Arrow Rock is only made possible through the Lindenwood student community—a literary journal cannot exist without contributors. Since Arrow Rock only accepts submissions from current Lindenwood undergraduates, we have the continuing support of the student body to thank for 15 successful years of publishing. We have collected interviews with a select number of contributors from the past 17 issues to discuss their experiences of submitting to Arrow Rock and being published.
Adam Benkendorf
Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you published in Arrow Rock, and what type of piece(s) did you submit?
A: I was published in the first issue of Arrow Rock. I wrote a confessional poem and submitted it for the publication upon recommendation from faculty.
Q: How did publishing in Arrow Rock impact your development as a writer or the progress of your academic career?
A: I took the course during J-term of my freshman year at Lindenwood. When I originally signed up for the course, I only wanted to complete a general education requirement. However, I found that the course helped to explore a more creative side of writing and express myself in different ways.
Q: Looking back, what did having your work published in Arrow Rock mean to you?
A: At the time, I was proud that something I had created was recognized and published. The poem I wrote was a homework assignment that caught the attention of my course professor. It’s cool that something I wrote is now archived and a part of Arrow Rock’s history.
Q: Do you have any advice for current students writers who are considering submitting their work?
A: I would encourage anyone, writer or not, to submit their work to Arrow Rock. Even though I wasn’t and am currently not a professional writer, I still am proud to have my poem in the journal! If you are on the fence on whether to submit, you definitely should!
Ray Kruger
Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you published in Arrow Rock, and what type of piece(s) did you submit?
A: I was published in the 16th Issue in Spring 2024. I submitted both poetry and prose which were accepted in the issue.
Q: How did publishing in Arrow Rock impact your development as a writer or the progress of your academic career?
A: As a writer, it gave me the confidence to know I could get my work published and out into the world for others to read, as before my writing always felt very personal to me. I can also proudly add that I’ve been published on my resume as I continue to build up accomplishments related to my academic/writing career.
Q: How has your relationship with writing evolved since you’ve been published in Arrow Rock? Do you still write, and if so, what do you write?
A: Since being published in Arrow Rock, I’m constantly working towards getting my work published again. Whether that means writing more in general or keeping an eye out for other literary magazines to submit to. I still continue to write poetry and prose, and lately I’ve been attempting to get more into flash fiction.
Q: Looking back, what did having your work published in Arrow Rock mean to you?
A: It was exciting to know that I was getting published for the first time, especially since I was so afraid of submitting to literary journals beforehand. It was also great that I was getting published through my school’s literary journal and that I got to have this be a part of my college experience.
Q: Do you have any advice for current students writers who are considering submitting their work?
A: My only advice would be to submit your work even if you’re scared, because rejection isn’t as bad as you think and being accepted is an even better feeling. Plus, knowing that all the editors of the journal are fellow peers/classmates is reassuring because your work is being considered by other student writers.
Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your experience with Arrow Rock?
A: I also worked as an editor for Arrow Rock on the 16th Issue, and every piece that was submitted was read and treated with care by everyone who interacted with it. So again, submitting isn’t as scary as it sounds, and it’s always worth trying.
Kaya Bain
Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you published in Arrow Rock, and what type of piece(s) did you submit?
A: Issue 16; poetry.
Q: How did publishing in Arrow Rock impact your development as a writer or the progress of your academic career?
A: As an engineering student, it hasn’t really had a huge impact on my academic career, but I enjoy writing as a hobby, and it was exciting to have something published.
Q: How has your relationship with writing evolved since you’ve been published in Arrow Rock? Do you still write, and if so, what do you write?
A: I’ve only written a little bit since then. Most of what I’ve written is fantasy. The poetry that was published was not my usual style of writing.
Q: Looking back, what did having your work published in Arrow Rock mean to you?
A: It was outside validation that other people enjoy my writing and gave me more confidence.
Q: Do you have any advice for current students writers who are considering submitting their work?
A: They should! Have confidence in yourself
Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your experience with Arrow Rock?
A: I enjoyed the experience and hope people enjoyed reading the issue.
Cayley Dubray
Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you published in Arrow Rock, and what type of piece(s) did you submit?
A: Issue 16; two short stories
Q: How did publishing in Arrow Rock impact your development as a writer or the progress of your academic career?
A: It kickstarted me taking my novel seriously and actually starting to work on it. I’m very grateful for the confidence boost I received upon getting accepted; it helped me so much.
Q: How has your relationship with writing evolved since you’ve been published in Arrow Rock? Do you still write, and if so, what do you write?
A: I still write. I’m currently working on my novel and I occasionally write casual poetry and short stories.
Q: Looking back, what did having your work published in Arrow Rock mean to you?
A: It’s hard to describe. I struggle with believing I have ability alongside passion to write. After Arrow Rock I felt extremely validated and authenticated as a writer. It’s one thing to tell people “I’m a writer!” It’s another thing to be able to tell them “I have two pieces published.”
Q: Do you have any advice for current students writers who are considering submitting their work?
A: Just do it. Don’t overthink it (I ALWAYS do) and don’t stop yourself. The worst that can happen is a rejection and most people get rejected from journals!
Ethan Plate
Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you published in Arrow Rock, and what type of piece(s) did you submit?
A: I published poetry in the 2022 and 2023 editions of Arrow Rock
Q: How did publishing in Arrow Rock impact your development as a writer or the progress of your academic career?
A: Arrow Rock approved my attention to detail by motivating me to edit and try to perfect pieces that I already had written in order to get them published. It also got me invested in reading the works of other students that had gotten published in the issues, which gave me a better sense of what other writers my age were creating.
Q: How has your relationship with writing evolved since you’ve been published in Arrow Rock? Do you still write, and if so, what do you write?
A: I still write poetry regularly. Since my Arrow Rock publication, I have continued to write generally the same kind of work that I had published there.
Q: Looking back, what did having your work published in Arrow Rock mean to you?
A: I was on the editing staff of Arrow Rock when I had work published there, so having my work published there meant a lot to me as being part of a community of writers. A lot of the other staff were in the issue, so it felt like a collaborative effort both in the editing and the writing.
Q: Do you have any advice for current students writers who are considering submitting their work?
A: I would definitely recommend going ahead and doing it. It’s a great opportunity to put yourself out there and be a part of the community of writers we have at Lindenwood.
Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your experience with Arrow Rock?A: I would just say that it is a very welcoming environment for both contributors and students.
Arrow Rock Literary Journal 
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