FAQs

What is Ampersand?

Ampersand, formerly known as Muse, is an arts & letter magazine (or also known as a literary magazine) made by the students of Washington & Lee University. Our goal is to showcase the amazing work of our peers and highlight the creative energy that runs through our campus.

Ampersand is the term for the fancy “and” symbol: &. The symbol can be found within the University’s name of Washington & Lee University. It also represents the varied inclusion and breadth of the composition of the magazine, which the word “and” implies. Our goal is simple yet crucial — to showcase literature and art in all its myriad forms on campus.

Can I submit if I’m not a W&L student?

At this time, we are only featuring works created by current W&L students (both undergraduate and law). If you are not a W&L student, we recommend seeing if you can submit your work to Shenandoah, a literary magazine (also founded by W&L faculty and undergraduates) that takes submissions from everyone.

What can I submit?

Anything you consider art! Truly, submit anything that can be sent as an email attachment. We encourage you to be creative.

Typically, we get submissions for poetry, prose, fiction, nonfiction, photography, and art. But we’ve also had submissions of Instagram posts, comics, photographs of their sculptures, essays, papers, and more. So, again, as long as you consider it art, submit it!

What if I’m not artistic and don’t have anything to submit?

You don’t need to be a Studio Art, Art History, English, or Creative Writing student to submit to Ampersand. Art is subjective and we get that! We believe that everyone is artistic, even if it’s unconventional.

Do you have a photo of a sunset sitting in your photo album that you can’t delete because you like it that much? Submit it. Do you have a Spotify playlist that’s just absolutely perfect? Send us the link. Do you have a text conversation that was worded so well? Screenshot it and email it to us. Art can be found everywhere, don’t limit yourself.

What is this year’s magazine theme?

We don’t know! We normally like to look at all of the submissions and see what common themes we see in our favorite pieces. This may change in the future, and if so, we will be sure to communicate with you all on our Instagram.

How do I submit to Ampersand?

Please check the submission guidelines.

How many things can I submit? How many times can I email/submit?

Submit as many pieces as you’d like! Submit as many emails as you’d like, so long as you’re following our submission policy and it’s before the deadline!

Do the works we submit have to be from this year?

Nope! If you have something you did years ago but are still proud of, feel free to submit it.

Can I submit things anonymously?

You have to submit using an email address, so it will not be anonymous. But you can request that your work is by an anonymous person. To do this, you need to state in your email that you would like to remain anonymous. Please refer to the submission guidelines for further clarification.

Can I resubmit something I sent last year?

Of course! We get lots of great submissions each year and often have to cut out some of our favorites. However, we don’t normally encourage resubmissions, so try to submit something new if you can!

Will I get the chance to edit my writing or my photos before publication?

Unlike other literary magazines, we try to respect the original submission and avoid editing as much as possible. We typically don’t edit the submission, so there won’t be any back and forth or edits exchanged. With that being said, you should submit as close to the final piece as possible, but you can indicate otherwise and we will take that into account.

Do you accept submissions that are not written in English?

Only if you provide an English translation with the original text! We do not take translated works at the time (i.e., translations of texts that are not originally your own work). If you are planning to submit something that is primarily written in another language besides English, it must be your own work. Please refer to the submission guidelines for further clarification.

We also encourage students who want to submit works in Spanish to also submit to Pluma, which is W&L’s Spanish magazine.

If I submit something, is it guaranteed to be featured in the magazine?

Unfortunately, we cannot accept every submission and feature them (though we would love to!). If your piece does not get accepted in this year’s magazine, please try again next year!

What about copyright? Do I retain the copyright of my work?

All published contributors retain full copyright in their work. We only publish your works because you agree to do so. You are free to withdraw a piece from publication even if we have selected it to be featured in the next volume, as long as you let us know.

Anyone wishing to reproduce a piece that has been featured should contact the student. Upon request, Ampersand may put requestors in contact with the student.

Have any other questions?

Please email wlu.ampersand@gmail.com if you have additional questions.