Oakland Arts Review

The international literary journal by, for, and about undergraduates.

We’re The Oakland Arts Review, an international undergraduate literary and arts journal out of Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Our ambition is to become one of the most prominent literary journals publishing undergraduate writers throughout the world.

From all of us here, we would like to thank each and every contributor of the Volume 10, 2025 edition. This journal would not be made possible without your continued interest and patience.

We are now taking submissions for Volume 11 which will be published in Spring/Summer 2026. Students can submit work for free by going to the Submit page to submit through Submittable. We accept literary nonfiction, fiction, poetry, comics, and art by talented undergraduates all over the globe. We can’t wait to read you!

What’s next?

Volume 10 has been printed and mailed out. Please contact us for a copy.

We are thrilled to be receiving our eleventh round of submissions from talented writers, and hope you’ll consider adding your voice to the mix.

To request PDF versions of the volume, please email [email protected].

Like the idea of a journal devoted to celebrating young writers? Help us get the word out! You can share this website on your socials, encourage friends to submit, or send us suggestions and your thoughts about what you’d like to see in an undergraduate journal.

The best thing you can do? Submit. It’s free.

Please note that two contributor bios were unintentionally omitted from Volume 10. We sincerely apologize for the errors. You can find them here:

Amber Martens is a 36 year-old General Studies major at Eastern Michigan University, a student in the College in Prison program. She is passionate about prison reform, hoping her writing helps shift the paradigm of incarcerated individuals.She believes tacos are fuel for the soul, rainy days are magic, and laughter is medicine. She is thankful you took the time to read her writing. 

Ashleigh Smith is a writer and a student in Eastern Michigan University’s College in Prison program. Smith is the 2024-2025 recipient of the Al Davey Creative Writing Scholarship Award. Published work of Smith’s can be read on Letters from Christopher, Prison Writers, The Marshall Project, Prison Journalism Project, Minutes Before Six, and the Oakland Arts Review. Smith is also co-creator and co-editor of Behind the Wire, the EMU CiP newsletter.