Literary journal based out of Texas Tech University. We publish fiction, poetry, and nonfiction in 3 print issues & 3 e-issues every year. Email: ihlr.mail@gmail.com Submit: ironhorse.submittable.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mkl2oz7v3o26"In Summer I resolve to remember my existence / I watch the fruit rotting on the counter" from one of our incredible finalists, "June Poem" by Alaina Craig. Read the whole #NaPoMo Issue for free: https://issuu.com/ironhorsereview/docs/ihlr_napomo_issue_202628 Apr 2026 17:00 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkl2oz7v3o26https://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mkikaavxlw2g"because the fox/ is already dead and I've been taught/ not to waste" - Todd Davis, Winner of our #NaPoMo Contest Getting back into our NaPoMo Issue with our Winning poem! Read the rest for free at: https://issuu.com/ironhorsereview/docs/ihlr_napomo_issue_202627 Apr 2026 17:00 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkikaavxlw2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mjk4siu3is2eWe're so excited to reveal the cover to our annual #NaPoMo Issue! This is a free digital issue with the winner and runners up of our 18th NaPoMo Contest https://issuu.com/ironhorsereview/docs/ihlr_napomo_issue_202615 Apr 2026 14:40 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjk4siu3is2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mjfdvvmi2h2a"Who can explain why angels love damage, kneel/at destruction's pews?" - Ivy Raff A poem in IHLR 28.1. Is it about an electric burner? Love? Devotion? Read it and we can discuss Order your copy: ironhorse.submittable.com13 Apr 2026 17:03 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjfdvvmi2h2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mj2zyzlxpx2h"I imagine you sitting across from me at the table and saying, Please eat a little more form me. A roll and butter. Please." - Teresa Milbrodt, Sanctuaries of Butter A story from IHLR 28.1. Read this so we can cry about pastries together :( Order your copy: ironhorse.submittable.com09 Apr 2026 14:40 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj2zyzlxpx2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3miyri4ap3m2k"A deer nearly broke her head on the reflective glass/ as though she'd been trying to leap back into herself." - Emily Light, "Inside" It's Poetry Month, so here's another great poem from IHLR 28.1. Order your copy here: ironhorse.submittable.com08 Apr 2026 17:02 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3miyri4ap3m2khttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mhtgd7gxm52gTomorrow is the last day to submit to our Prose Chapbook Contest! Send us your collections of fiction or nonfiction! We're excited to read your work! ironhorse.submittable.com24 Mar 2026 20:34 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhtgd7gxm52ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mgxfednhxk2hWe're extending the deadline for our Prose Chapbook Contest until March 25th. We hope you'll send us your fiction or nonfiction collections. We can't wait to read them! ironhorse.submittable.com13 Mar 2026 17:02 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgxfednhxk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mgsjmali2o2eWe loved meeting y'all at AWP! We received questions about joining our team so we wanted to extend an invitation for Associate Editors to join our team. Please send an email to ihlr@gmail.com with a brief application #litmag #awp202611 Mar 2026 18:34 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgsjmali2o2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mevsfb6zeo2kFree Day for our Open Issue is here! Accepting limited submissions of prose and poetry. https://ironhorse.submittable.com/submit/9389feaf-e1be-42ed-8e79-cb4fea437293/29-1-open-issue-free-submit-february-15-202615 Feb 2026 14:59 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mevsfb6zeo2khttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mevsesyifs2gFree Submit Day is here!! Will close automatically when our cap is met. https://ironhorse.submittable.com/submit/d170a6bb-d00c-4396-8b42-59fc2ca7e5f2/2026-chapbook-competition-prose-free-submit-february-15-202615 Feb 2026 14:59 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mevsesyifs2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3meol6hphek2v"A nameless pain throbs where I was severed from my mother’s body, an extension of/ the ache of the mother’s body being severed from God’s kingdom" - Svetlana Litvinchuk, "The Bees Have Always Known" from IHLR 28.1 Link to our your copy: ironhorse.submittable.com12 Feb 2026 18:01 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3meol6hphek2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mem2vr72xr22"It came from a hotel, confirming a room-for-two booked in her husband’s name. But when the night passed and his wife wasn’t the one invited, it pushed her Mama out the door." - Marc Dickinson, "Safe Space" A great piece that we're sure you'll love! Link to order: ironhorse.submittable.com11 Feb 2026 18:05 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mem2vr72xr22https://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mejkbk4fvq2vIn IHLR 28.1 we've got two pieces from Beatriz Brenes Mora: her story "How to Make Tamales After Lucía," and an installment of our interview series "From the Horses Mouth" We hope that you'll love both pieces! Link to order: ironhorse.submittable.com10 Feb 2026 18:02 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mejkbk4fvq2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mebyvatxin24Free Submit Day for our Open Issue is February 15th! The portal will open at 9 AM CST and will close automatically when we reach our cap. Link will be in our bio! #LitMag #WritersOfInstagram07 Feb 2026 18:02 