Frequently Asked Questions
What is Walnut Hill School for the Arts?
What are the benefits of having writing accepted to The Blue Pencil Online?
Who determines what is published, and how?
If my work is rejected, will I still get feedback?
What if my work has been previously published?
Do I retain the rights to my work if it is accepted to The Blue Pencil Online?
What is the difference between The Blue Pencil Online, The Blue Pencil, and The Elizabeth Bishop Prizes?
How do I request copies of The Blue Pencil print edition? Can I access past issues?
How often is the site updated?
What if I need to withdraw my submitted piece from consideration?
I have a technical issue. How do I get help?
Is there a way to help out with the magazine besides submitting my work?
Other questions that can be answered by visiting the TBPO Writers’ Guidelines.
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What is Walnut Hill School for the Arts?
Founded in 1893, Walnut Hill is an internationally recognized secondary school for the arts in Natick, Massachusetts. Passionate about the value of an education in the arts, the school offers intensive training in five distinct majors: Ballet, Music, Theater, Visual Art, and Writing & Publishing. For more information please visit www.walnuthillarts.org.
What are the benefits of having writing accepted to The Blue Pencil Online?
Submitters whose writing is accepted have the opportunity to work on their piece(s) alongside our editors. Publication earns a piece a place on our website and in our archive. Eligible work is also considered for the annual Elizabeth Bishop Prizes (details available here). As a growing online journal, we hope that our writers will grow with us, gaining recognition as our readership increases.
Who determines what is published, and how?
When a submission of verse, fiction, or playwriting arrives at The Blue Pencil Online, a group of four editors reads and discusses the work. If they find the piece well-crafted and compelling, they present it to the full Board at one of our editorial meetings, which take place twice a week. There the piece is discussed in depth. A decision is subsequently made by the students currently serving as Lead Editors. The process has been designed to ensure that each submission receives close, thorough, and fair consideration.
Submissions to the other sections of the site — Pencil Shavings, The Draft Board, A Good Read, and Out Loud! — are handled by editors assigned to those features, who consult with the entire Editorial Board as necessary.
If my work is rejected, will I still get feedback?
We regret that we don’t have time to write personal responses to each submission. If we reject your submission but are interested in seeing more of your work, however, you may receive editorial comments raised during deliberations by the Board.
What if my work has been previously published?
If your work has been published in a school journal or school newspaper, it is still eligible for publication at The Blue Pencil Online. If it has appeared in a major publication (a regional or national journal, for example), we cannot consider it. If a piece you have submitted is accepted at a major publication before we have completed our deliberations, please notify us immediately at thebluepencil@walnuthillarts.org.
Do I retain the rights to my work if it is accepted to The Blue Pencil Online?
The Blue Pencil Online reserves the publishing rights to a submission for a period of one month following its publication. After this time has expired, you have the right to send your work anywhere. In any subsequent reprinting of your work we ask that you include a credit line as follows: “Previously published in The Blue Pencil Online, www.thebluepencil.net, [Month and Year].”
What is the difference between The Blue Pencil Online, The Blue Pencil, and The Elizabeth Bishop Prizes?
The Blue Pencil Online is home to a collection of works by promising young writers (ages 12 to 18) from all over the world. The Blue Pencil is a print magazine comprised of selected works from members of the Writing & Publishing department at Walnut Hill. The Elizabeth Bishop Prizes are awarded to the best fiction, verse, and playwriting accepted for publication on TBPO each year. (Click here for further details.) The prize — one for each genre — is a scholarship to the Writing & Publishing Program at Walnut Hill and a copy of Elizabeth Bishop’s Poems, Prose, and Letters, published by The Library of America, a valued supporter of the Prizes.
How do I request copies of The Blue Pencil print edition? Can I access past issues?
To request the current print edition of The Blue Pencil, please send your name and address to thebluepencil@walnuthillarts.org. If you work for a high school journal and would like to exchange issues with us, please send a request with a copy of your journal to:
Allan Reeder, Head of Publications
Writing & Publishing Department
Walnut Hill
12 Highland Street
Natick, MA 01760
Past issues in PDF format can be accessed inside The Blue Pencil Print Archives on this site.
How often is the site updated?
We update The Blue Pencil Online on a rolling basis; new material goes up after the editorial process is completed.
What if I need to withdraw my submitted piece from consideration?
Once a submission has been accepted, it is expected that the author will work closely with his or her editor toward publication. If you need to withdraw a piece that is already under consideration, an email to our editors (thebluepencil@walnuthillarts.org) will suffice. We hope that submitting writers will share our respect for the relationship between an author and an editor, and will take this into account when submitting work.
I have a technical issue. How do I get help?
If you are encountering a problem with the website or in using the submission manager, please contact the editors at thebluepencil@walnuthillarts.org.
Is there a way to help out with the magazine besides submitting my work?
Because we are a growing journal, we would greatly appreciate exposure to as many young writers as possible. Tell your friends! Tell your teachers! Link to The Blue Pencil Online from your website or Facebook page. Put copies of the print edition in your English classroom, your local library, your dentist’s waiting room. Spreading the word is the first step in establishing an international community of young artists!
Answers to the following questions can be found in the TBPO Writers’ Guidelines:
• Are there any genre limitations?
• Does my submission need a title?
• What are the acceptable ages for submitting writers?
• May I submit even if I’m not from the U.S.?
• May I submit by snail mail?
• Do you consider handwritten submissions?
• When do you accept submissions?
• How often may I submit?
• What is your response time?
• What is “standard playwriting format”?