Each open reading period announces a specific source work. That work becomes the heartbeat of the issue, and contributors are invited to respond to it through any medium: poetry, short fiction, personal essays, photography, and visual art, each piece in conversation with the original in its own way. You can reference it directly, remix of the work, provide a direct continuation, or offer something oblique, atmospheric, or purely emotional.
Each issue is both a standalone artifact and part of a larger project: exploring how a single work of art ripples outward, how it lands differently in different minds, and what it unlocks in the people who encounter it.
To quote actor Jake Johnson, in an interview explaining how he would surprise actors in his scenes by saying their lines to make them react and encourage some spontaneity over reciting rehearsed lines: "Let's just fuck around with each other—just be with each other—and then it's at least fun for us."
To that end, we're hoping to create a community as much as we're creating a journal. With a quick window for submissions, the vibe for this journal is more sketch than intricate drawing. Please don't send us your unfinished work or first drafts, but think of us like your local writing club. Keep coming back each month. Submit as often as you like. After our initial publication, rights return to everyone we accept each month. Maybe this sparks a longer story, an album theme, or a photography series. Or maybe we just have fun with it.
We look forward to reading, seeing, and hearing your submissions!