Impressions

History of Impressions

Originally an extra-curricular activity, since 2005 Impressions has been a co-curricular publication through the Literary Publications class. Faculty members of the Arts and Letters Department have served as advisors to the publication.

In most recent years Impressions has been entered in the North Dakota Professional Communicators College Publication contest. Editions published in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2008 won first prize; the editions of 2002, and 2009 placed second; the 2005 edition finished 3rd; and Impressions 2007 received an honorable mention. For several years the student editors were members of the Eta Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, and the 2002 edition of the magazine placed second in the national competition. The North Dakota State Library Association has also honored Impressions as an outstanding state government publication. The magazine is archived in Stoxen Library and the State Library in Bismarck.

The individual authors wholly own all future rights to material published in the magazine, and any reproduction or reprinting, in whole or in part, may be done only with their permission. The opinions and representations contained in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, university administration, or faculty.

Submission Guidelines

Whom do we publish?

Impressions considers submissions by Dickinson State University students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as regional high school students.

What do we publish?

Submissions of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, two-dimensional art, and photography are welcome. Nonfiction includes the personal essay, as well as other essays that demonstrate artful language. We only accept unpublished work, unless we solicit published work from you. Once we have published your work, you are free to publish it elsewhere. We hold first- and one-time rights only.

Additionally, this year’s volume, the 34th, will take advantage of being non-print. To that end, you may submit music you’ve recorded, poems / stories you’ve read aloud (e.g. on YouTube), blogs you’ve written, and any podcasts you may have done. Simply share a link to your creative work. Examples are YouTube recordings. Make sure your electronic submissions allow for anyone with the link to view (i.e. privacy settings are set to public). 

Up to 3,000 words, double-spaced, one-inch margins, and 12-point type, with sequentially numbered pages. Longer pieces of exceptional quality will be considered. Short stories and excerpts from longer works are acceptable, so long as the excerpts stand on their own. Please omit personal identifying info from the manuscript itself.

Up to 3,000 words, double-spaced, one-inch margins, and 12-point type, with sequentially numbered pages. Longer pieces of exceptional quality will be considered. Excerpts from longer works are acceptable, so long as the excerpts stand on their own. Please omit personal identifying info from the manuscript itself.

Four poems maximum, double-spaced, with 12-point type. Submit all poems in one document. Please omit personal identifying info from the manuscript itself.

Between three and nine JPEGs, maximum width of 1000 pixels, maximum height of 600 pixels, resolution of 300 dpi. Each image should have a title.

Four pieces maximum, scanned and converted to JPEG, maximum width of 1000 pixels, maximum height of 600 pixels, and resolution of 300 dpi. Each piece should have a title.

Music performance, short story / poem readings, podcasts.

Blogs, Google Docs files with original writings.

Are all subjects welcome?

All subjects are welcome so long as they are treated with literary or artistic purpose. Submissions will be commented on by the staff before we make a decision to publish or not publish it. No single editor’s taste will determine which submissions are accepted. A consensus must be reached.

Submission Deadline

May 2024. Please email your work / links to Niles Haich, niles.haich@dickinsonstate.edu. Questions can also be directed to Niles Haich.

Current Volume

Volume 34
 
Volume 34 will celebrate its top submissions with a "Torn Page Tour." If your work is deserving, it will be recognized by being printed and distributed at North Dakota coffee shops and libraries. 

Archives

Impressions, Volume 33

View the Impressions archive.