Voiceworks is now open for submissions to issue 116, Pluto!
I stole my name from the Underworld. And then an orange cartoon dog stole it from me. A very petty type of karma. I have been plutoed to numbers, 134340. They tick through your mind and dissolve. Maybe I should become an astronaut, a cosmically hot astronaut. Like George Clooney and Sandra Bullock at the same time in one body. This heart of mine is shaping me from the inside out, suspended 2.48 inches outside my chest, gravity not skin. Searching for a place to land, unsure what landing will mean. It’s all given in coordinates; but it’s just breath: blue, bleeding: atmosphere, heart: ice. It pools in my outside heart and spills out of me, blows my top. An elliptical optical illusion, like how the moon is actually just cashews and vinegar and something else. Garlic, I think. It, probably, has a crush on me? Big rocks in space don’t have hands to hold, but we’ll figure something out. I’m getting a little dizzy, who knew there would be turbulence in space. It feels like a ferry trapped in wild waters, 6.4 metres from shore, the water will soon fall apart and away, not like a waterfall, more like an avalanche. Like the colour around my inside heart, I have found my way back. I start again. It’s always noisy at dusk and dawn.
Planets falling in love, sexy astronauts, explosions. Space is chaotic, time doesn’t exist. tag urself, i’m Pluto.
~Thanks to EdCommers LinLi Wan and Catherine Treloar for the blurb~
Remember, you don’t have to stick to the theme! Our themes are a prompt more than anything else—a springboard to get the creative ideas flowing. Most of all, we just want good work. Our motto is…
Themed work: good
Good work: better
Good themed work: best
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We only consider previously unpublished work.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 9th June, 11:59pm AEDT
Fiction, completed nonfiction and poetry—Sunday 23rd June 11:59pm AEDT
Art, comics and comic pitches—Sunday 14th Julyl, 11:59pm AEDT
Rates of pay
$100 for written work and art
$150 for multi-page comics or suites of art
You’ll find further details on each category by following the link below. Please read the information carefully and contactVoiceworks Editor Mira Schlosberg if you have any questions or concerns. Alrighty then, it’s time to submit!