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SUBMIT
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ISSUE XI:
COMMON GROUND
SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

"Issue XI is about a place that lies somewhere in the middle of everything. It is, in fact, not one place but many, and it cannot always be found. It could be a kitchen, a garden, a train platform, a market, a conversation, a fleeting moment. It resists concrete definition, yet it is the laying of foundations, upon which we can reach mutual understanding. 

The recent EU elections serve as a reminder of one of the many deepening geopolitical rifts in the world. Each day seems to draw new lines of separation, until a fragmented grid touches our horizons. We mourn a sense of possibility. But we also remind ourselves of the connections which remain and which we nurture between us — such as this zine and the community around it.

For this issue, we urge you to think about the spaces where we can meet. Their creation, their loss, their transformation, their recovery. Think about the design of the public spaces we use, about social housing and the lack of it, about squats and communal gardens, and about the systematic dismantling of communal spaces and networks which we are witnessing in real time. Think about refugee camps and borders; about liminal areas which bring polarised groups together. Reflect upon ideas of the collective and the body politic.

We also urge you to think about the words and imagery you use, or that others use about you, which deepen these divides and prevent us from seeing how much we have in common. About the dialogues and rhetorics we are becoming accustomed to, and have perhaps ceased to question. Think about the spaces in which you have found safety, but also keep in mind the relationships you continue to nurture despite profound differences. Consider openness and radical love. Consider the idea that we do all, in fact, owe each other something in our time upon this earth. 

For Issue XI, we at Cult urge you to find the spaces where radical and transformative dialogues can happen, and to push back against injustice, division and cruelty with the work which you create. Common ground is that which brings us together when we believe there is nothing which can."

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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS:
 

  • Please send your pieces of writing in separate Word or PDF files, each one with a title and author name both in the file name and in the document.

  • For visual art, title each file clearly, and send via WeTransfer if the files are too big.

  • All written work should be a maximum of 1,000 words and written as you wish for it to appear. (For example, do not write in caps lock or all lowercase unless you wish for your work to be printed so.)

  • Submissions containing racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or any other form of prejudice on the part of the author will not be tolerated and will be rejected outright.

  • If you wish to submit images to accompany your text, please ensure that they are your own, or you have received permission to use them, and that they are good quality. Images and other visual elements will be considered on their own merit, so please be aware that we may wish to include your text without your visuals, but we will discuss this with you if this is the case.  

  • We may contact you to discuss editing if we believe it is necessary. We will never edit work without your permission.

  • We are happy to receive submissions which have also been submitted to or published in other publications.

  • We will always endeavour to give feedback when rejecting work, but please bear in mind that our team is small and we may not always have the capacity to do so.

  • We accept submissions from anywhere in the world and from artists of any background.


PROSE FICTION, MEMOIR, ​JOURNALISM AND ESSAYS:
 

  • Maximum of 1000 words.

  • Please use in-text referencing for any quotes or theories/ideas that need crediting (preferably not footnotes). You can include a short bibliography if you believe this is necessary.


POETRY:
 

  • Maximum of 40 lines.

  • If your poem has unusual formatting, please send it in a PDF file.


VISUAL ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY:
 

  • A single submission can either be an individual image, or a connected series of up to six images.

  • We appreciate receiving a short written justification of the images’ connection to the theme, and/or a short artist bio.

  • If you feel strongly about the order in which your images are printed, please number them or otherwise specify.

  • Please submit images in PNG or JPG format. 

  • Be aware that the magazine will be printed in A5 size, so images should not be smaller than 1748 x 2490 pixels, or 14.8 x 21 cm. 

  • Photos taken of artworks should be of a good quality, with no shadows blocking the image, blur, or lighting too dark to see the work.

  • We may ask to edit the colour of your image to suit the theme of the zine, or to make it easier to see, but we will always discuss this with you first.

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