"All the world is full of inscape and chance left free to act falls into an order as well as purpose."
- Gerard Manley Hopkins
PCC Inscape Magazine celebrates the creative writing and scholarship of PCC students, faculty, staff, alumni and also celebrates the work of writers beyond our community.
The journal began publication in 1943 as Pipes of Pan and later renamed itself INSCAPE MAGAZINE and is associated with PCC's ENG 7: Inscape Magazine Production course. Students read and edit submissions and compose interviews and blog pieces for the magazine and its website, www.pccinscape.com. Students gain real-world literary production and editing skills.
Thanks to a grant from the Student Services Initiative at PCC, we publish at least one print journal per year and funding pending, additional specialty print projects. We are in process of raising $5000 in a growth fund to establish PCC Inscape funding as internal and institutionalized. Our magazine has printed the work of Octavia Butler and other well-known alumni. To support our funding, please donate and designate your donation for Creative Writing here
General Guidelines
****PLEASE NOTE: In order to submit to us, you must create a free Submittable account. You can create one using your Facebook/Google account logins, or create one using your email. If you're unable, please query about your piece at pccinscape@gmail.com
Submissions are accepted during academic semesters. Please note that our active reading cycles correspond to the academic calendar at Pasadena City College and your submission may be held over to the next semester's staff. Submissions made during the summer or winter intersessions (June through August and late December through January, respectively) may not be reviewed until the beginning of a new academic term. We are grateful for your patience. All work is considered for both print and online publication.
If at any point you must withdraw your work, please do so on Submittable. Simultaneous submissions are ok, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. Please allow us up to 4 months to review your work if you've submitted it during the current academic calendar.
Please note that student work may be edited for grammatical concerns. We may query for deeper editing so please monitor your email for submittable communications from us.
For questions about active submissions, please communicate with us through Submittable or contact pccinscape@gmail.com
The Handley Award
Current PCC students are eligible for the Handley Award, a creative writing scholarship that recognizes excellence in creative writing. There is no application for this award; to be considered, you must be a current PCC student. You should indicate this status in your cover letter. Recipients are notified of their award each Spring.
Submissions for the Fall 2025 Inscape Issue - PCC Faculty Editor Prof. Tatyana Surenyan
We accept submissions from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members near and far. Please indicate your affiliation in your submission.
PLEASE SUBMIT ONLY 1 GENRE PER SUBMISSION. We will open a separate art and photography portal in September
Please submit in .doc or .docx with your name, email, phone number with area code, submission date, and page number on every page of your submission.
- Fiction (up to 5 typed, double-spaced pages), Flash Fiction (3-5 pieces no more than 10 pages with each piece beginning on its own page)
- Poetry (up to 5 poems no more than 10 pages of poetry with each poem beginning on its own page)
- Creative non fiction and Critical Essays on literature, film and Interviews (up to 5-7 typed, double spaced pages) and Flash non fiction (3-5 pieces no more than 10 pages with each piece beginning on its own page)
- Lyric Essays