Tampa Review is the faculty-edited literary journal of The University of Tampa. We publish two print issues a year and also publish complementary work on our blog. Our editorial staff considers submissions between September 1 and December 31 each year for publication in print or online during the following year.
Tampa Review is an AI-free journal. We kindly ask submitters to include an AI declaration on their title page assuring that no AI has been used in the production of articles, reviews, images, or other work submitted to Tampa Review. Peer reviewers are also asked to declare that reviews were undertaken without the use of AI tools. Please read our publication ethics statement before submitting.
Special Issue
“Florida Man Arrested for Allegedly Tossing Alligator Into Wendy’s Drive-Thru Window,” ABC News, Feb 9, 2026
“Florida Woman, 31, Accused of Peeing on and Damaging More Than $3,000 Worth of Property in Multiple Airbnbs,” People, March 21, 2026
“Florida burglars call 911 to get help moving stuff,” The Associated Press, January 3, 2023
Above is the “Florida Man” we know. Named the “World’s Worst Superhero” (NPR, February 14, 2013), this meth-addled, gator-toting, criminal nudist has been the subject of memes and ridicule thanks to the proliferation of headlines describing outlandish crime in our state. After over a decade of memes and lazy jabs, now it is fashionable to laugh at Florida and its people. However, according to the Columbia Journalism Review, “Florida Man” also has become “one of journalism’s darkest and most lucrative cottage industries” in its exploitation of the most difficult moments of people in crisis.
For our first themed issue ever, we want poems, stories, essays, and art that ask what “Florida Man” is and could be. We are looking for work that explores Florida’s inhabitants beyond these sensationalist headlines in broader, more subversive contexts. We want new scenarios that can make us question what we think we know about the state and its people, to create nuance and to challenge and redefine this trope.
Submission guidelines are the same as for our regular submissions, but please indicate that yours is specifically for this themed issue. We can’t wait to see your most Florida work!
We consider submissions made online through Submittable only. There is a small processing fee ($3 for poetry; $4 for prose) for online submissions.
Tampa Review is open for submissions September 1 – December 31, including for the Danahy Fiction Prize and Richard Mathews Poetry Prize.
Our payment for work accepted for the print edition of the journal is ten dollars per published page for both prose and poetry (payable upon publication), together with one free copy of the issue in which the work(s) appears, and a 40% discount on any additional copies you may wish to purchase. International authors will receive a digital issue.
Please note that prize entries appear as categories distinct from general poetry or fiction.