About Voices of Kansas
Voices of Kansas, digitally published by the Kansas Association of Teachers of English, welcomes manuscripts and artwork in the categories of Perspectives & Literary Criticism, Artistic Expression, Poetry, and Creative Fiction & Non-Fiction from educators, student teachers, and students in grades 3-6 & 7-12. Our mission is for this journal to be a place for young writers to have a voice through both written and visual expression. Editor's choice entries will be featured with lesson plans aligned to Common Core Standards for use by English Language Arts teachers in the state of Kansas.
Submissions must be made by a KATE member via our online submission system. Submissions to Voices of Kansas are reviewed by editors and reviewers of the journal, and the editors share critiques and work with the authors advancing toward publication in the journal. We acknowledge reception of manuscripts by email, and constructive feedback is provided for all submissions. Voices of Kansas publishes in the spring, and all applicants receive an emailed copy of the journal. The present year’s publication can be downloaded for free on the KATE website; however, previous volumes can be accessed via a KATE members-only archive.

​Written manuscripts (literary criticism, poetry, creative fiction & non-fiction)
  • Deadline: January 31, 2026
  • Word count limit for prose and essay: 1000
  • Line count limit for poetry: 100
  • Word count limit for artist statements: 100
  • Typed (Times New Roman 12-point font)
  • Double-spaced
  • Numbered according to page, and conform -- if applicable -- to MLA or APA guidelines
  • Save attached work as (.doc/.docx) for Word or Rich Text Format (.rtf).
  • No identifying information should appear on the manuscript.

Artistic expressions
  • Submit photographs of non-digitized art (pottery, etc.) in one of the following formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .png
  • Digital art should be one of the following formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .png
  • Include a 100 word (maximum) written description of the piece

What should my students submit? Exemplars

While the journal does not specify a theme, we are looking for high quality writing and art from students. Below, you'll find a gallery of winning art, as well as exemplar pieces for various grades and types of writing.
Art Exemplars
Creative Writing & Literary Nonfiction Exemplars
Volume 7
Volume 6
​Volume 5
Perspectives & Literary Criticism Exemplars
Volume 7
Volume 6
​Volume 5
Poetry Exemplars
Volume 7
Volume 6
​Volume 5

Lost & Deleted Journal Copies

If you are a student who was published in a previous volume and have lost your copy of the journal, or if you were a teacher who had students published in a previous volume -- but are no longer a KATE member, please email us! We’ll happily send you a new file.