Issue 3.2 — Open Edition / Not Themed

Submissions are officially open. Although we would love to read more work focusing on our current political era and the need for social justice and human rights, this issue is not going to be themed. Send us whatever you want. We are open to reading it all. We will be sure to love it all. Having said that, it’s important to add that the times we live in require literature that speaks to our present moment, and we would hope you respond. This request is neither a requirement, nor a limitation, but we do hope to see this in your submissions.

Adrienne Rich once said that “art means nothing if it simply decorates the dinner table of the power which holds it hostage”. If there is any requirement for this issue (if you wish to call it a requirement), it is to be awake and aware of the days we live in, to not “simply decorate the dinner table”, but rebuke the forces that would rob us of our peace.

Take as your inspiration the poem, “What Kind of Times Are These” by Adrienne Rich.

Please read all guidelines below before submitting

Submit one work of fiction, one work of nonfiction, one single-act drama, three works of flash fiction, or up to seven poems at a time. Currently, we are not accepting translations, but we are very interested in art and photography.

We ask that you please wait until you hear back from us before submitting new work for consideration. We will do our best to respond within ninety days but, in some cases, this period may be longer. If you have not received a response from us within ninety days, we will be happy to respond to your e-mail inquiries. All e-mail inquiries should be directed to shantihjournal@gmail.com. Please do not submit your work via e-mail; use our Submittable page, a link to which is located below. Work submitted to us via e-mail will not be read.

SHANTIH Journal does accept simultaneous submissions. In the event that the work is accepted for publication elsewhere, please do us the courtesy of informing us promptly.

Only previously unpublished workswill be considered for publication. We consider works on personal blogs as having been published.

Thematic Considerations

The word Shantih can be translated as a transcendent peace or inner peace. In general, our magazine seeks to explore the concept of peace in the 21st century. What is peace? Is it political? Social? Personal? Spiritual? And is peace even possible in our world?

Stylistically, SHANTIH is open to a variety of voices, but thematically speaking, we are interested in the exploration of  peace, its meanings, and its possibilities (or impossibilities). When submitting, consider how this theme underscores your work.

Submission Requirements

All written work must be uploaded as a Word document (doc. or docx.) to SHANTIH Journal’s Submittable page (we no longer accept e-mail submissions). When submitting, please provide us with your name, title(s) of your work, and a brief bio including any publication history you might have in the body of your Submittable cover letter. Please do NOT include any identifying information on your uploaded document. Any personal identifying information on the document itself will disqualify your work from consideration. Only the text of your cover letter should have the author’s name, contact information, and bio.

All photographs or works of art must be submitted as a jpg. gif. tiff. or png. file.

Again, we only consider works submitted through our Submittable site (see below).

Genre Requirements

Nonfiction / Fiction – We accept a single work of nonfiction or fiction prose between 1,000 and 10,000 words in length. We are interested in works that are literary or experimental in style. We avoid publishing works that fall easily in a specific genre, such as romance, sci-fi, or fantasy. Works of fiction should be double-spaced in plain 12-point font (Times New Roman or Calibri is preferable).

Flash Prose – We accept up to three works of flash, which should be submitted as a single document. We consider anything under 1,000 words as flash. As with general prose, we are interested in literary or experimental styles. Format for flash should, like longer prose, be double-spaced in plain 12-point font.

Poetry – We accept up to seven works of poetry. We accept free verse and metrical poetry alike, as long as special attention is paid to craft. A well written poem in rhymed iambic pentameter has a better chance of being published than a poorly rendered work of free verse. That being said, we are looking for work that is original, fresh, new. In terms of format, poetry should be single-spaced in plain 12-point font, unless the structure of the poem by necessity must deviate from such a format. Although some revisions might be made, SHANTIH Journal will defer to the poet when formatting stanza and line.

Drama – We accept a single work of drama up to fifteen pages in length.

Art & Photography – we accept up to ten works of art or photography. All visual art must be up to 6 inches (150 mm) in any direction, 300 ppi. We prefer a body of work that shows a relationship between each individual piece, either visually or thematically.

Translations – At this time, we are not accepting any works of translation.

*       *       *

If you are ready to submit, upload your documents to our Submittable link here.

For a closer look at our editorial process, check out our interview with Jim Harrington on his blog, Six Questions For.