Current Anne Arundel Community College students and alumni may submit twice a year to Amaranth. Additionally, staff members may submit to the journal, as all of our submissions are reviewed anonymously.

Amaranth is seeking poetry, short stories, micro-fiction, creative non-fiction, personal essays, digital and physical visual art, photography and more. We encourage you to give your work a creative title and to check for any and all errors, as these will be discussed in the voting process. 

Each annual publication is a new chance to share your creative work with the world, and each year’s unique staff develops their own personal taste. All AACC students and alumni are encouraged to submit whatever works they are proud of–we love seeing what the community can create!

We generally give all pieces a chance to be accepted, however we refrain from accepting works that include slurs or hateful language, gratuitous violence and gore, overtly sexual themes, and/or suspected use of AI.

Nudity is allowed in artwork, photography, and other forms of art. Nudity for shock value will not be considered.  

Work that requires a trigger warning is allowed. However, the severity of the content will be evaluated. 

We value the creative process and original work. We do not accept any submissions that we suspect may have been aided by or created with the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence. 

While we recognize the potential artistic merit within fan art and fan fiction, we value originality, innovation, and pieces that can stand alone. As a result, we may reject these kinds of submissions. 

The CADE building has multiple digital art classrooms with easy-to-use scanners. CADE316 is recommended.

Please take a high quality photograph of your artwork and attach it using Submittable. Keep in mind that lighting is very important. Titles are also an integral part of the selection process, so don’t forget to think about titles for your artwork.

The cover letter is optional for Amaranth. However, it is encouraged to use the cover letter as an opportunity to tell us what genres your writing uses or what materials your artwork is made of. Additionally, it is good practice for submitting to literary journals in general.

There are two reading periods when Amaranth accepts submissions: our Summer/Fall submission period from August to December, and our Winter/Spring submission period from January to February. The reading period in the spring is short in order to allow staff sufficient time to consider all work before the printing deadlines. Visit our Submittable page for specific dates.

Unfortunately, Amaranth receives hundreds of pieces throughout the school year and cannot provide feedback for all of them. However, if you are interested in getting feedback from our staff prior to submitting, keep an eye out for the date of our yearly anonymous workshop! You may also sign up for creative writing classes in order to have your pieces workshopped. 

Normally Amaranth is printed in April and released at the end of the month. Circumstances permitting, there is an annual release party to honor the contributors and staff and to thank our donors. Contributors are encouraged to read selections from the published work at the end of the night. This year’s journal release party is May 6.

Students may sign up to perform original poetry, songs, stand up, karaoke, or anything else they can perform in under 7 minutes! There is plenty of time for students to socialize and partake in the free coffee, tea, and snacks we provide. Refer to our News and Events page for coffeehouse dates.

Joining Amaranth is simple! Join the club on the Nest first, then start coming to meetings in-person or virtually! Vote on packets, come to coffeehouse, and/or join the officers! (Graphic Designer, Editor-in-Chief, etc…) Job openings will be posted on our website!