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mebyvatxin24https://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mdxwxtljjw2qWe’re excited to announce the results of our 2026 NaPoMo Contest! Winner: “Alverdia Finds a Fox in the Neighbor’s Trap” by Todd Davis Check the images for Runners Up and Finalists! Congrats to everyone! Our NaPoMo Issue will release later this year.03 Feb 2026 18:01 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdxwxtljjw2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mdvggmmbgd2fGates are Open! We’re accepting submissions for our Open Issue! Gates are Open! We’re accepting submissions for our Open Issue! Send us your best poems, fiction, or nonfiction! Deadline: March 15 Link: ironhorse.submittable.com02 Feb 2026 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdvggmmbgd2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3md3xsi7upw22Y'all mind if I just show off the cover to our 2025 Chapbook Prize Winner? Love in the Key of Cobra by Katie Kemple! Full of incredible poems that we're all so excited to share with y'all. Order your copy via https://ironhorse.submittable.com/submit/214714/purchase-ihlr-chapbooks-1023 Jan 2026 15:02 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3md3xsi7upw22https://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mczhdh33rg24We’re excited to announce the results of our 2025 Long Story Contest! Our winner is: "Building 2667" (Fiction) by Adam Straus! Congratulations! Slide to see our finalists. It was really a hard decision, but we loved all these pieces and had some heated debates.22 Jan 2026 15:02 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mczhdh33rg24https://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3mcxmrgdheg2pProse Chapbook Contest Submissions are OPEN! SenProse Chapbook Contest Submissions are OPEN! Send us your collection of short stories or essays, novella, or lyric essay. $1,000 prize for the winner & 15 copies of their chapbook Deadline: March 15 Submit via: ironhorse.submittable.com21 Jan 2026 21:34 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcxmrgdheg2phttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3m7nndu35d42oHappy Holidays from the IHLR Staff! We're closing up the Iron Horse office for Winter Break, but we'll still check in on our social media accounts. Our latest issues, IHLR 27.2 and our Chapbook, just shipped. In January, we'll be posting info about our Open Issue submissions!10 Dec 2025 18:02 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7nndu35d42ohttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3m7l4ujltot2h"Dirty Harry is what you called yourself. And Jeezus did you live up to it." from Make That a Double by Max Talley. This story was a RIDE. Love getting something this playful in our submissions. Read our Deception Issue here: https://ironhorse.submittable.com/submit/214858/purchase-an-issue-of-iron-horse09 Dec 2025 18:01 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7l4ujltot2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3m76kldjhia2z"It doesn't surprise me that writers today, after all this history, feel a holy obligation to anchor literature on solid ground. Our work feels ever more critical." - Leslie Jill Patterson Order yours: https://ironhorse.submittable.com/submit/214858/purchase-an-issue-of-iron-horse04 Dec 2025 18:02 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m76kldjhia2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3m746aaj7sq2f"There will be enough/ bickering over the small bounty" by Onna Solomon Another great poem from our Deception Issue. Order here: https://ironhorse.submittable.com/submit/214858/purchase-an-issue-of-iron-horse03 Dec 2025 19:16 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m746aaj7sq2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3m6i3tlynp22m"don’t we always cast ourselves—//or the ones we love most—as the victims,/ the ones most sinned against." by Jesse Breite This poem really stuck with us. We hope y'all like it too! Read the rest in our Deception Issue! Order here: https://ironhorse.submittable.com/submit/214858/purchase-an-issue-of-iron-horse25 Nov 2025 19:40 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6i3tlynp22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3m5wcycui252z"Can you recall/ what you did after your biggest/ heartbreak? I ground my teeth" - "To the Bereaved and the Betrayed" by Rachel Morgan Read the rest of this beautiful poem in our Deception Issue! Order your copy via ironhorse.submittable.com #LitMag #PoetrySpotlight18 Nov 2025 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5wcycui252zhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3m5rc4j2zdj26Sun's setting on our Toy's Submissions! Tomorrow's the last day to submit! Send us your best writing!16 Nov 2025 18:01 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5rc4j2zdj26https://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3m5epqpmvgb2mOne Week left to submit to our TOYS Issue! Get those submissions in by November 17! Submit at: ironhorse.submittable.com11 Nov 2025 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5epqpmvgb2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3m4vmw4542s27We’re still accepting submissions for our TOYS Issue! Send us poems, stories, or essays that play with language, form, and memory. Deadline: Nov 15 Submit via ironhorse.submittable.com05 Nov 2025 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4vmw4542s27https://bsky.app/profile/ironhorselitrev.bsky.social/post/3m4l5quwbi72pFree Submit Day is here!! Will close automatically when our cap is met. https://ironhorse.submittable.com/submit/8756a1bc-f5b3-4686-af4f-125650f32fcd/28-2-toys-issue-free-submit-day01 Nov 2025 14:02 +0000at://did:plc:gl774dvj5rcsbukbmlpev7s2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4l5quwbi72p