Want to know more about what we’re looking for in this year’s submissions? Here are a few words from our genre leads:

Isabella Martorana – Poetry Editor

The poetry team hopes to publish work saturated in tantalizing peculiarity—a voice inhabiting the unusual and unspoken, observations that reveal subtle epiphanies or considerable discoveries, and worldviews that are diverse and uncompromising. We value precise, sonic language, concrete and sensory-ridden imagery, and figurative language that feels unprecedented. Most of all, we are seeking work that eviscerates, realigns, and transcends our poetic tastes, leaving us with an unmistakable imprint of your perspective: that stunning image which remains seeded in our minds, an interpretation of “Tempest” that is unexpected, or a beautiful final line which leaves us astonished and inspired.

Reilly Huber – Fiction Editor

We want to publish work that doesn’t shy away from the truth, whatever that truth is for you. The beauty of fiction is that it can show us some truths about our own world that we didn’t even realize were there. We want your voices on the page. Dig deep with your characters, and give us a piece that could only have been written by you!

Peyton Worsham – Creative Nonfiction Editor

Creative nonfiction dances between poetry and prose with elegance, borrowing elements from all genres and blending each together to create an inspired, unique work. When we write creative nonfiction, we move through poignant memory and sensation, witnessing the red strings that tie a myriad of concepts together. Creative nonfiction does not center around trauma or tragedy; the core of this genre is transformation. A tempest can be anything: a  hurricane, an argument, a disease. Let your tempest bend form, diction, and time. Make us laugh, make us weep, leave us clutching our pearls; we want it all, as long as it’s striking.

Clay Andriesse – Art Director

There are a thousand and one ways to make art, and even more reasons to create it in the first place. But no matter what it is, and no matter why, everyone wants to be moved by art. We want to see pieces that use an engaging mix of form and purpose, to make us feel something. Ultimately, we are looking for artwork that inspires us, work that excites us, and work that reminds us what being human truly means.