Mission Statement – The Bournemouth Journal

The Bournemouth Journal is dedicated to publishing work of exceptional quality by a diverse range of writers and visual artists. We enjoy supporting writers based in the Southwest of England or who write about themes close to our home and hearts, but our reach is global and our tastes eclectic. Therefore, writers from anywhere on the planet are encouraged to send us their very best work, including but not limited to LGBTQIA+ writers, BIPOC writers, female-identifying writers, unpublished writers, writers with disabilities, and economically marginalized writers. In line with our commitment to support historically marginalised and under-represented groups, our submission fee is waived for all BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and/or disabled writers.

Our rotating team of editors ensures that our tastes are constantly refreshed. Yet, we consistently gravitate toward inventive, unconventional work that defies genre boundaries. At the same time, we welcome traditional pieces—provided they weave a certain magic. A contradiction? Definitely—and we embrace it. We’re drawn to anything that reflects the raw, vibrant complexity of being human. Please submit work primarily written in English, but some code-switching between languages and dialects is welcomed. We welcome all types of writing: from first-person memoir to completely invented worlds. We are genre-agnostic and stylistically promiscuous. Send us your mutations and mashups. We also enjoy a good, old-fashioned yarn with a well-crafted plot.

We remain realistic about our readership, which is modest, and recognise our contributors as our primary constituency. As the journal is still in its infancy, issues are only available in a print-on-demand format and contributions are unpaid. But through our platform, we wish to boost the accomplishments of select writers and artists amplifying their reputations by providing a platform to showcase their work.

The Bournemouth Journal also produces annual outreach anthologies honouring the work of various UK-based writing collectives. And working in partnership with the Bournemouth Writing Festival, we judge, edit and produce the annual Bournemouth Writing Prize, which offers an annual award of £500 for poetry and £500 for prose.

Current staff and students working on the Bournemouth Journal and/or the Bournemouth Writing Prize should not submit to us. Do not submit AI generated, or previously published work. No erotica, ultra-violence, or hate-speech, please. Include content warnings for anything that might potentially upset readers.