We have rolling submission periods. No payment for accepted pieces.
Issue 18: HEAVEN(S)/SKY - Reading period is August 3, 2024 through September 30, 2024.
What might you write about? How about ...
The stars, planets, sun or moon. The air we breathe. Barometric pressure. The birds or flying insects, lightning or clouds. Spiritual metaphor or how you see God (without getting "preachy"). The universe & what may be beyond, if anything. Is it endless or finite? The color blue as it relates to the heavens. Flight. Is heaven real? (Tell us in a prose poem or lyric essay, preferred.) Sunrises or sunsets, storms or hail or tornadoes, hurricanes, derechos, etc. EMPs - will it happen? WHAT will happen? Solar flares? Will one end life on earth? Or a mix of several of the above, allusions to these, other literary devices where ideas about "heaven" or "sky" are involved. Etc., etc., etc.
Use your boundless, limitless, imagination and give us a beautiful or startling or eerie prose poem, lyric essay, piece of creative nonfiction, or short work of fiction (any genre) having to do with the heaven(s) / sky. Lyrical pieces are highly sought after. For artwork, we're looking for a cover piece of art that reflects this theme. No photography, please.
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No reprints, please. And we'd prefer if it was your own work rather than something generated by a computer program. You know how silly that looks for a writer, right?
Response time will vary from 1 day to 6 or 8 weeks, rarely longer. Please don't check on a submission if you haven't heard back from us, until at least 2 months since you submitted it, though we doubt very much if it'll take that long. And yes, we do read what is sent -- but often early on we'll determine that a work simply isn't for us, and hence the quick turnaround. Usually the longer we keep it, the more likely we're considering it, but then occasionally we'll decide to grab it immediately, so length of time in-progress isn't really an indication of anything.
Send only one piece of writing in this genre in this reading period until you hear back from us. Feel free to send one piece in each genre at the same time.
We will likely publish pieces staggered over 2 or 3 months, but then we might publish them all at once. Who knows? Be patient. And it really doesn't help to ask us "when will this be published," because often we just don't know. Our schedules differ and we're busy people too, and we'd rather not have to deal with emails that ask questions we don't know the answers to.
Please send! We can't wait to read your beautiful themed work.
Nonfiction: up to 5000 words.
Prose poetry: any number of lines.
Fiction: up to 1000 words.
Artwork: up to 4 pieces.
PROSE POETRY: According to our definition, it is in paragraph form only, no line breaks, no slashes, no block text, tight wording (like poetry but in prose form). We are seeking prose poetry that fits this definition.
Once we reach our submission limit for the reading month, we won't open again until the beginning of the next reading month. The categories will close at that time. Check back at the beginning of the following reading month. We have rolling reading periods, usually once in winter and once in summer.
Miscellaneous Facts Accepted contributors will be required to sign an author's agreement. Any writer from any country in the world is welcome to submit work in English. This will be an online-only issue. Select work may be included in a future print anthology. Submissions may be nominated for various literary acknowledgments. Author bios may be edited at the discretion of EIR.
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Be sure to leave your address in the Cover Letter block!
US addresses only, unless you're willing to pay shipping. Email us first if that's the case - contact@portyonderpress.com.
Do you want to know the kind of lyricism we especially love? Then please buy, study, and learn from (but mostly, enjoy!) this gorgeous anthology of sixty-one of the most lyrical nonfiction and prose poetry works from seven issues of Eastern Iowa Review. This also includes several pieces of fiction from the noted writer of stunning prose, Stephanie Dickinson. You'll recognize some of the authors included in this book such as Laura Bernstein-Machlay, Andrea Bianchi, Sarina Bosco, Suzanne Cody, Eanlai Cronin, Debra M. Fox, Alisa Golden, Ashley Hajimirsadeghi, Jane Harrington, Kathleen Hellen, Jesse Holth, Claire T. Jennings, Amy Karon, Kevin J. Kelley, Amaris Feland Ketcham, J A Knight, Joseph Labriola, Cindy Lamothe, Mercedes Lawry, Katharyn Howd Machan, Andrea Marcusa, Lora Rivera, Jackie Sizemore, A.M. Thompson, and more.
One reader said this: "I love the format, the layout, and just the feel of it. It's a beautiful book. But more than that, I've loved the content! It's really full of great writing. I find the landscapes, the people, and the words of the different pieces to be so powerful. I can't think of another anthology that I liked this much. I consistently enjoyed all of the pieces, which, considering how varied they are, is really something."
This anthology of the very best of our previous selections is a perfect primer on what we love at EIR. It's an incomparable anthology of lyrical writing.