Zoetic Press publishes the best in speculative lit - experimental, interstitial, luminous. We welcome submissions from EVERYONE. The only requirement is that they be in English, or translated into English (we love a translation). If your writing is outstanding, no matter who you are, we have a place for it.
NonBinary Review, our award-winning themed lit journal is published quarterly. Each issue revolves around a specific theme, but we're asking contributors to go beyond the old familiar media tropes - we want speculative work that looks at our theme from unexpected angles.
We're looking for work we can read with our whole body - work that gives us goosebumps, makes us see the world differently, has the tang of authenticity, makes us sit up and listen, and smells like....something. This analogy got out of hand. What we're saying is that we're not looking for re-hashes of images or stories we've read before. We want contributors to explore every facet of our themes, really getting in between the cracks, in the corners, all the forgotten places that no one ever thinks to explore. We want to read work that makes us think "I never would have thought of this, and yet, it's so fitting!"
What we're NOT looking for is work that centers violence, rape, misogyny, racism, ableism, or degrading stereotypes of any kind. We know you're not that kind of writer, but we thought it should be said.
NonBinary Review accepts reprints, but we do ask for previous publication details so they can be credited.
Prose submissions (for which we pay 1¢ per word) should be 3000 words or fewer in length, double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman font or similar.
Poetry submissions (for which we pay a $10 flat fee) should include no more than 3 poems, each of which may be up to 3 pages in length. Please include each poem as a separate file.
Art submissions (for which we pay a $25 flat fee) should include no more than 5 pieces. Each piece should be at least 300dpi, and at least 600 pixels on its smallest side. Any piece chosen for cover art will pay $50. We do not accept any submission that consists of links to an artist's website.
Please ensure that you are submitting to the correct category, as we have different editing teams for each. Submissions sent to the wrong category (e.g., poetry submissions sent to the prose category) will be declined.
Dear Horace Greeley invites writers to ask questions about writing, submitting, publication, and any other aspect of the literary life that baffle them, and we'll answer them online. We don't promise that we have all the answers, but we do promise that we're here for you!
Feedback for Poets of Color is just what it sounds like. People of color may submit ONE poem, up to 50 lines, for consideration. Two poets per month will be accepted, and the Poetry Editors will work with those two poets to edit, improve, and strengthen their work. Acceptances are done on the first of the month, although submissions are open year-round.
Heartbeats: Visual Verse invites poets to push the boundaries of poetry. We're looking for poetry that combines narration, music, and visuals to create a complete experience. We're not looking for a static reading or words scrolling down a screen - we want interplay between visuals and audio that create something more than the sum of its parts. Poets may submit work of up to 140 seconds in length. We pay a flat fee of $25 per accepted video.
Only those categories below are currently open for submissions.
While there is a published close date for submissions, we have an acceptance cap for each issue, and submissions will be closed once we reach that cap, so don't wait until the last minute.
The world is moving at lightning speed, and art is moving with it. So ready your pens and your cameras! Heartbeats: Visual Verse is where poetry meets movement, ink meets the screen. We're looking for submissions that platform original writing (narrated over original footage) that holds up its own in written form but has been developed into something more through the power of film. Think visuals that enchant us and spirit us away into your world. Think words that move, shake, scream. (Well, not literally — we don't want to lose our ears yet — but you get the point!)
We are not looking for videos based on previously published poets or videos that use any footage or audio that could be liable for copyright issues. We want your original work. We want pieces where the words and the visuals meld into each other and in so doing, bring forth something more than they could have as individual works. We want the stark movement of your words, the heartbeat of your visuals. Above all, we want something that is a sensory delight.
Heartbeats: Visual Verse accepts poetry (in video form) of up to 150 seconds in any language (as long as the video contains a translation) on any topic. We pay a flat fee of $25 after the work has been posted to our site.
Note: We are NOT looking for visual or concrete poetry (where words are arranged on the page to form images, sometimes accompanied by art). Please refrain from submitting videos that depict gratuitous violence, gore, and the like. We are seeking audio-visual poetry, so please submit your piece as either .m4v or .mp4 files with captions without credits of any kind.
Horace Greeley (3 February 1811 - 29 November 1872) was the founder of the New York Tribune, a United States congressman, and the man who is often misquoted as saying "Go West, young man." What he actually said was "Go to the West: there your capabilities are sure to be appreciated and your energy and industry rewarded."
We at Zoetic Press agree with Greeley — we want you to find a place where your energy and industry are rewarded. One of the most frustrating parts of being a writer is the submission process. Interpreting a journal’s description of their aesthetic or theme, parsing their formatting requirements, remembering their reading periods – it can all feel like a bit of a crap shoot. What’s your biggest complaint? What’s your fondest wish? What’s your best submission experience? Send us your questions – the things you’ve always wished editors knew about your experiences with their journals. Real editors (channeling Horace Greeley) will answer your letters – explain how literary journals work, think about how to respond to unusual situations, or just commiserate with your rotten luck.
