Arkana

Our Mission

Arkana seeks and fosters a sense of shared wonder by publishing inclusive art that asks questions, explores mystery, and works to make visible the marginalized, the overlooked, and those whose voices have been silenced.

Micro Issue Submission Guidelines 

Fiction: We're looking for polished fiction of up to 500 words.

Creative Nonfiction: Send us your essays, your memoirs, and your investigations of up to 500 words.

Poetry: Submit up to five poems of ten lines or less.

Scripts: Please submit scripts for the stage or screen that would last, if performed, five minutes or less.

Artwork: Photographs or images to be published alongside literary work. Photographs and images should speak to Arkana's mission and aesthetic.

What Our Genre Editors Would Like to See

Fiction: We love stories that share a new perspective, keep us awake at night, or otherwise pluck at our heartstrings. Send us a story that only you can tell, writing that evokes visceral reactions, and, perhaps most of all, seeks a deeper emotional truth.

Poetry: We are moved more by an aesthetic than by any particular trend or fashion in the world of contemporary poetry. We like beauty, music, and a personal interpretation of poetic forms. Your poetry submission should tell us an emotional story with something at stake. Great art is inherently unsafe.

Creative Nonfiction: Submit your personal essays, your investigations and counternarratives. We want to hear a strong voice full of local color. Ultimately, we want nonfiction that moves from an individual’s unique experience to greater universal resonance.

Scripts: We’re committed to publishing genres not often featured in literary journals. Whether it’s a 10-minute play or a scene from a screenplay, we’re looking for polished scripts with compelling character motivation and innovative use of dialogue.

Illustrated Narrative: We consider anything that combines words with visuals in a way that pushes the boundaries of form and storytelling. This includes works of fiction, nonfiction, comic strips, poetry comics, or otherwise. We like pieces that give us a new way to think about the relationship between words and images.

Translation: We are most interested in authors who have not previously appeared in translation, new approaches to translation, and languages that are currently underrepresented. We accept all forms of work in translation, although we prefer poetry.

Artwork: Our art is published alongside literary work, and as such, we want images that speak to Arkana’s mission and aesthetic. Painting, sculpture, photography, needlepoint, or any type of visual art is welcome.

For more on what our Arkana editors are looking for and reading, check out our interview with Selfish Poet’s Trish Hopkinson. 

We accept submissions all year, but please be aware that our active reading period is August through March, taking a short break during April, May, June, and July.