ABOUT

The Bayleaf, Marywood's premiere journal of literature and art, publishes the work of undergraduate student writers and artists. The Bayleaf is published in the fall and spring semesters.

Submission Guidelines

The Bayleaf accepts only original student work and strongly discourages resubmissions.


Artwork

  • All submissions should come in a format that will be easy to work with.

  • The Bayleaf encourages students to submit their artwork as an attached file to mubayleaf@gmail.com.

  • The artist's name should not appear on the work, but a cover sheet should be provided stating (1.) the artist's name, (2.) the title of the work(s) submitted, (3.) your major and year, and (4.) your local or campus mailing address and phone number.

  • Non-electronic submissions should come in a protective casing.

  • The Bayleaf is not responsible for any damage incurred to artwork in the submission process.

  • Properly submitted work will be returned to the artist shortly before publication.


Manuscripts

  • Poems, short stories, essays, or any other reasonably short genre of writing will be considered for publication.

  • The Bayleaf encourages students to submit their manuscripts as an attached file saved in Microsoft Word to mubayleaf@gmail.com.

  • All work must be typed in a legible font, such as Courier New, Times New Roman, or Arial. Handwritten entries will not be accepted.

  • Do not underline or put the title of your work in quotation marks.

  • Include title and page number in the upper right corner of each page of all submissions.

  • If you are more comfortable submitting your work the traditional way, please put your work(s) with individual cover pages into a manila envelope. Label it "Bayleaf Submission" and take it to the campus mailing center.

  • Submissions received without any sort of identification will become the property of The Bayleaf and will not be considered for publication.


The Bayleaf will accept a maximum of five submissions per student.

The editorial staff, comprised of Marywood undergraduate students, reviews all work democratically and anonymously. Submission due dates for each issue will be announced. The Bayleaf will not accept late material or any submission that fails to meet the journal's submission guidelines. Prizes will be awarded for the best literature and art submissions.

Remember to submit work that you have honed to the best of your ability. The courage to experiment, express, and create are the roots from which The Bayleaf is nourished.

For more information, contact Dr. Helen Bittel at bittel@marywood.edu or (570) 348-6219.

Contact The Bayleaf staff at mubayleaf@gmail.com.


Submission Guidelines

  • All entries---artworks and writing---must be inspired by this year's theme, “Social Responsibility, Dialogue, and Justice” which is the descriptive title of one of Marywood’s new general education integrative core learning pathways and inspired by Marywood University's Core Values. Students may respond to any aspect of the theme, broadly or specifically.

  • One entry per student. We only accept original student work.

  • Open to all Marywood undergraduate students as well as 11th and 12th grade students in northeast Pennsylvania. Any student (first-time or transfer) applying to Marywood’s Art, Communication Arts, Modern Language, and Literature Departments (regardless of residence) is also eligible to participate.

  • All entries must follow the guidelines listed below.

Artwork

  • All mediums accepted so long as the work is light enough to hang with double sided sticky tape without falling due to excessive weight.

  • Size: 8.5" x 11" (portrait or landscape)

  • The student’s name should not appear on the work. Use the cover sheet provided.

  • Download the Bayleaf Open Cover Sheet

Creative Writing Manuscripts

  • Poems, short stories, or creative nonfiction essays of no more than five double-spaced pages will be considered for this competition. All work must be typed in a legible font and submitted via the Google Forms Writing Submission links below.

  • Note: at the event, you will be asked to limit your reading to a two-page excerpt.

  • All work must be typed in a legible font and submitted via the Google Forms Writing Submission links below.

  • The student’s name should not appear on the work. Use the cover sheet provided.

  • Download the Bayleaf Open Cover Sheet

Persuasive Writing Manuscripts

  • Participants will submit persuasive editorials related to any aspect of the theme suitable for publication in a university newspaper. The length should be approximately 500 words.

  • All work must be typed in a legible font and submitted via the Google Forms below.

  • The student’s name should not appear on the work. Use the cover sheet provided.

  • Download the Bayleaf Open Cover Sheet




Prizes

Prizes


For High School Students:

  • Three $1,000 Marywood University scholarships will be awarded to high school juniors: one in Art, one in Creative Writing, and one in Persuasive Writing

  • Three $1,000 Marywood University scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors or transfer students: one in Art, one in Creative Writing, and one in Persuasive Writing

  • The winning Art and Creative Writing entries will be published in The Bayleaf, Marywood’s art and literary magazine. The winning Persuasive Writing entries will be published in The Wood Word, Marywood’s newspaper.

  • Honorable mentions may also be awarded. The committee will invite the creators of additional selected entries to read or present their work at the Bayleaf Open event in April.


For current Marywood students:

  • Three $200 gift certificates will be awarded to the winners: one in Art, one in Creative Writing, and one in Persuasive Writing

  • The winning Art and Creative Writing entries will be published in The Bayleaf, Marywood’s art and literary magazine.

  • The winning Persuasive Writing entries will be published in The Wood Word, Marywood’s newspaper.

  • Honorable mentions may also be awarded. The committee will invite the creators of additional selected entries to read or present their work at the Bayleaf Open event in April.


Important Notes:

  • Artwork will not be returned by mail.

  • All art participants will have the opportunity to retrieve their artwork from the Learning Commons

  • Participants will be notified of the last date to retrieve items before all uncollected artwork will be discarded

  • All works submitted to Bayleaf Open may be used for publicity including sharing the works and artist names on social media