Welcome to the The Cypress Dome submission page!

We are the University of Central Florida’s undergraduate literary magazine, running since 1989. Our hope is to craft a rich, creative environment at UCF through the celebration of diverse, innovative writing. Send us your breakup poems, mind-bending fiction, childhood tales, or maybe even your screenplay from two summers back.

The Cypress Dome is open to all UCF students, both undergraduate and graduate, enrolled full- or part-time, during any semester of the 2024-2025 academic year.

We take creative work of any kind, but we’re especially excited about writing that blends genres while maintaining a literary quality and offers fresh perspective to the reader.

You can submit to The Cypress Dome during Open Submission (November 15–December 31). You can submit up to two submissions, as described below. You can submit in one category or in two categories (e.g. 1 fiction story and 5 pieces of visual art, etc.) but only two total submissions will be accepted.

Optional Pre-Submission Feedback

We’re happy to offer an opportunity for brief feedback to the first 20 writers in each genre between the dates of October 18, 2024 and October 30, 2024. This pre-submission period does not count toward a submission for The Cypress Dome’s next issue. If you would like your piece to be considered for publication, you will need to submit your work during our Open Submissions period.

Open Submissions

November 15–December 31, 2024

Submission Categories (ONE submission equals):

Fiction — Our fiction team is eager for unique work that pushes boundaries of traditional genre and form. We accept short stories up to 6,000 words. Please make all submissions in double-spaced 12 pt. Times New Roman.

Nonfiction — Our creative nonfiction editors love writing that is immersive, heartfelt, and thought-provoking. We accept up to 6,000 words of writing including, but not limited to genres such as: memoir, personal essays, literary journalism, lyric essays, visual essays, and hybrid or experimental works. Please make all submissions in double-spaced 12 pt. Times New Roman.

Poetry — The poetry team at The Cypress Dome hope to publish work that is emotive and vulnerable. We accept a maximum of 3 poems submitted together in a single document, with each poem clearly separated. Please submit poems of any form in the layout and order intended for publication.

Other Categories:

Flash Fiction/Nonfiction – Maximum of 750 words, maximum 3 pieces, fiction or nonfiction (please specify genre in your cover letter).

Scripts & Plays – Maximum of 12 pages, single act only, adheres to all standard script formatting practices.

Graphic Narrative – Maximum of 4 pages, black and white, fiction or nonfiction (please specify genre in your cover letter)

Visual Art – Maximum of 5 pieces of artwork, including but not limited to: drawings, paintings, photography, digital art, and sculptures. Please note the genre in your cover art. If selected, the art must be a minimum of 300 DPI.

Final decisions on all work regardless of submission period will be made in the Spring when all submissions have been reviewed. Responses are usually sent by the beginning of April.

Submission Format:

If you are making two submissions of two separate genres, please specify that on your Cover Letter. The same Cover Letter should be submitted with each piece.

Cover Letters should include:

• Full name (as you would like printed in the magazine)
• Address
• Phone Number
• UCF email address (and an email you check regularly, if those are not the same)
• Academic status (graduate or undergraduate)
• The title(s) of submissions
• Submission category
• Content warnings (death, sexual trauma, violence, mental-health trauma, etc)
• Number of words per submission (if applicable)
• Medium of the work (*visual art only*)

Submissions Checklist

• Remove your name from all submitted work (excluding the cover letter)
• Include page numbers on all multi-page work
• For all text-based work, please format the font as 12 pt. Times New Roman 
• For all fiction and nonfiction, the piece should be double spaced
• For all text-based work, please submit a DOC or DOCX file
• If including non-standard formatting, you may submit as a PDF

How to Submit

• All submissions must be made through Submittable.
• Copy and paste your Cover Letter into the box(es) on the Submission Page.
• You will receive a confirmation email from Submittable when your submission is received.

Awards:

Awards are given for the strongest submissions in each category. The Cypress Dome editors will select the winning entries. A launch party and reading will be held upon the release of the magazine in late April 2024.

Contact Us:

Please be patient as we review your work. If you require more information on the submission process, or you have any issues submitting, please contact us at cdome@ucf.edu or contact our faculty advisor at Kathleen.Hohenleitner@ucf.edu. You may also schedule time to meet with a specific editor based on their availability. Please understand that we cannot discuss any of your pieces during the submission process, nor can we accept any cash, food, or small animals as gifts — your submissions are the only form of bribe we need.

We look forward to reading your work!