06/03/2021
Work is underway on the milestone fifth issue of the Finger Lakes-based literary magazine Bluff & Vine. With release planned for the fall of 2021, the editors encourage area writers to submit their fiction, nonfiction and poetry by Sept. 15, 2021.
“Since we announced that we’re accepting submissions on a rolling basis last year, we’ve been receiving a steady stream of material, but we’d love to start seeing more as we ramp up for Issue Five,” says Bethany Snyder, one of the magazine’s co-founders. “If you’ve been tinkering with something that you want to share with the world, now’s the perfect time.”
In its first three issues, Bluff & Vine focused on the region around Keuka Lake, but starting last year, Snyder and fellow editor Alex Andrasik expanded the field to focus on the entire Finger Lakes region. That wider view has allowed a more diverse collection of voices and subject matter to flourish in the publication.
“We’d love to hear even more perspectives that explore the nuances of the Finger Lakes,” Andrasik says. “We’re always humbled by the depth of thoughtfulness and creativity in the submissions we receive.”
For Andrasik and Snyder, one of the ongoing joys of creating each issue is working through the dozens of submissions from both new and established voices.
“Opening our submissions inbox is the best, because we see the names of writers we’ve worked with and published before, and it feels like we’ve created this family of artists,” Snyder says. “But we also love to receive work from names that are new to us, or from parts of the region our issues haven’t covered before. Every issue is like a process of discovery for us.”
To become a part of that discovery process, Snyder and Andrasik encourage you to review the magazine’s submission guidelines at bluffandvine.com/submissions, and then to send your work to bluffandvine@gmail.com.
“Every year, we field a few questions like, ‘Is this what you’re looking for?’ or ‘Would this fit?’” Andrasik says. “The short answer is that we’re open to a broad range of content. If your work evokes the beautiful Finger Lakes region in some way, we’d love to consider it.”