Letters should avoid names of specific publications, and writers may be anonymous if they wish. All letters will be edited for length and clarity prior to posting, and might be combined with other letters asking similar questions.
Zoetic Press believes in using its platform to begin redressing the discriminatory discrepancies in the publishing industry. We welcome all poets of colour (to include anyone from an ethnically or racially marginalized and underrepresented community) to submit a single poem to which our poetry editors will offer feedback. The poetry editors will give you their thoughts on your poem, as well as developmental edits and comments on how it might be improved. If there is any specific area you would like editorial advice on (e.g commentary on imagery, use of form etc.) we'd love to know that in advance. Each poet may submit one poem of no more than 50 lines (although shorter is better) in an editable document format (no .pdfs, please). Your header should include the name of the piece, your name, and a valid email address (used to communicate with the poetry editors). Those submissions that don't follow guidelines will not be considered. Because of the labor-intensive nature of this undertaking, we will only be able to accept up to four poets per month.
Accepted applicants will be notified on the first of the month, and the editors will give their feedback to the selected applicants by the 20th.
Want to get some experience in the world of independent publishing?
Do you want to learn more about how producing a literary publication works?
Do you want to get the inside scoop on what we're doing next, and have a hand in making it happen?
Would you like the mentorship of an entire group of editors?
You can get all of that at Zoetic Press! Even if you have ZERO experience, we want you—after all, how do you GET experience if no one is willing to let you get a foot in the door?
You can:
- communicate with readers and authors on social media
- help produce the podcast
- do layout and design
- do social media campaigns
- read and vote on incoming submissions
This is an unpaid position, but it IS a time commitment (an average of ~5 hours a week - less during quiet times, more when we're putting an issue together), and it does pay you in experience, camaraderie, and literary pride.
JOIN US! We're excited to welcome you to Zoetic!
NonBinary Review is open for submissions on the theme of "heredity."
Maybe you have your mother's nose, or your father's eyes, or your grandmother's hair, or your uncle's earlobes. There are so many things that run in families - not just physical characteristics, but so many of our habits, tastes, and ways of thinking. The "nature vs. nurture" debate has been raging forever, although science is finding that a surprising amount of what we think of as learned behavior might actually be biological. But what else might we inherit from our families? Magic powers? A tail? ESP?
We're looking for speculative takes on heredity - the unexpected, the impossible, the very furthest out there. We're NOT looking for stories about inheritance - things given to us by families or friends. We're not looking for werewolves or vampires (or any other well-known fictional monsters). We're looking for something new - something we've never seen before.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme and be submitted as a jpg., .png., .tiff., or .psd file of 300dpi or greater (accepted pieces must be PRINT QUALITY). Submitters may include up to five pieces per submission, but each must be a separate file. NonBinary Review pays a $25 flat fee for visual art, or $50 for pieces chosen as cover art.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Poetry, please use this link.
To submit Prose, please use this link.
NonBinary Review is open for submissions on the theme of "heredity."
Maybe you have your mother's nose, or your father's eyes, or your grandmother's hair, or your uncle's earlobes. There are so many things that run in families - not just physical characteristics, but so many of our habits, tastes, and ways of thinking. The "nature vs. nurture" debate has been raging forever, although science is finding that a surprising amount of what we think of as learned behavior might actually be biological. But what else might we inherit from our families? Magic powers? A tail? ESP?
We're looking for speculative takes on heredity - the unexpected, the impossible, the very furthest out there. We're NOT looking for stories about inheritance - things given to us by families or friends. We're not looking for werewolves or vampires (or any other well-known fictional monsters). We're looking for something new - something we've never seen before.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme and be submitted in 12pt Times New Roman, or they will be rejected. Submitters may include up to THREE poems per submission, but each must be a separate file. NonBinary Review pays a $10 flat fee for poetry.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Visual Art, use this link.
To submit Prose, use this link.
NonBinary Review is open for submissions on the theme of "heredity."
Maybe you have your mother's nose, or your father's eyes, or your grandmother's hair, or your uncle's earlobes. There are so many things that run in families - not just physical characteristics, but so many of our habits, tastes, and ways of thinking. The "nature vs. nurture" debate has been raging forever, although science is finding that a surprising amount of what we think of as learned behavior might actually be biological. But what else might we inherit from our families? Magic powers? A tail? ESP?
