winter submissions now open
the act of creation is an attempt to enter a mysterious realm. a longing to transcend. what we create allows us to share glimpses of an inner landscape, one that is beyond our understanding. art is our portal to the unseen world.
- rick rubin
ISSUE II
WINTER
theme: belladonna
28 December - 10 March
- don't forget to read our guidelines -
many, many writers have meddled with the idea that love is similar to ingesting poison. romeo and juliet’s love famously led to death by poison. that a connection to another human could be so painful is something that can’t be described unless felt. and from henry miller to margaret mitchell, love is always proclaimed differently. for this prompt, wrestle with the idea of beauty. deliberate over the gothic - towering spires and dark clouds as threatening as poison yet beautiful. can’t something look medieval and austere but still be gorgeous, in a hallowed sort of way? what depths of despair and longing does admiration lead to? is obsession merely another name for poison? and, importantly, are we afraid of true beauty?
write an essay about different poisons
write a poem about how ingesting poison really feels
write a story about a man whose heart cannot tell the difference between physical pain and emotional pain
paint a picture of a woman with eyes like dark seeds
tell me a story about the ghost of the beautiful woman who died a happy death
find scraps of beauty and pain in literature and art and stitch them together with your own voice
