Submission Guidelines

Issue III Theme: The Center Will Not Hold

Joan Didion described the collapse of order in 1960s California as “The center will not hold”. Inspired by W.B. Yeats, it names the precise moment when foundations give way. The social, the structural, the personal. At its core, the phrase points to the unraveling of being that, until now, held itself together. In the present climate, to write about this unraveling is an intimate act, and a strange, necessary work of finding language for a world that refuses to cohere.

The Yesterday Review follows an annual publishing model. Our reading period is April-August.

​Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere. You can also submit more than one work but please send them in different documents.

​We announce themes for each issue, but they are merely rough guidelines – we do not want to limit your creativity and are flexible with form.

Include trigger warnings if your work contains sensitive material.

​A brief third-person bio in the body of the email would also be appreciated, as well as any socials you would want attached to your submission.

​

Please send your submissions as a Word document or a pdf file here: theyesterdayreview[at]gmail.com.

​

FOR PROSE AND ESSAYS: 500-2000 words

FOR POETRY: Submit up to 5 poems in one document

FOR ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY: Submit up to 5 works of art or photography attached as a .jpeg, .jpg, .png, or .pdf file.

As an independently run literary magazine, we have a small staff, so we won’t be able to provide individual feedback. We also try to send timely rejection emails but if you did not hear back from us by mid-October 2026, your submission was not selected. You are free to find a new home for your work. Thank you for considering us and for your patience. We wish you all the best!