We're looking for speculative takes on heredity - the unexpected, the impossible, the very furthest out there. We're NOT looking for stories about inheritance - things given to us by families or friends. We're not looking for werewolves or vampires (or any other well-known fictional monsters). We're looking for something new - something we've never seen before.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme, and be double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman or they will be rejected. NonBinary Review pays 1¢ per word for prose with a limit of 3000 words.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Visual Art, use this link.
To submit Poetry, use this link.
NonBinary Review is currently open for submissions on the theme of FALSE MEMORIES.
False memories first came to public consciousness in the 1980s when a group of pre-schoolers at a California preschool were coached by well-meaning social workers and police investigators into "remembering" Satanic abuse that never happened. The fallout from that episode wasn't just the persecution of an innocent family, but a nationwide mass delusion now known as "the Satanic Panic," where authorities were warning the public about supposed widespread satanic cults committing heinous acts of abuse. Not a single one of these warnings were founded in fact, and it is now known that a large number of them were propaganda.
But false memories aren't always bad. There is a common phenomenon wherein people hear stories of their early childhoods so often that those stories turn into "memories." It is common in dreams to have "memories" of things that happened to the dream self, but not to the real self. Or a person might believe that they took their regular medication, brought in the garbage bins, or picked up the mail when they haven't.
We're looking for weird and wonderful images of not just the memories themselves, but of their production, their repercussions, their wider meanings. We're looking for false memories that might have changed history, that led to remarkable discoveries, that impacted lives.
We're NOT looking images of recovered memories. Recovered memories are memories of real events that have been suppressed because they're traumatic, and are a widely disputed phenomenon. We would also like to avoid stories centering abuse, trauma, and violence.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme and be submitted as a jpg., .png., .tiff., or .psd file of 300dpi or greater (accepted pieces must be PRINT QUALITY). Submitters may include up to five pieces per submission, but each must be a separate file. NonBinary Review pays a $25 flat fee for visual art, or $50 for pieces chosen as cover art.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Poetry, please use this link.
To submit Prose, please use this link.
NonBinary Review is currently open for submissions on the theme of FALSE MEMORIES.
False memories first came to public consciousness in the 1980s when a group of pre-schoolers at a California preschool were coached by well-meaning social workers and police investigators into "remembering" Satanic abuse that never happened. The fallout from that episode wasn't just the persecution of an innocent family, but a nationwide mass delusion now known as "the Satanic Panic," where authorities were warning the public about supposed widespread satanic cults committing heinous acts of abuse. Not a single one of these warnings were founded in fact, and it is now known that a large number of them were propaganda.
But false memories aren't always bad. There is a common phenomenon wherein people hear stories of their early childhoods so often that those stories turn into "memories." It is common in dreams to have "memories" of things that happened to the dream self, but not to the real self. Or a person might believe that they took their regular medication, brought in the garbage bins, or picked up the mail when they haven't.
We're looking for weird and wonderful stories of not just the memories themselves, but of their production, their repercussions, their wider meanings. We're looking for false memories that might have changed history, that led to remarkable discoveries, that impacted lives.
We're NOT looking stories of recovered memories. Recovered memories are memories of real events that have been suppressed because they're traumatic, and are a widely disputed phenomenon. We would also like to avoid stories centering abuse, trauma, and violence.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme and be submitted in 12pt Times New Roman, or they will be rejected. Submitters may include up to THREE poems per submission, but each must be a separate file. NonBinary Review pays a $10 flat fee for poetry.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Visual Art, use this link.
To submit Prose, use this link.
NonBinary Review is currently open for submissions on the theme of FALSE MEMORIES.
False memories first came to public consciousness in the 1980s when a group of pre-schoolers at a California preschool were coached by well-meaning social workers and police investigators into "remembering" Satanic abuse that never happened. The fallout from that episode wasn't just the persecution of an innocent family, but a nationwide mass delusion now known as "the Satanic Panic," where authorities were warning the public about supposed widespread satanic cults committing heinous acts of abuse. Not a single one of these warnings were founded in fact, and it is now known that a large number of them were propaganda.
But false memories aren't always bad. There is a common phenomenon wherein people hear stories of their early childhoods so often that those stories turn into "memories." It is common in dreams to have "memories" of things that happened to the dream self, but not to the real self. Or a person might believe that they took their regular medication, brought in the garbage bins, or picked up the mail when they haven't.
We're looking for weird and wonderful stories of not just the memories themselves, but of their production, their repercussions, their wider meanings. We're looking for false memories that might have changed history, that led to remarkable discoveries, that impacted lives.
We're NOT looking stories of recovered memories. Recovered memories are memories of real events that have been suppressed because they're traumatic, and are a widely disputed phenomenon. We would also like to avoid stories centering abuse, trauma, and violence.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme, and be double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman or they will be rejected. NonBinary Review pays 1¢ per word for prose with a limit of 3000 words.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Visual Art, use this link.
To submit Poetry, use this link.