Ongoing Submissions: Terse

Payment: $10.00 USD

Theme: Worlding, futures, identity, technology, hyperreality, embodiment, healing, mourning, the tarot/divination, memory, small press culture, captivity/confinement/incarceration, disability

We have a rolling and open submissions policy (we accept unsolicited submissions year round). There are no fees associated with submissions. This is a volunteer run, not for profit publication.

Contributor Q & A

What topics/themes are you looking for?

worlding, futures, identity, technology, hyperreality, embodiment, healing, mourning, the tarot/divination, memory, small press culture, captivity/confinement/incarceration, disability

What mediums can I use in this space?

poetry (erasure poetry, found poetry, experimental poetry, all poetry!), collage, critical essays (academic-style essays are considered), reviews, interviews, mixed media, audio recordings, visual art (drawings, paintings, photographs), creative non-fiction, science fiction, flash fiction, letters, mix tapes

How do you accept audio files? Why would I consider submitting in audio format? 

In the past we’ve designed videos to accompany the work of poets. They turned out pretty cool! Here is one you can check out for yourself: Four Poems by Noelia Young. 

We’d like to do this more! Know that it takes time and we cannot do this for every writer, but let us know if it’s something that interests you.

Do I relinquish my rights to my piece once you publish it?

No. We actually don’t mind if you’d like to submit your work for consideration somewhere else after we’ve published it. However, we’d like to receive credit for publishing it first. We also understand people grow and change, so if there’s ever a time when you’d like us to remove a piece just let us know.

Do ya pay?

Yes. We don’t have much in the way of resources, but we feel writers should receive a show of good faith for publishing with us. We also do this to pressure outlets with more resources to pay their writers. We will pay $10.00 USD via PayPal for any work published with us.

What is the length requirement for essays to be considered?

For anything considered an essay we’d expect it to be however long it needs to be in order to do its job. We’re also volunteers, so please: nothing over 7,000 words. If it’s longer than that we’d maybe consider breaking it down into a series. Pitch us if you are toying with sending us a super long piece.

Who can submit?

Creative people who want opportunities in publishing and have an affinity to social justice and activist worlding technologies.

How much can I send at one time?

2-3 finished pieces of any medium.

How long do you usually spend reviewing submissions?

Due to the high volume of submissions coming our way we are unable to respond to each one in kind. When sending a submission you will receive an automated message letting you know your transmission got through to us.

What’s a sure way to be rejected immediately?

You’ll be rejected immediately if there are any racist, homophobic, sexist, transphobic, xenophobic, ableist or otherwise abusive issues. Your piece will also be removed without explanation if we find out you are publishing this trash elsewhere and we just didn’t know about it when we published you. This also goes for the email you send along with your submission.

Do you accept simultaneous submissions?

Yes. We think it is unrealistic to assume you only have eyes for us. Yet we’d like you to tell us RIGHT AWAY if your piece is accepted elsewhere. Like RIGHT when you get the email from another pub. This saves us from reviewing something you have no intention of publishing with us. Seems reasonable!

How often do you publish?

Monthly and as pieces are accepted.

Anything else I should add to my submission?

Yes. Please include biographical information along with any social media links or blog info. We like to know more about our contributors before we work with them.

Who are the editors?

Mauve Perle Tahat  {executive editor}

Wes Bishop {assistant editor}

Karissa Lang {poetry editor}

Ben Berman Ghan {prose editor}

Moriah M. Mylod {contributing editor}

How do I submit?

Sample submission:

“Dear [find editors’ names above for submission],

Here is my piece _______. It is [explain what your piece is about and what your intention was in writing it in one or two sentences].

This is my short bio:

Here are my social media links:”

Anything else I should know?

Submit via our email: [email protected]

We’ve been fortunate: over a short time we’ve worked with tremendous contributors who’ve written about art, technology, embodiment, critical theory, and self-discovery (among other topics). Take a look around to see what we’ve published to get a feel for TERSE. 

Via: Terse.