Weber—The Contemporary West has been a home for sharp, resonant writing and art since 1983, publishing work that explores the culture and environment of the West and the wider world. Under the new editorial team of Sunni Brown Wilkinson and Ukamaka Olisakwe, the journal is moving to a fully online format while keeping its signature blend of literature, interviews, and striking visual art. Their upcoming issue features conversations with poet Naomi Shihab Nye and climate activist Baja, alongside fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and artwork that speak to contemporary ecological and cultural concerns.

Submissions for the inaugural online issue are open until August 28. Weber welcomes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art; simultaneous submissions are fine; there’s no fee and no payment; and all work should be sent by email with your name and genre in the subject line. It’s an annual issue with monthly features and craft essays, and the editors are especially excited to see emerging voices in the mix.

HOPKINSON: Tell me a little bit about Weber—The Contemporary West. 

WILKINSON: Weber was established in 1983 and focuses on “the environment and culture of the contemporary western United States and across the world.” It has been a print publication for many years and has spotlighted some of the most prominent voices of the West alongside global writers. It has featured art, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as interviews with various artists, historians, writers, and environmentalists. It has published interviews and original work by highly reputable writers and thinkers, including most recently Brett Anthony Johnston, Tobias Wolff, and Louise Glück. My colleague Ukamaka Olisakwe and I are the new editors and will be taking the journal to a strictly online platform where we plan to continue highlighting excellent writing and art. In this first issue we’ll include interviews with poet Naomi Shihab Nye and international climate activist Baja, who both just visited Weber State University’s campus this last Spring. 

HOPKINSON: Who is your target reader audience? 

WILKINSON: A lot of our readers are those who live in the Intermountain West, but really we offer top-notch literature that anyone curious about the culture and environment of the West and beyond would appreciate. The art in the journal has been and will continue to be a pivotal part of each issue. The print issues have been some of the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen, with full color sections of original art that poignantly connects with the interviews and themes of each issue. We plan to keep that aesthetic, so anyone who appreciates contemporary art will enjoy it too. 

HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for in submissions? 

WILKINSON: We’re looking for the best fiction, nonfiction, and poetry out there, particularly if it connects in some way to cultural and environmental issues. We want work that engages sharp imagery, interesting subjects, and original language.

HOPKINSON: What do you wish you’d see submitted, but rarely comes in? 

WILKINSON: We’d love to see younger, up-and-coming writers in our pages. While we love seeing established voices in academia and the writing and art worlds, we are very interested in emerging writers too. 

HOPKINSON: What are some of your favorite lit mags/journals?

WILKINSON: I personally love New Ohio Review, Sugarhouse Review, Water-Stone Review, and Willow Springs.

My co-editor Uka Olisakwe loves Granta and Guernica, and also runs her own online journal called Isele Magazine. 

HOPKINSON: What is your favorite part of being on staff with Weber—The Contemporary West?

WILKINSON: I’ve loved reading this journal over the years for its poignant interviews and often ecologically-related short stories and poetry and am excited to be on the editing end. My co-editor Uka is a prose writer from Nigeria and I am a poet from Utah, so we will make an interesting combination. We’re both very interested in quality literature and art both locally and worldwide. 

HOPKINSON: Where can we send submissions? 

WILKINSON: All submissions should be emailed to: submissions@weber.edu. Just put your name and your genre (i.e. art, poetry, fiction, nonfiction) in the subject line so we can keep the genres separate. 

HOPKINSON: If someone has a question, how can they contact you? 

WILKINSON: Anyone is welcome to email me directly at sunniwilkinson@weber.edu. 

HOPKINSON: Is there anything exciting coming up you’d like to mention? 

WILKINSON: Since we are new at the helm of the journal and moving to online only, we’re anxious to spread the word about the new “look” of Weber and want as many submissions as possible to select from. Uka and I will be teaching a master’s course this fall on publishing and editing that offers grad students a chance to read, discuss, and select submissions, and we’re really hoping they have a wide variety of submissions to read! So please submit! We want this inaugural issue of the “new” journal to be gorgeous. 

Click here to read submission guidelines.

• SUBMISSION DEADLINE: August 28th
• FORMAT: Online 
• SUBMISSION FEE: None 
• PAYMENT: No payment
• ISSUE FREQUENCY: Annual issue with monthly features and craft essays. 
• AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME: 3-6 months
• SUBMISSION METHOD: Email
• SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Yes
• FORMS: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Artwork
• LISTINGS: Chill Subs, Duotrope
• SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook

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