Appalachia  is a twice-a-year journal of essays about wilderness, mountain and river adventure, and  environmental science, published by the Appalachian Mountain Club and edited by Christine Woodside. We also publish poetry.

We welcome narrative, historical, and science essays on the following  topics: mountain, wilderness, and backcountry adventure; technical  climbing; canoeing and kayaking; nature and climate change; and land  ethics. We work far ahead and publish twice a year. We consider it our mission to encourage and work with new writers, as well as seasoned  ones. The editor-in-chief solicits most lead feature stories several  months ahead. 

Deadlines

Story proposals should reach the editor-in-chief eight months ahead of publication: April 1 for December publication, October 1 for June publication.

Manuscripts sent on speculation may arrive as late as seven months ahead of publication: May 1 for December publication, November 1 for June publication.

Letters to the editor, suggestions for obituaries in our “In Memoriam” section, and short items for our “News and Notes” section may arrive five months ahead: July 1 for December publication, January 1 for June publication.

Format

Most articles run between 1,000 and 3,000 words. Some measure as short  at 500 words, and our longest are 5,000. Please double-space your document, use Times New Roman 12-point font, and send submissions electronically, if possible.

Artwork

Photographs or drawings accompany most of our articles and are  usually provided by the authors. We also publish a limited number of  standalone photos that evoke the mountains, and we welcome high-quality freelance submissions.

Poetry

Original poems about the above topics are also welcome. Shorter poems are preferred. We try to publish poems that take the reader into the  wild and focus almost exclusively on natural subjects. The kinds of  poems we publish tend to deal with specific times, places, and events.  They are usually simple but telling observations, clearly presented. We  often receive fine poems with a natural setting, but the ultimate aim of  such poems lies in the human world of relationships. The Appalachia  poem, if there is such a thing, addresses the natural world directly. Reading our journal will show you, better than my words, the type of poem we tend to take. Appalachia Poetry prize, given occasionally since 1972. 

Submit a maximum of six poems with a maximum of 36 lines each. 

Six to eight poems are published per issue, which makes this the most  competitive section of the journal; on average, one in 50 submissions  is accepted. 

Editing

All work is subject to editing. We make every effort to work cooperatively with authors in the early stages of production and to explain editing decisions. Deadlines usually make last-minute communication with authors impossible.