Join a Community of Creatives
An arts and literary journal for our UW-Green Bay community.
The Northern Lights Journal is an annual, student-run publication featuring poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, art and photography by students, faculty/staff and alumni from all UW-Green Bay campuses. Think of it as your gateway to getting work published while getting the chance to share with the broader community.
Submission Guidelines
Calling the UW-Green Bay community! Ensure your work is ready for publishing by viewing our guidelines. You can submit at any time.
Submit Your Work
We know how difficult it can be to put your work out there—our editorial staff treat each submission with the care it deserves.
Take the Class
Gain real experience in the publication process of a literary journal as a member of the editorial staff through the Northern Lights Journal course.
Leaving a Legacy
Since 1980, the journal gives you the chance to share your art with the community.
Why is it called the Northern Lights Journal? It’s a combination of our location and our legacy. The journal began at the Marinette location, where the Northern Lights often dance across the sky. The journal took a hiatus from 2016-2018, but when Professor Tracy Fernandez Rysavy brought it back in 2019, we remained the Northern Lights Journal because of decades of legacy. Through submitting your work, you too can leave a legacy, share your work and interact with an audience.
Northern Lights Journal Course
The journal is edited by a team of students taking a practicum class through UW-Green Bay. You know why you should submit to the journal—but why should you take the course?
Professional Experience
As a member of the editorial staff, you’ll help decide what to let in, determine what the journal looks like and learn strategies to help market the final product to campus. You’ll essentially act as an intern at a literary journal, gaining hands-on, real-world experience.
Practical Skills
Hone skills in all aspects of editing and publishing, including proofreading, project management, layout and design, communication and marketing.
Personal Connections
Find a community of like-minded peers as you work side by side with the rest of the editorial staff.
Creativity Across Campus
Arts make our community come alive.
From from four-year-olds finger painting to a practiced professional unwinding with a good book to people connecting across countries through a video game, art plays an important role in everyone's life. Check out some of the ways UW-Green Bay champions artistic endeavors.
Teaching Press
From the first spark of an idea to the final published work, the Teaching Press helps authors from our community bring their work to life. Student interns work on books, with opportunities in all aspects of publishing.
Welcome to the PressSheepshead Review
Whether you're a new creator, a high school or college student or a widely-published artist, the Sheepshead Review is your chance to get published in an international arts and literature journal. Like the Northern Lights Journal, the Sheepshead Review is run by UW-Green Bay students.
See Their WorkArt-Related Programs
Blend your passion with your career through a number of art-related programs offered at UW-Green Bay.
Explore All ProgramsWe've got issues.
Missed last year's issue? Copies of the 2023 issue are still available! Pick one up at the campus libraries in Green Bay and Sheboygan, and in the Student Services office on the Marinette campus. Manitowoc students can check with Student Services or one of their literature professors, or email Professor Tracy Fernandez Rysavy for a copy.
Connect with Us!
Follow UW-Green Bay Northern Lights Journal on social media to stay informed about our news, connect with other students and faculty and stay on top of important deadlines and opportunities.
Meet the Team
With years of experience as an editor-in-chief for The Green American, a magazine focused on environmental and social justice issues, Professor Tracy Fernandez Rysavy is our advisor for the Northern Lights Journal. You can also get in touch with our current editorial staff.