Our Work, Roots & Vision

Chapter House Journal is an Indigenous-centered online literary journal committed to publishing and uplifting Indigenous thought and language. We understand Indigenous literature as an expansive living practice, one shaped by relation to land, to language, to kinship, to memory. These relations inform not only the work we publish, but also how we approach editorial collaboration and the structures through which Indigenous writing reaches readers. 

We want to make space for work that is still becoming: writing that takes risks, art that asks new questions, experiments with language and form, and creative practices rooted in the relationships, histories, places, and communities that shape Native life. This might include poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, personal essays, visual art, photography, sound art, interviews, collaborative projects, translations, experimental writing, or work that does not fit neatly into a single category. 

We are interested in pieces that move between Native languages and English; engage oral traditions, family histories, archives, and community knowledge; experiment with visual or sonic form; or explore relationships to land, identity, memory, and belonging.

Housed within the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Low Residency MFA Program, we publish issues on a biannual basis; all submissions, including solicitations, are read by our editorial team, which includes IAIA MFA students and faculty advisors. Our editors also manage publication decisions, website design, and blog content. 

Submission Guidelines 

Chapter House Journal accepts submissions twice a year:

• Fall/Winter Reading Period: November 1 – December 31
• Spring/Summer Reading Period: May 1 – June 30

While the following guidelines are organized by these categories, we recognize that creative work often resists clear boundaries and that many submissions may inhabit the space between them. We encourage work that experiments with form, challenges convention, and expands our understanding of what writing can be. If your work does not fit neatly within a single category, we invite you to submit it under the closest applicable genre.

We also welcome simultaneous submissions, but please notify us promptly via our online system if your work is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept previously published work, including material that has appeared on personal blogs or websites.

Rights & Publication

We request first North American serial rights and non-exclusive electronic rights to publish your work on our website. All rights revert to the author upon publication. If your work is reprinted elsewhere—digitally or in print—we ask that Chapter House Journal be credited as the original publisher.