Literary Charter
Utahn publishes journalism. It also publishes literature. These are different undertakings with different purposes, and they deserve separate charters.
Journalism serves the public’s need to know. Literature serves something harder to name. It is how a place comes to understand itself. It is how individuals find language for what they already feel but have not yet said. A state without its own literature is a state that imports its stories, and imported stories never fit right.
Utah has produced extraordinary writers and has been the setting for extraordinary work. But there is no serious, ongoing literary institution in the state dedicated to publishing new fiction, essays, and criticism rooted in the life of the American West. Utahn intends to be that institution.
This charter governs the literary content published under the Utahn name. It is separate from and complementary to the Utahn Editorial Charter, which governs journalism.
Article I: What We Publish
1.1 Scope
Utahn publishes original short fiction, personal essays, literary criticism, cultural commentary, and select poetry. We also publish book reviews, author interviews, and occasional excerpts from forthcoming works by Utah and Western writers.
1.2 The Letters Section
Literary content appears under the Letters section of Utahn. Letters is not a supplement to the journalism. It is a pillar of equal weight. Every bimonthly print edition includes literary work alongside reporting, and selected pieces are published online throughout the year.
1.3 What We Mean by Literature
We mean writing that takes the reader seriously. Writing where the sentences matter. We are not interested in content that fills space or writing that performs intelligence without earning it. We are interested in work that is alive on the page, whether that page is about a fly fishing guide on the Green River or the history of copper mining in Bingham Canyon. Subject matter is open. The standard is the writing itself.
Article II: Voice and Byline
2.1 The Utahn Voice
Most journalism on the platform is published under a single institutional voice: The Utahn. Literary work operates differently. Fiction, personal essays, and poetry are always published under the author’s own name. The experience and perspective of the individual writer is the point.
2.2 Cultural Commentary and Criticism
Cultural commentary and criticism may be published under The Utahn voice or under an individual byline, depending on the nature of the piece. Reviews and critical essays that reflect a singular perspective are bylined. Shorter cultural notes and recommendations may run under The Utahn.
2.3 No Pseudonyms Without Cause
We publish under real names. Pseudonyms are permitted only when there is a specific, legitimate reason, such as personal safety, and must be approved by the editor. We do not use pseudonyms for aesthetic effect or to manufacture mystique.
Article III: Editorial Standards
3.1 Editorial Process
All literary work published in Utahn goes through an editorial process. This is not optional. We believe editing makes good writing better and that the relationship between writer and editor is one of the most productive in the craft. Writers retain final approval over their work, but we expect them to engage seriously with editorial feedback.
3.2 Fact and Truth
Fiction invents. Essays interpret. Neither is held to the verification standards of journalism, and that distinction matters. But literary work published in Utahn must not present fabricated events as memoir or invent quotes attributed to real, named individuals without clear fictional framing. When an essay references real events, institutions, or public figures, the facts must be accurate. The imagination has plenty of room to work without falsifying the record.
3.3 Originality
All work submitted to Utahn must be original and previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but writers must notify us immediately if a piece is accepted elsewhere. We do not publish work generated by artificial intelligence. AI tools may be used for research, grammar checking, or other assistance, but the writing itself must be the author’s own.
3.4 Quality Over Quantity
We would rather publish one excellent piece a month than five adequate ones. There is no quota. There is no pressure to fill pages. If the work is not ready, it does not run. This applies to solicited pieces as much as unsolicited submissions.
Article IV: Submissions and Selection
4.1 Open Submissions
Utahn accepts unsolicited submissions from any writer, regardless of publication history, geographic location, academic credentials, or professional affiliation. We read everything. We are looking for the best work we can find, and we have no interest in where it comes from.
4.2 Solicited Work
The literary editor may commission work from specific writers. Solicited pieces go through the same editorial process as unsolicited submissions and are held to the same standards. A solicitation is an invitation, not a guarantee of publication.
4.3 Response Times
We commit to responding to every submission within 30 days. If we cannot meet that timeline, we will communicate the delay. Writers deserve the basic respect of a timely response. We will not hold work indefinitely.
4.4 Rejection
Most submissions will be rejected. This is the nature of a publication with standards. We aim to provide brief, honest feedback when possible, particularly for work that came close. We do not offer detailed critiques of every submission, but we do not send form rejections for work that clearly deserved a close read.
Article V: Rights and Compensation
5.1 Writer Compensation
Utahn pays writers for published work. Rates are communicated before acceptance and are non-negotiable for standard submissions. We believe paying writers is a baseline requirement for a serious literary institution, not a favor.
5.2 Rights
Utahn acquires first publication rights for all accepted work. After publication, all rights revert to the author. Writers are free to republish, anthologize, or otherwise use their work as they see fit after it appears in Utahn. We ask only for acknowledgement of first publication.
5.3 Print and Digital
Accepted work may appear in both the print edition and online, unless otherwise agreed with the author. Print-exclusive pieces are noted as such. The author is informed before publication which format or formats the piece will appear in.
Article VI: Independence from Journalism
6.1 Separate Editorial Oversight
Literary content is overseen by the literary editor, not the news desk. The literary editor reports to the editor-in-chief but operates with independent editorial judgment over the Letters section. Journalistic standards of verification, balance, and source attribution do not apply to fiction and personal essays. Literary standards of craft, honesty, and originality apply instead.
6.2 No Institutional Agenda
Utahn does not publish literature to advance a political position, support an advertising relationship, or promote any institutional interest. We publish literature because it matters. The Letters section exists to serve writers and readers, not the platform’s business objectives.
6.3 Overlap
Occasionally a piece of literary journalism, a long-form essay, or a work of narrative nonfiction will blur the line between Letters and the newsroom. In those cases, the editors determine together which standards apply and disclose the framework to the reader. The goal is always clarity, not bureaucracy.
Article VII: Community
7.1 Events
Utahn hosts literary events across the state: readings, live storytelling, workshops, conversations, and occasional collaborations with bookstores, libraries, and universities. These events are open to the public. Some things are better in person.
7.2 Emerging Writers
We are committed to publishing new voices alongside established ones. Publication history is not a prerequisite. An unpublished writer with an extraordinary story will always be preferred over a credentialed writer with a forgettable one.
7.3 Geographic Reach
We are based in Utah and rooted in the American West, but we do not limit submissions by geography. A writer in Brooklyn with something true to say about the interior West is as welcome as a writer in Provo. The connection to place must be in the work, not necessarily in the author’s zip code.
Article VIII: Closing Commitment
A place needs its own literature the way it needs its own water supply. You can import it for a while, but eventually you have to build the infrastructure yourself.
That is what Utahn’s Letters section is for. We are building a literary institution in the American West that publishes serious work, pays its writers, and trusts its readers. We intend to earn our place on the shelf.
The writing is the point.