Voiceworks is now open for submissions to Issue #134, 'Vice'!
Theme: Vice
Splashes of wine mingling with blood on the floor. Raised voices in a hot, cramped room. Temptation curls around you like a snake, hissing in your ear to take the forbidden fruit. Indulge. The desires hidden deep in your heart prowl like a beast, waiting to be let loose, to wreak havoc, to stray from the virtues you hold close to you. To take over. It calls for sins and immorality. The threat of eternal damnation for your vices in this waking world hangs over you but the line between blood and wine blurs in a gilded chalice. It is all held so tightly, squirrelled away from the Vice-Chancellor's stern gaze. ‘Fault’ as in seismic activity; ‘weakness’ as in self-indulgence.
The bounds of immorality flex and heave like sweaty backs. We are talking about sex and drugs and, yes, even rock and roll! Are you peddling vice in the street like a hot meal? Or are you carving it quietly, a private hedonist? The smoke hangs heavy in the air and in it you may be able to divine the shapes of the new world. Vice and virtue are two sides of the same coin, one cannot exist without the other—for what is propriety without debauchery?
—Blurb by EdCommers Sam Himawan and Aries M. Gacutan
Print Guidelines
Voiceworks accepts fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art and comics, but before you send your work our way, here are some rules:
We are only able to publish writers and artists who are under the age of 25 (that is, 24 and under) at the time of submission.
We only accept work by people living in Australia (including international students) or by Australians living overseas.
We only consider previously unpublished work.
Each category has its own submission page with specific guidelines, but here are the basics:
Fiction: send no more than two stories, each no more than 3,000 words.
Poetry: send no more than three poems, each no more than 100 lines. We recommend reading our poetry guide here before sending us your work.
Nonfiction: we recommend that you pitch your nonfiction work before sending it to us. Head here for advice on how to construct your pitch and write good nonfiction. For completed work, send no more than two pieces, each no more than 3,000 words.
Art and comics: please keep in mind, we print in duotone (only two colours of ink) and our page dimensions are 170 x 245 mm. We recommend you pitch your comics before sending them to us. For advice on how to pitch your comics, check out our handy guide here. Please send no more than three artworks or comics.
We encourage you to submit across genres, but please send us no more than four submissions in total (excluding comics and art).
Deadlines
Nonfiction pitches—Sunday 29 December, 11:59PM AEST
Fiction, completed nonfiction and poetry—Sunday 5 January, 11:59pm AEST
Art, comics and comic pitches—Sunday 19 January, 11:59pm AEST
Rates of pay
$100 for written work and art
$150 for multi-page comics or suites of art
Please read the information carefully and contact Voiceworks Editor Selina Moir-Wilson if you have any questions or concerns.
Remember, you don’t have to stick to the theme! Our themes are a prompt more than a selection criteria—a springboard to get the creative ideas flowing. Most of all, we just want good work.