RipRap Literary Journal is designed and produced annually by students in the Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing program at California State University Long Beach (CSULB). We highlight poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and criticism from emerging and established poets, writers, and artists from across the world. 

The journal is especially interested in work that is innovative, forward-thinking, and as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. New editions are published each May.

Submissions for Issue 48 - Obsession - are now open through February 28, 2026.

 

An idea takes hold and refuses to be dismissed. Your life becomes ruled by this concept whether you want it to or not, whether it's good for you or not. You resist, you indulge, you let it consume you, you break free of its shackles. It feels like passion, desperation, ecstasy, and torment all at once.

For this issue of RipRap, we are looking for pieces that grapple with, address, redefine, and even push past the idea of an obsession. While obsessions are generally viewed as disturbing, they don't have to be, and we are especially interested in pieces that explore this concept in alternative ways than the macabre. Gratuitously explicit work will not be considered, but difficult subjects are more than welcome if handled respectfully and purposefully. We are not looking for shock value, we are looking to find ourselves in the reflection of your own broken mirror. 

GENERAL GUIDELINES

• Please do not include any identifying or contact information in the file that you submit. Your name and contact information will be included in the Submittable fields. Files with identifying and/or contact information will not be considered for publication.
• You are welcome to submit to all of our offered genres. However, only one submission per genre will be considered. If multiple submissions are made, only the first will be considered.
• Submissions cannot be revised once submitted. If you catch a typo or spot an edit, please withdraw your submission and resubmit.
• Simultaneous submissions are encouraged. However, if your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify us as soon as possible via Submittable. You are welcome to withdraw or partially withdraw your work.

See genre-specific guidelines below.