right now we are interested only in craft essays on the writing process, and in particular on the theory that underlies creativity. Philosophical perspectives are preferred over technical ones, although both approaches are welcome.

Twin Lions Review is not currently seeking non-fiction outside of essays. Narrative non-fiction is considered with prose; if your submission is narrative non-fiction, please indicate it as such.

Photography and Art: We typically look for photography and art that features the character of Northeast Florida. In particular, we like pieces that capture a sense of “place” or suggest some kind of story behind the image.