In our conversation, Schoenegge talks about the magazine’s origins, their careful editorial approach, and the kind of writing that stays with them. She also shares a few hopes for what they’d love to see more of in the queue, plus news about their 2026 prizes (opening in May, free to enter, with $200 awards). Read the full interview and all the details below on how to submit your work to Broad Ripple Review.
HOPKINSON: Tell me a little bit about Broad Ripple Review.
SCHOENEGGE: Broad Ripple Review is an independent literary magazine publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry on a quarterly basis. Our quarterly issues appear online, with small print runs of our annual prize issue available exclusively at AWP.
The magazine was founded from the belief that careful reading still matters and that literary journals remain essential spaces for that kind of attention. We are drawn to writing that is finely crafted and deeply felt, work that balances narrative movement with interior complexity and language shaped with intention and care.
Because we publish a relatively small number of pieces each issue, our editorial approach is intentionally selective and guided by care. The goal is not exclusivity for its own sake, but to ensure that each piece we publish has space to matter and receives the attention it deserves.
In addition to the magazine, we maintain Afterwords: The BRR Blog, where we publish critical book reviews and interviews with writers. We also conduct interviews with our contributors in that space. Looking ahead, we hope to expand further by opening submissions to translations in the coming year.
HOPKINSON: How/why was Broad Ripple Review originally started?
SCHOENEGGE: Broad Ripple Review was launched from the belief that careful reading still matters and that new literary magazines remain essential spaces for that care. Journals continue to play an important role in sustaining literary culture by creating room for risk, complexity, and voices that may not yet have a home elsewhere.
Each new journal represents a renewed commitment to listening. Our goal has always been to build a space where language can deepen experience rather than simplify it, and where writers and readers can meet through attentive engagement with the work.
HOPKINSON: Who is your target reader audience?
SCHOENEGGE: Our readers tend to be people who care deeply about literature and about the craft of writing. Many are writers themselves, but just as many are attentive readers who enjoy encountering work that asks something of them.
We hope to publish pieces that reward close reading while remaining emotionally accessible. Ideally, a Broad Ripple Review piece continues unfolding in the reader’s mind long after the page is finished.
HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for in submissions?
SCHOENEGGE: We are drawn to writing that is finely crafted and deeply felt. Across genres, we look for work that balances narrative movement with interior complexity and language shaped with intention and care.
Pieces that stay with us often trust image, structure, and voice to carry meaning rather than relying on explanation. We are especially interested in work that surprises us on the page, challenges our expectations, and lingers after the reading experience is over.
Because we publish a relatively small number of pieces each issue, our editorial process is very deliberate. The goal is not exclusivity for its own sake but care. We want each piece we publish to feel necessary and fully realized.
HOPKINSON: What do you wish you’d see submitted, but rarely comes in?
SCHOENEGGE: While we are at our core a literary publication, we would welcome more strong literary fiction that carries a slight speculative or horror inflection. Work in the spirit of writers like Carmen Maria Machado or Shirley Jackson often occupies that space where literary craft and unsettling imagination meet.
Pieces like this sit somewhat on the periphery of our usual aesthetic, but when they are finely crafted and emotionally resonant, they can be incredibly compelling. We are always interested in work that stretches the edges of literary fiction while remaining attentive to language, structure, and emotional depth.
HOPKINSON: What are some of your favorite lit mags/journals?
SCHOENEGGE: The Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, A Public Space, Pleiades, The Georgia Review, and so many more.
HOPKINSON: What is your favorite part of being on staff with the Broad Ripple Review?
SCHOENEGGE: The collaboration. Broad Ripple Review is sustained by a team of volunteer readers and editors who care deeply about literature and about giving submissions careful attention.
Watching a piece move from the submission queue to publication is incredibly rewarding, especially knowing that many people were involved in reading, discussing, and championing that work.
HOPKINSON: Where can we send submissions?
SCHOENEGGE: Submissions can be sent through our submission manager: https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/broad-ripple-review-vGnmj
HOPKINSON: If someone has a question, how can they contact you?
SCHOENEGGE: Our website (www.broadripplereview.com) has a contact form.
HOPKINSON: Is there anything exciting coming up you’d like to mention?
SCHOENEGGE: In May we will open to submissions for our 2026 prizes in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Unlike most prizes or contests, entering is free and each winner receives $200.
Click here to read submission guidelines.
- SUBMISSION DEADLINE: always open
- FORMAT: Online and print
- SUBMISSION FEE: None
- PAYMENT: Honorarium, with the exact amount to vary from issue to issue depending on the generosity of those who give to our tip jar when submitting
- ISSUE FREQUENCY: Quarterly
- AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME: less than 30 days
- SUBMISSION METHOD: Duosuma
- SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Yes
- FORMS: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Reviews, Interviews
- LISTINGS: Chill Subs, Duotrope, CLMP
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram, Bluesky
If you like this post, please share with your writerly friends and/or follow me on Facebook, Blue Sky, or Instagram. You can see all the FREE resources my site offers poets/writers on my Start Here page.