Magnolia Journal

Submissions to Magnolia, A Journal of Women’s Socially Engaged Literature are accepted annually from September 1st – December 31st. Submissions are currently closed. To receive a reminder when submissions open, please subscribe to our mailing list.

Volume II, Available June 13th

Guest edited by Karen Connelly. Contributors: Andrea Nicki, Suzanne Reisman, Anne Babson, Shin Yu Pai, Elizabeth Jarret Andrew, Marguerite Bouvard, Connie Green Jordan, Catherine Browder, Faith Steinberg, Kateley Prudes, Jasminne Mendez, Jacqueline Jules, Juditha Dowd, Amy Patrick Mossman, Janet Mason, Jo Phillip, Diane Gillette, Rose Maria Woodson, Natalie Peeterse, Jenny Root, Joyce Winters-Henderson, Diane Lefer, Katherin Nolte, Jessice Genia Simon, Freesia McKee, Felicia Mitchell, Marguerite Pigeon, Regina Murray Brault, and Hayley Durfor.

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Karen Connelly is the author of nine books of best-selling nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, the most recent being Burmese Lessons, a love story, a memoir about her experiences in Burma and on the Thai-Burma border.,She has won the Pat Lowther Award for her poetry, the Governor General’s Award for her non-fiction, and Britain’s Orange Broadband Prize for New Fiction for her first novel The Lizard Cage. Published in 2005, The Lizard Cage was compared in the New York Times Book Review to the works of Orwell, Solzhenitsyn, and Mandela, and hailed in the Globe and Mail as “one of the best modern Canadian novels.”

www.karenconnelly.ca

Volume I

In this first volume of a new series dedicated to socially engaged literature by women, guest editor Gayle Brandeis introduces us to powerful storytelling that speaks out loud the atrocities of our world, breaking the silence and taking pause. Included are the traumatic tale of a mother’s loss during a clandestine border crossing, the unionization of a women’s light bulb factory in pre-World War II Chicago, a child whose life has been stunted by a futuristic device she is stored in on a daily basis, and many more. This year’s writers represent a diversity of geographies, stylistic sensibilities, and perspectives. Through poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction, they universally challenge us to reconsider what “women’s experience” looks and sounds like—they require us to break our hearts, celebrate even the smallest triumphs, and to critically examine the seemingly mundane moments of everyday life, all through the medium of language. Featuring new and established voices, this collection is a must read for compassionate and thoughtful readers from all walks of life.

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Gayle Brandeis is the author of Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write (HarperOne), Dictionary Poems (Pudding House Publications), the novels The Book of Dead Birds (HarperCollins), which won Barbara Kingsolver’s Bellwether Prize for Fiction in Support of a Literature of Social Change, Self Storage (Ballantine) and Delta Girls (Ballantine), and her first novel for young readers, My Life with the Lincolns (Holt). Gayle’s poetry, fiction and essays have also appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies.

www.gaylebrandeis.com/

What is socially engaged literature?

Socially engaged literature is defined by a creative work’s critical interaction with ideas and concepts of social, political, and cultural significance. For example, an author might choose to write a story that demonstrates the experience of war or human trafficking; that challenges prevailing conversations about the environment; or that highlights the challenges faced by immigrants in the world today. We look for strong narratives that engage with readers in a personal way, making difficult topics accessible through human stories. Submissions from non-Western traditions written in English are highly encouraged.

What to submit: Socially engaged works of fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry that interact with and challenge social injustices of our time.

Length: 5,000 word maximum for fiction and creative non-fiction; poetry up to 5 pages.

Fees: We do not charge reading fees.

Compensation and copyright: Each successful submission will receive 2 paperback copies of the anthology as payment. The Institute of Arts & Social Engagement (IASE) requests Non-exclusive Anthology and Electronic rights. IASE retains the right to continue selling back issues of the journal in print and electronic format.

How to submit: Send your manuscript as an attachment (.doc or .rtf only, please do not submit .DOCX files) to magnoliajournal@theiase.org. Submissions must be typed, double spaced, using standard Arial or Times 12pt. font. Include your last name and title of the work in the email subject line (EX. Smith – Title of the work).

Response time: All submissions will receive a written confirmation upon receipt, with a final decision in 1-3 months. While we will accept simultaneous submissions, we ask that you make us aware at the time of submission and communicate any changes regarding your manuscript as a matter of urgency.

Submissions are now closed.

Queries to: magnoliajournal@theiase.org