We are thrilled to announce the launch of Constellations, an online magazine for writers drawn to the luminous.
We are now open for submissions and would love to hear from you if you are an Australian-based writer.
Our first issue will be published in late October. As it’s our inaugural issue, the theme will be “Luminous”.
Give us your best writing on the luminous - however you creatively interpret this word.
Def: Giving off light, bright shining.
What makes you feel luminous? What draws us towards the luminous? Do we ever want to escape the luminous?
Some words to get you started: hope, enchantment, spiritual, faith, doubt, mystery, wonder, confusion, awe, ineffable, world-repair, nature, mystic, connection, devotion, luminous-dark, create, evoke.
Or anything else you can pitch to us that stirs our imagination!
Here are the details:
There are four categories. We will publish two works in each category:
Flash fiction: 500-750 words.
Fiction: 2,000 words.
Narrative non-fiction: 2,000-3,000 words.
Short form poetry.
We are also happy to receive relevant photos on the theme for possible inclusion in the magazine!
What not to submit: Sorry - no fantasy, sci-fi, new age or self-help.
Also,
No preaching. No previously published work. No racism, sexism, queerphobia, gratuitous sex or violence and no AI-generated work - we are a values-driven venture, so we will only accept what contributes to human flourishing.
The timeline:
18th September at 5 pm: Deadline for entries.
End of September: We will advise you whether your work has been included and come back to you with any edits.
End of October: Publication of online magazine.
To submit, you will need to become a subscriber to At the Edges.
Please email us:
Your Word document with your work, along with a 50-word bio. Make sure you include your name, the category of your work (flash fiction, fiction, narrative non-fiction or poetry) and the word count. Please also provide a high-resolution profile pic.
Formatting requirements: Font: Cambria. Line spacing: single. Paragraph spacing: 3-point single spacing between paragraphs (in the Word menu bar, go to Format > Paragraph > Spacing). Do not indent paragraphs.
Email your Word document to info@attheedges.com.au with the subject line ‘Constellation submission’.
We are sorry that we can’t give feedback on the submissions that don’t make it into the magazine. We will, however, let you know (gently) if your work does not get published. We know how hard you work as writers!
We look forward to reading your work.
Armen and Karina
At the Edges
A constellation of writers and readers drawn to the luminous telling our stories from the edges
I know you probably don’t mean it to read like this but I wonder if putting sci-fi and fantasy in a parargraph where you say no racism, sexism, etc and no AI and then go on to say that you “will only accept what contributes to human flourishing” is the right thing to do. The way it’s worded makes it sound like you consider these genres to have no intrinsic value and in fact to be detrimental to human development.
As a reader of a wide variety of literary fiction - including some fantasy and sci-fi - I find the wording of this to be a bit offensive. I’m sure the writers of these genres would feel the same.
Maybe this paragraph can be reworded for greater clarity? Maybe it could be two separate paragraphs so they’re not lumped together with the other things?
Or maybe you do indeed consider those valuable genres to be degenerate in that snobby and messed up way so many literary establishments do. I hope it’s not this. Not very “luminous” if it is. I hope it’s just an accidental oversight.