There are many poetry and creative writing journals. There are fewer visual arts journals. There are many culture-oriented sites, mostly focusing on particular local markets. There is very little overlap among the three, even though people who read generally like visual art, and generally like to engage with culture in many forms - frankly, they like going out for coffee or tea, perhaps after visiting a gallery. This endeavor is intended to integrate the creative community with the culture community.

Additionally, while there are many journals publishing poetry and/or fiction, what counts as a “poem” has changed a lot in the last thirty years, and the poet or writer, or other artist, rarely gets a chance, aside from her own website or SM page, to share her thesis, her method, her process. We do not get a lot of analysis - though, most modern poetry reveals all immediately. Elizabeth Bishop’s fish poem was not just a fish story - today, most poetry is just a fish story, or a dog story, etc… But some of it is more than the immediate, some of it is weighty, complex, subtle, and reflects the execution of a fully integrated thesis of poetry - so that a blueprint, an anatomical sketch, a road map, a process flow, could help. Additionally, not much time or space is spent allowing the writer to discuss her background, where she lives and has lived, and so on. Again, with most poetry for the last 20-30 years, that is right in the poem, like an IG post or diary entry. There is no mystery or deeper meaning.

This is a poetry-first art and culture magazine, and we intend to provide poets not only with a place to publish quality poems - poems that have depth, further meaning, and that make you think and not merely feel, and do not just spell their single, narrow point out. The poets will have a space to provide background and context - her thesis and to take the reader through some sample poems, explaining how those poems achieve what she was trying to achieve. She will have the floor, to explain her method, her theory.

Poets and writers, and other artists, will have this opportunity that they lack in most other journals, and readers who enjoy consuming poetry will have complex pieces to read, as well as a road map to some of those pieces and the ideas behind them.

Submitters will have other benefits as well.

We will accept reprints, if the writer retained all rights and provides the name and location of the journal that published the piece(s) earlier. As such, sim-subs are allowed, and if another journal selects your piece first, or your piece is selected by what you consider to be a good-for-your-career journal, we can defer your piece by a quarter or two. Why? Because even the “top” journals will publish it once and have a small readership, and having been published should not mean that your poem has to go into hiding.

We will not decide midway through a reading period that, based on submissions we like so far, we will make next season’s issue a themed issue. If there are five poems about the color Orange, and we like them all, that will not make the issue the “Orange” issue, such that if you later submit a better poem that invokes the color Red, it would be declined. The same goes for form. That we accepted someone else’s pantoum has no effect on whether your pantoum will be accepted. Nor will we accept or decline a poem that is in whatever form is that year’s “new kale.” These are poems, not shirts.

Each writer will have more than the usual amount of space to discuss her background, hometown, influences, thesis, and/or the story behind the piece, plus pub history.

Poets can submit a longer expose to be presented in a Showcase section, in which you will have an opportunity to discuss your thesis in greater depth, and your method and execution - take us through a few of your pieces and show us the mechanics - how does the poem work?

Poets and writers are encouraged to provide such backstory in regular and Showcase submissions.

We actively want to build a stable of regular contributors, and regular readers. This is best for you, us, and the readers, to have that consistency and familiarity.

It is perfectly fine to submit in different categories - just mention this in the submission. There is no discount - we still have to read all the submissions.

We do not read blind. However, “pedigree” is not a factor, and you can structure your pub history however you want. Frankly, we view a diverse range of publications, as well as forms and narrative voices, as a positive.

We will consider all pieces that are published in a given year’s periodical for the following year’s print edition, which will be augmented with longer fiction and other pieces. You may be sick of reading “our not including your piece does not reflect on its quality,” but that will definitely be the case with the print edition. We will emphasize longer fiction, b/w photography, a sample of poems, and a sample of other art and culture that has not become stale (e.g., a Spring edition section about a museum exhibit running through September would not be repeated in the annual).

Submissions will be limited in scope and size but there will be unlimited submissions.

What do we like? We like there to be some depth of content, an idea, as well as an emotion, and we expect excellent execution. The concept of “efficiency” is often misunderstood - it once meant “density of content,” not necessarily brevity at all costs. Two pages that through metaphor, symbolism, reference and narrative create enough material that you could write a 30-page paper on the poem - an interesting paper - or debate the poem for hours, or days, is more “efficient” than a half page poem that tells me that you walked your dog this morning and this time it did not chase a bird.

We will try to give honest feedback. If you submit an interesting vignette that has something to it but is more of a journal entry than a poem, we might come back with “that is part of a poem - layer that in with a few others and tie them up well.” And if you choose to do that, we will consider it again - though we do not guaranty acceptance.

We do not do political. It is not our trade. We will not market this publication to people under 16, and we think that sex is part of human existence. For some reason, other art forms have accepted sex and nudity. Take a walk through the Musee d’Orsay, and tell me why Olympia and L’Origine du Monde are on the walls, and why that level of provocation is does not belong in a poem? That said, do not send graphic painting or photography - there are other, very good, venues for this.

Lastly, we want poetry, fiction, visual art, and cultural material from individuals who are members of underrepresented communities. You can, but we do not expect you to, write about life as a member of that community, or to write about the plight of that community, etc… - write what you want to write. Photograph what you want to photograph.

We will establish submission portals through one of the leading vendors - this has not been decided yet, and we expect to open submissions sometime in September for a February 15 “Season One” minimalist issue. We believe that that late winter / early spring period when your grandfather is watching pitchers and catchers in Florida is its own season - which I call Season 1.

Submission categories and rates:

Poetry - 3 poems max $5

Showcase - $10

Fiction under 2,000 words $20

Longer fiction $25

Visual recording (e.g., photo) of textile/fabric art, painting, sculpture, etc…. $7