About FOLIO
Literary Journal
FOLIO is a nationally recognized literary journal affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences at American University in Washington, DC. Since 1984, we have published original creative work by both new and established authors.
Past issues have included work by Roxane Gay, Franny Choi, Billy Collins, Ivan Pinkava, Hettie Jones, William Stafford, Bruce Weigl, Yumi Sakugawa, and Ross Gay, as well as interviews with Carmen Maria Machado, Michael Cunningham, Allen Ginsberg, and Charles Baxter.
With over 40 years of history, FOLIO is proud to continue publishing great work.
The 2026 FOLIO Team
Editor in Chief: Krista Veneziano (she/her)
Krista Veneziano is a graduate student pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at American University, where she serves as Editor in Chief for Folio, AU's own literary journal. Krista is the author of multiple poetry zine collections and is the facilitator of memoir and zine-making workshops. She loves all things DIY and has a deep interest in community building through accessible storytelling. Krista is particularly interested in publishing works with that are curious, experimental, and help readers hold tight to joy as resistance.
Managing Editor: Laura Dame (she/they)
Laura Dame is a poet from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North and South Carolina. She's pursuing her MFA in Poetry Writing at American University, where she also teaches freshman composition. She lives in Washington, D.C. Currently Reading: Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar (and like three other books as well)!
Poetry Editor: Pierre Ramon Thomas (he/him)
Pierre Ramon Thomas is a Washington metropolitan native and poet. His works have been published in twurl, Vassar Review, Mid-Atlantic Review, WWPH Writes, and elsewhere. Thomas is looking for poetry that bubbles with quaint diction and giddy stanzas, verses that defy the times by engaging in play and wonder, and images that twirl in flowy dresses and embrace pink and purple more as verbs than as colors. He's currently consuming, granule by savory granule, boy, maybe by W. J. Lofton and the anthology In the Life edited by Joseph Beam.
Poetry Editor: Mario Melo (he/they)
Mario Melo is an Angolan-American poet living in Washington, D.C. His poetry can be found in the Hill Rag, Capital Love from WWPH, and is forthcoming in 20.35 Africa and The Poetry Lighthouse. Mario is most interested in publishing Non-Fiction that tackles the personal and political. They are currently reading James Baldwin's essay collection "Nobody Knows My Name."
Fiction Editor: Anthony Oakes (he/him)
Anthony Oakes has a BA in English from The University of the District of Columbia and is currently working on his MFA in Creative Writing here at American. He is the winner of the Jean Douglas Duren and Chester Wright literary awards. His goal for Folio is to publish interesting, diverse, and relatable works of fiction. Just finishing, Moonrise Over New Jessup, by Jamila Minnicks, he is currently reading Buddha in the Attic, by Julie Otsuka.
Fiction Editor: Jordan Ludwig (she/her)
Jordan Ludwig is an award-winning fiction and nonfiction writer from New Jersey. She graduated from Belmont University with a B.A. in English and Cinema and Television Studies. She enjoys writing historical fiction and investigative nonfiction surrounding 1960s America. Jordan is currently an MFA student at American University.
Fiction Editor: Keri Stout (they/she)
Keri Stout is pursuing an MFA in creative writing at American University. Originally from New Jersey, but now bouncing around Maryland and DC, Keri is also a fiction editor for 149 Review, a journal started by undergrad peers. Keri enjoys making the mundane meaningful in their quiet, setting-focused fiction and have an off-again, on-again relationship with Mother Nature.
Nonfiction Editor: Caroline Siebert (she/her)
Caroline Siebert is a second-year MFA candidate with a focus in poetry. She's currently working on a book of lyric essays and prose poems about her childhood. Although she has not decided on a title yet, it will be appropriately twee and out-of-pocket. If you want to impress her enough to get her to publish your work, she suggests that you get creative with language and form. She is currently reading, among other things, Emily Wilson's translation of "The Odyssey" and Justine Van Der Leum's expose of the justice system, "Unreasonable Women."
Nonfiction Editor: Emily Koester (she/her)
Emily Koester is an MFA student at American University, focusing on creative nonfiction. She is most interested in publishing essays - serious or humorous - that use personal experience to explore our cultural and political moment. She is currently reading “The Pursuit of Happiness,” which explores how philosophy informed the Founding Fathers’ understanding of happiness.
Poetry Editor: Salma Abdelkader (she/her)
Salma Abdelkader is a Virginia native, and graduated from VCU as an English major with a Creative Writing minor. Her poem “A Blessing” is published in Amsterdam Review and her poem “Rappels” is coming out this fall in Roanoke Review. Poetry is her first love, so she’s most interested in publishing that, though she love creative nonfiction too! Currently, she is reading “Death In The Clouds” by Agatha Christie.
Art Reader: Anna Martignetti (she/they)
Anna is interested in including visual art in any medium that feels free and true. Calling all quirky collagers and fellow rock collectors to submit your most open-hearted works. Right now, she is loving comics by Maia Kobabe and Asher Perlman.
FOLIO FAQ
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You can check our submission status on our Submittable. Typically, we open submissions in early October, and close submissions in mid-late December. Please note that FOLIO does not accept submissions sent outside of this window, nor do we accept anything not sent through Submittable.
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We understand how nerve-wracking it can be waiting for a response. We aim to respond in two months or less, but please remember that our staff is composed of full-time students, and this is just one of their many responsibilities.
If it’s been more than three months, feel free to inquire about your submission’s status through the Submittable portal.
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Unfortunately no. While run and maintained by AU students, FOLIO is a literary journal for the artistic community at large, rather than our local community. If you are a current student interested in showcasing your work, please check out our sister publication, Café MFA.
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To keep up with the modern literary community, FOLIO has made the decision to transition to an online-only publication. By doing so, we hope to focus on reaching the widest audience possible with the wonderful pieces we have the privilege of publishing.
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FOLIO Literary Journal is entirely free for readers, supported by the generosity of American University and Submittable fees.
Submitting to FOLIO incurs a small Submittable fee of $2. As we no longer produce a physical edition, this small charge keeps FOLIO running and helps us focus on producing the best journal we can.
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You can reach out to our leadership team at folio.editors@gmail.com. We look forward to connecting!