A professor once told me that no matter how many times his work was published, it was always exciting to receive an acceptance letter and then see his byline in print.

This month, the Herald and Austin Living are looking to give Austin and Mower County residents a chance to have that same experience with their art and writings. We’re giving creative local residents a chance to showcase their creative sides in the July/August edition of Austin Living.

Essentially, we will dedicate a portion of the magazine to being a literary magazine: We’re accepting photography, poetry, short fiction and art submissions from artists/writers who live or work in Austin or Mower County and the surrounding area, along with people who have a direct tie to Austin. Age doesn’t matter. Schooling doesn’t matter. Anyone can submit — students, 20-somethings, parents, grandparents, etc.

I have to admit, my professor was right. During my four years at Bethel University in the Twin Cities, I had two pieces — a poem and a short story — accepted and published in the school literary magazine, The Coeval.

There’s something exciting and fulfilling about the experience. I keep copies of both editions I was published in on my book shelf and take them out from time to time.

Here in southern Minnesota, we don’t have an abundance of local publications to which artists and writers can submit their work. Sure, the Internet provides ample opportunities to submit to publications around the world, but we’re aiming to provide a local opportunity.

Area artist have gained new ways to showcase their work in Austin, thanks to the formation of the ArtWorks Festival and the ArtWorks Center. We hope this will be another great opportunity for locals to showcase their talents for friends, family and neighbors.

Selected pieces will run in Austin Living, and the top piece — as chosen by the editor — will receive $50 in chamber bucks. Just a note, only a portion of Austin Living will be dedicated to the literary magazine material. The rest of the edition will contain the same great feature stories, photographs and other material people have come to expect from Austin Living.

 What can be submitted?

We’re accepting essentially anything that can be printed or represented in a magazine format. If you are not sure, submit anyway.

We’re taking visual pieces: Illustrations, photos and paintings, along with images of mixed media, sculptures, clay and other such pieces. We ask that these pieces be submitted as print-ready .jpgs.

We’re taking text-based pieces: poems, song lyrics, and short fiction and nonfiction (500-1,000 words), along with selections of longer pieces.

When in doubt, submit anyway.

 How do you submit?

Simply email your piece to newsroom@austindailyherald.com by May 22. We request that you include a phone number in case we need to get in touch.