Founded in 2026, Independence Literary Review is a nationally distributed literary magazine housed within the English Department at Baylor University.

Our goal is to build a prism of creative, independent thought and artistic exploration through words and images. We believe in the power of writing and art to open windows to new ways of seeing our world. We are committed to supporting a diversity of writers, artists, and aesthetics, including those that have been historically underrepresented in publishing. 

Our name is a nod to Baylor’s original campus founded in 1845 in Independence, TX. The columns across our website and in our logo are the only structures that still remain of the original campus. For us, they symbolize what we have learned from the past, as well as our launch into the future.  

Foundational to Independence Literary Review’s operations are our “Publishing the Literary Magazine” classes and editorial assistance opportunities. These provide invaluable editing and publishing skills to undergraduate and graduate students at Baylor. Students learn to evaluate submissions, pitch pieces on an editorial team, correspond professionally, copyedit, design websites, layout print, and manage social media campaigns. 

Independence Literary Review is generously supported by the Charles Guittard and Nancy Labastida Editing and Publishing Endowed Fund, the English Department, and Baylor University. If you are interested in donating to support our magazine, we welcome hearing from you. 

To contact us, please email independenceliteraryreview@gmail.com.