Cantos is published each summer by the Department of English at Missouri Baptist University. It is designed to provide poets, short story writers, dramatists, nonfiction writers, and visual artists with a venue for their artistic expressions and to promote literary awareness and appreciation for the arts.
Subscriptions and Books for Review
Cantos subscriptions, renewals, address changes, and books for review should be mailed to:
John J. Han, Missouri Baptist University
One College Park Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141-8698
Phone: (314) 392-2311
Fax: (314) 436-7596
Subscription rate for both individuals and institutions: $8 per issue purchased at MBU and $10 per mail-ordered issue.
Cantos Submission Guidelines
Cantos, an annual journal published by Missouri Baptist University, welcomes submissions from poets, writers, and visual artists. We accept previously unpublished poems, short fiction, novel excerpts, short plays, and nonfiction. Please send your work as a Microsoft Word attachment via email to the editor, John J. Han, at john.han@mobap.edu. For previously unpublished artwork, including haiga (illustrated haiku), send your submission as an email attachment to the editor. Use the subject line format: “Cantos [Year]: Your Name” (e.g., Cantos 2026: Ben Smith).
We do not accept Google Drive files or hard-copy submissions; any hard copies received will be recycled. Along with your submission, please include a 100-word author bio written in the third person and complete sentences, beginning with your name.
Cantos does not accept simultaneous submissions or reprints. Our review process takes approximately two weeks, with earlier submissions receiving priority consideration. Multiple submissions within a single reading period are not allowed. The editorial team evaluates all submissions for suitability, content, organization, structure, clarity, style, mechanics, and grammar. We do not consider works that include profanity or foul language. There is no monetary compensation for contributors, but those residing in the continental United States receive one complimentary copy of the issue in which their work appears. Copyright reverts to authors and artists upon publication. The views expressed in Cantos are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Missouri Baptist University.
Below are the reading period and target publication date:
| Reading Period | Target Publication Date |
| January 1-February 15 | March 15 |
Poetry:
We welcome poems that balance form and content, appeal to a broad range of educated readers, and avoid extremes of obscurity or simplicity. Poems should be single-spaced and no more than 35 lines in length, with a maximum of seven poems per submission. If your poem follows a specific form, please indicate it parenthetically after the title.
Prose:
We value submissions that are lucid, precise, and concise in style. Prose works with multiple grammatical or mechanical errors will not be considered.
For formatting:
- Use the serial comma in lists (e.g., “poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction”).
- Use curved (curly) quotation marks and apostrophes. Opening quotation marks should resemble 66, and closing quotation marks should resemble 99. Opening apostrophes should resemble 9, and possessive apostrophes should also resemble 9.
- Place periods and commas inside quotation marks. (e.g., “It is very simple,” the goblin replied. “I can easily shrink my body and get inside the jar.”)
- Indent the first line of each new paragraph by pressing the tab key once.
- Use one space between sentences.
- We prefer MLA (Modern Language Association) style for citation.
Fiction and nonfiction pieces should be fewer than 2,000 words each. We consider up to three submissions per author.
Essays for the “On Writing Creatively” section (2,500–5,000 words) are typically by invitation. However, established writers and poets interested in sharing creative writing insights are welcome to contact the editor before submitting.
Visual Art:
We consider single images, picture essays, and haiga. Single images should be titled, and images in photo essays must be explained within the narrative. We prefer DOCX for drawings and JPEG for photos. At this time, we are not seeking cover images.