hotpoet has launched Equinox, a biannual digital multimedia journal that showcases poets, writers, and artists. While solstices are the extremes of the year, an equinox is equidistant, poised on the edge of one thing or another, the cusp of change or transformation. With this archetypal significance in mind, Equinox strives to explore the contemplative and motivational power of writers and artists; to celebrate how word and image can create a world and then change it.  

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Submission
We invite you to send us your poems, flash fiction, flash essay, photography, and art. We look for contemplative, argumentative, globally aware, despair-resistant, and apathy-abolishing works. 

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Submission Periods and Publication Dates:

We accept submissions via Submittable. 

 

Spring Submission: December 1st through February 18th with a publication date of March 20th.

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Spring Theme: Last spring’s theme was a fiery one. Next spring’s theme is “Just Add Water.” As in, bodies of water (lakes rivers, oceans, swimming pools…) or water in our bodies (61% by weight). Water is a force for
destruction and a force for creation. Water is a catalyst, whether for photosynthesis, favorite recipes, or hatching those sea monkeys we saw advertised in comic books back in the day. Its presence has always
been the hub for settlements, cities, civilizations—and its absence results in suffering for all life forms. It is a source of energy, from simple hydration for an athlete to power plants supplying electricity for a region. Water is embedded in the world’s mythology from every part of the globe. And the globe itself, our Earth is comprised of about 71% water.

 

You probably already have a flood of ideas, so take the plunge! (I couldn’t resist the pun--Sorry.) Send us your poems, short prose, and images that spring from your response to this prompt, “Just Add Water.” We welcome work on a variety of topics and forms—from ecopoetry to personal essay; from mixed media to photography; from fiction to social commentary. Your work will be considered for publication in the spring 2024 issue of Equinox, andpublication puts you in the pool (there it is again!) to be considered for one of the $100 prizes in each category—poetry, prose, and image. See submission guidelines below.​

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Fall Submission Period: May 15th through August 12th.

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Fall Theme: To be announced

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Submission Guidelines:

1. You may submit up to 3 pieces in any one genre (poetry, flash prose, or image) for a reading fee of $5, which will be used toward ongoing programs and publications at hotpoet, and which will fund a $100 “best in show” prize for every category of work (poetry, flash prose, and image) in each edition of Equinox.

2. You may submit more than three pieces or in multiple genres, but separate submissions are needed to do so and separate reading fees will be assessed for each.

3. We do not accept previously published work, whether online, self-published, in chapbooks, in anthologies, or in literary journals. We do accept simultaneous submissions but ask that you immediately withdraw any piece that gets accepted elsewhere for publication.

4. All submissions must be in standard font and formatting. Poetry should be single spaced with double spacing between stanzas. Prose should be double-spaced and include a word count. There is no line limit for poetry, but flash fiction and flash essay should be limited to 700 words. Images should be in png format.

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