SUBMISSIONS
The Dylan Review welcomes submissions at any time of year. We aim to reply promptly, though sometimes the editorial and peer-review process means authors may wait several months for a decision. Please email editors@dylanreview.org with any questions.
All submissions must follow the Dylan Review Style Guide. If you have questions, please consult Angus Gibson, angusgibson@dylanreview.org.
Please send all submissions through our form, below. Files must be uploaded in Microsoft Word format, either as a .doc file or a .docx file. If you encounter an issue when submitting the form, please send your submission to editors@dylanreview.org
Reviews
The Dylan Review seeks qualified reviewers for books, albums, exhibits, films, and other media relevant to the field of Bob Dylan studies. Reviews should run between 2,000 and 5,000 words, unless the editors specifically grant an exception.
We’re happy to grant reviewers wide latitude in terms of approach and style, as long as the review maintains a critical perspective on the work at hand. Please query before submitting a review, as the editors are actively pairing reviewers and new releases and may have already assigned your proposed title.
Articles
Article submissions should address an informed readership and avoid rehearsing familiar aspects of Dylan’s discography and biography, or even the more familiar criticism. (For example, articles should avoid repeating the global repercussions of Dylan’s “going electric” at Newport in 1965, and should understand the “borrowing” method of his late-era songwriting as a widely known fact.)
The Dylan Review is research-driven and the editors reserve the right to reject article submissions that do not contain an appropriate scholarly apparatus. Like the best imaginative scholarship, articles should engage all dimensions of Dylan’s work – musical, poetic, philosophical, political, and cultural – with clarity and originality.
Upon submitting a manuscript, contributors will receive email confirmation. The editors will then determine if the manuscript merits consideration by outside reviewers. The peer review process can take up to twelve weeks from the time of submission. After the reviews are completed, the editors will contact the contributor with feedback and our publication decision. If the reviewers recommend revisions, and the contributor agrees to the changes, the editors will work with the author to establish a timeline for revision.
Proposals
The editors encourage proposals for articles, Song and Essay Forum contributions, or reviews of books, art exhibitions, albums, and performances. Please provide a brief abstract of the topic, in addition to an expected word count.
SONG and ESSAY FORUM
The Dylan Review welcomes essay submissions on topics pertaining to Bob Dylan studies. This forum allows greater focus on the author’s voice as it thinks through a topic or question; some may be persuasive, others speculative. Some may rely on personal experience, such as pivotal encounters with Dylan’s work, while others might discuss critical questions or issues for fans to consider. Important new findings from the archives make good essays, as do new readings of one or several songs. These essays should range from 2,000 – 5,000 words, save for special exemptions from the editors. They may or may not include citations, but in every case strive to keep the scholarly apparatus from intruding on the reading experience.
Poetry
The Dylan Review welcomes submissions of poetry inspired by Bob Dylan’s work, including Dylan’s music, lyrics, performances, sculpture, and painting. There is no length limit – short or long – or prescribed form or style. We will consider submissions of up to five poems, no more than once every six months.
Letters
The editors invite letters and comments. As much as possible, please confine commentary to topics raised in articles or interviews in the Dylan Review, at least as a starting place for your remarks.
