The Illinois English Bulletin is the oldest English education publication in the US. The Bulletin dates back to the beginning of IATE in 1907 and has continued through the years at the University of Illinois-UC to its most recent residence at Illinois State University through 2021. The Bulletin is a journal serving teachers of English and Language Arts from middle school through college. It appears four times a year in the winter, spring, fall, and as the annual conference program and bulletin in October of each year. Authors of essays in the Bulletin come from language arts teachers across the grade levels while the poetry and prose issues of the Bulletin contain writing by grade school and high school students who have won the IATE Poetry/Prose contest.
UPDATE (8/2021) – During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois English Bulletin has been paused. When it resumes publication, the Poetry/Prose Contest edition will be the only edition printed. The other editions will be in electronic form only.
Call for Submissions
As the written forum in which Illinois English teachers share their ideas, the Illinois English Bulletin welcomes all kinds of materials related to the teaching of English.
We seek articles dealing with literature, writing, language, media, speech, drama, film, culture, technology, standards, assessment, professional development, and other aspects of our profession. Any combination of research, theory, and practice is appropriate. Some articles take a formal and conclusive approach, while others are informal and exploratory.
Book reviews, poetry, black-and-white photographs, and line drawings are also welcome.
When you are ready to share your work with your colleagues across the state, please consult the submission guidelines. We look forward to hearing from you. If you have questions or suggestions for the editor, please don’t hesitate to get in touch (contact information at the bottom of this page). Thank you for reading, supporting, and contributing to the Illinois English Bulletin.
Submission Guidelines
- Attached to an e-mail message addressed to the editor, send a clean copy of the manuscript in an MS Word, Google Doc, or PDF attachment.
- In your e-mail message, include the following information: your manuscript title, name, mailing address, institutional affiliation, and phone number. Also indicate whether you are currently a member of the Illinois Association of Teachers of English (IATE). State that the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
- Manuscript formatting guidelines: follow the current MLA Handbook guidelines for parenthetical in-text citations, the works cited section, and other technical elements; follow NCTE’s “Guidelines for Gender-Fair Use of Language” (https://ncte.org/statement/genderfairuseoflang/); place page numbers at the top right corner of every page; type and double-space throughout (including quotations, endnotes, and works cited), with one-inch margins all around.
- With both your electronic manuscript submissions, please also include a biographical blurb of 50 words or fewer. (Blurbs for manuscripts with multiple authors should total 50 words or fewer.) Blurbs usually mention institutional and professional affiliations as well as teaching and research interests.
- The Bulletin editor will acknowledge receipt of your manuscript via e-mail.
Submission Deadlines
You are welcome to submit your materials at any time to the editor of the Illinois English Bulletin. Traditionally, the Bulletin’s spring issue presents the “Best Illinois Student Poetry and Prose.” Summer issues may be themed or all-inclusive. The winter issue features shorter articles based on presentations made at the previous autumn’s IATE annual conference. The fall issue is the program for our annual IATE fall conference. Submissions will be considered for all issues but the spring issue, which is devoted to our young writers.
To be considered for inclusion in the summer issue, materials must be received by the editors by the previous January 15.
For more information, contact the Bulletin editor:
Michelle Ryan: Email
Illinois State University
1685 840th Ave.
Lincoln, Illinois 62656
Illinois Poetry and Prose Contest
Each year the fall issue issue of the Bulletin is devoted to Best Illinois Student Poetry and Prose. Teachers should submit their students’ work as stipulated in the Bulletin. See Contests and Awards for more information.