Santa Barbara Literary Journal
We are a small press, established in 2018, printing a biannual print journal of short stories, essays, poems, art, and lyrics. Occasionally we go a little nuts and publish a book or two.
What’s Out Now?
Santa Barbara Literary Journal
Volume 11:
“This Must Be the Place”
with cover art by Baret Boisson
now available on amazon!
Publications
Past Literary Events
Letter from the Editrix: Announcing the new Editor of Santa Barbara Literary Journal!
November 2024 Dear Reader, If you’ve found your way here, then this must be the place. But where? Lit Jo, of course. We’ve been a twice-yearly publication for the past five years, celebrating the creative community that is Santa Barbara and beyond. For Volume 11, we decided to focus on writers, artists, and muscians living in the next town over, namely Carpinteria. In part, we were inspired by Lantern Tree Books, the new bookstore in Carpinteria, owned by the bibliophile Louis Torres, who has...
This Must Be the Place: An Interview with Baret Boisson
by Silver Webb Silver: First of all, thank you for being so very generous in letting Lit Jo feature your art on the cover of Volume 11. The feeling of whimsy and color in your paintings made me think straight away that you were the kind of person I’d like to know, and so I’m delighted to speak with you and hear a little more about how you came to be a working artist with your own gallery space, with paintings in the homes of many people whose names we might recognize. Can we start with hearing...
Who is Lit Jo?
Silver Webb
Editrix and founder of Lit Jo
Maryanne Knight
Poetry Editor
Dennis Russell
Lyrics Editor
Solene Granatur
Assistant Editor
Calla Gold
Assistant Editor
Submission Guidelines
We are NOT currently accepting work. But stay tuned for Volume 12 call for submissions.
We accept short stories under 5,000 words. We will consider one short story per author per submission period. For flash, please send up to three pieces under 1,000 words each. Please only submit to one genre per submission period. We do not accept memoir. Submit up to 3 poems. Lyrics are by invitation only. We publish two issues yearly in print.
Your submission should include:
1. A short (3-4 sentence) biographical paragraph explaining who you are as an author. Include any websites/social media.
2. Let us know the total word count and the genre (if it defies genre, note that too).
We aim to respond within six weeks, although it is not always possible. Authors retain all rights to their work; we simply ask that you not publish it elsewhere during the first six months the Lit Jo issue is out.
Who can send us work? Everyone. Anyone. The more the merrier. We read all work with hopes of finding a masterpiece, and we select work solely on the basis of craft. You do not have to live in Santa Barbara to be published in the journal, but let us know if you’re from Santa Barbara or Carpinteria.
We accept simultaneous submissions, but let us know if your story is accepted elsewhere. We are not currently in a position to offer compensation for publication.