COMMUNITY CARE

Submitting our work to literary magazines can often be a cold & discouraging experience. We’re here to do this work with deep care recognizing that submitting work can be a very vulnerable & courageous act. We see this work as an act of service for writers & artists as well as the teachers & communities that support their work.

In practice, this looks like:

• individualized, encouraging feedback for each submission that was not selected

• 30-min POEM-TENDING sessions for each contributor that creates an opportunity for the editor to meet each contributor, spend additional quality time with the poem that was selected, and offer support for edits/revisions, if desired (we respect that our contributors know their work best)

• a “Community Note” that gets published with each work and shares the behind-the-scenes community context for each piece while helping spread the word about teachers, mentors, workshops, writing communities, etc. that are having a meaningful impact on writers & artists.

• Coming Soon: a donation-based weekly creativity circle

SUSTAINABILITY

We want this literary magazine to last. We don’t want to burn out.

In practice, this looks like:

• sticking to a submissions cap, always

• determining our submissions cap based on our capacity

• publishing one issue per year

• actively working on ways to pay our editors & contributors ASAP
  

ACCESSIBILITY

We’re not really fans of charging for submissions, but we see how it can be helpful when it comes to paying our contributors & editors.

In practice, this looks like:

• free submissions

• an invitation to offer a donation ($1 - $20) with your submission if that is possible for you (considering that everyone will receive an individualize response and that this money will go to directly to writers, artists, & editors)

LIBERATION & IMPACTFUL WORK

We recognize that no one tool, medium, or mode of practice can lead to revolution while understanding that the creatives practices that we gravitate toward can help shift consciousness and support our survival and even a deeper sense of self-sovereignty & dignity. We also believe in the power of disruption, protest, & self-defense in the face of oppression.

In practice, this looks like:

• not publishing work that reflects oppressive ways of thinking

• not publishing (and removing the work) of any individual who is committed to any of the following delusions: Zionism, white supremacy, anti-trans & anti-queer hate, patriarchy, ableism, fat-shaming, & any other dehumanizing way of thought

• prioritizing working with editors & contributors who are also committed to liberation work in practice

• using our free monthly newsletter to direct our readers to workshops and help sustain the work of teaching artists