art and literary magazine.
The Mountain Laurel Magazine
About Us
The Mountain Laurel is dedicated to ensuring the quality publication of literary works and works of art by the students of North Greenville University, as well as those of individuals affiliated with the campus.
Contact The Mountain Laurel staff by emailing themountainlaurel@ngu.edu.
See past issues of The Mountain Laurel here: https://issuu.com/themountainlaurel.
You can also pick up past issues of The Mountain Laurel for free at various locations on NGU’s campus, including the lobby of White Hall.
Examples of literary works we accept include poetry, fiction, essays, nonfiction, and drama.
Examples of works of art we accept include but are not limited to digital photography, paint, ink, and photographs of 3D art (such as pottery).
We look forward to seeing your work!
Submitting Your Work
Read the submission guidelines carefully before choosing your submission type (Literary or Art). You’ll then be asked to fill out a short form and to attach a file with your art or literary work.
We allow up to 6 submissions per author/artist for each project (the yearly journal and the Christmas issue). You may submit multiple files at a time; if you do so, please contribute a separate author or artist statement for each work.
Submission Deadline: January 16, 2026.
Mission
The purpose of The Mountain Laurel is to produce a collection of prose, poetry, and visual art that is both technically sound in craftsmanship and creative in content.
The first act of God recorded is the act of creation. Our goal enables us to reflect His own nature. The Mountain Laurel strives to demonstrate the creativity with which God has endowed humans as “image bearers” of His nature.
Get to Know the Judges
Past judges include novelist Jordan M. Poss, poet Christina Hubbard, and former NGU English professor Dr. Deborah DiCiantis.
Rights of TML Staff
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Page Layout
TML staff will prepare page layouts using Adobe CS software. We will select a standard font for literary works. A writer may request a specific type of font necessary for thematic or visual effectiveness. Such cases will be considered, but the staff reserves the right to make final decisions affecting the appearance of the publication.
Art entries will be published in full color in a special section of the journal. A high-resolution photograph of art work will appear with a caption listing the title, dimensions, medium, and the artist’s name. Artists will be invited to view the page proof for their work(s) prior to publication. If an error in the title, medium, or other details is found, the artist will have the opportunity to correct errors. If an artist fails to review the proof for his/her artwork by the deadline specified, staff will submit the proof as designed.
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Minor Editing
In cases where we believe the manuscript contains errors in spelling, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, etc., TML staff will edit the manuscript on our page layouts. Writers will be given an opportunity to review page proofs (or will be contacted with an e-mail/phone call describing the alteration) before we submit them to the printer. If the writer indicates that what appeared to be an error was intentional (it should be apparent that such intentional “errors” have a specific purpose and effectiveness within the piece), the writer may correct the proof. If a writer does not review the page proof by the deadline communicated to him/her, editing changes made by staff will remain in the final published version.
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Inappropriate Content
In cases where a work of visual art or literature includes content (thematic material, images, symbols, and/or words) which may be deemed inappropriate for a Christian university publication, the artist/writer will be invited to submit an altered version. If the artist/writer declines the opportunity to edit his/her work, the work may be disqualified.