Avalon Literature & Arts Magazine
History of Avalon
Started in 2002, Avalon takes its name from the legendary island of Arthurian myth. It is a place, in the words of two former editors, “to indulge your fantasies” and a place that “engages your imagination.”
That magazine began publishing as an all-volunteer student organization. It was originally created, edited, and published by Shenandoah students and for Shenandoah students under the sponsorship of the English Department and faculty advisor Dr. Jack Balcer. Avalon continued as a volunteer project through 2012 when it went on hiatus. Dr. Sarah Canfield revived the magazine in Spring 2016 and, in Fall 2016, began offering the first credit-bearing courses for work on the magazine. Since then, Avalon has continued to provide both an imaginative space for students to express themselves and a practical environment for them to learn the management of magazine editing and publishing.
Having taken the reigns from Dr. Canfield in Spring 2023, Dr. Jon Udelson is the latest faculty advisor for the magazine. With his guidance, the publication seeks to raise its online profile and, in the near future, open submissions to students beyond Shenandoah University, hopefully (someday) turning Avalon into a national hub of student literature and arts.
The Avalon crew is reachable at avalon@jdzruiran.com. Feel free to drop us a query, or regale us with a tale.
Submit Your Works
Submit your short stories, poetry, creative nonfiction, visual art, musical compositions, 10-minute plays, etc. to Avalon. Please submit one piece of work at a time. You may submit up to 10 works in total.
All submissions must be original and not part of existing IPs (intellectual properties).
For Short Stories, Poetry, Scripts:
- No longer than 10 pages
- 12-point Times New Roman font
- Double spaced
- Word Document format
For Visual Art and Musical Notations:
- Must be submitted as a high-quality JPG
If you have any further questions about submission guidelines, please email us at avalon@jdzruiran.com.
