The Seventh Wave

We are so glad our call reached you! We are now open for submissions to Issue 13: Rebellious Joy. Below, you will find everything you need to know in order to submit a competitive piece for publication. We can't wait to read your work. Any questions, reach out: submit@seventhwavemag.com. 

KEY DETAILS:

• Dates. We are open for submissions October 20 - December 13, 2020. 
• Fee. We charge $7 to submit/apply. We provide personalized feedback to every single submission (unless your application is incomplete). You will hear from us by January 14, 2020. If the submission fee is prohibitive, we are happy to waive this fee for you (see instructions below).
• Call. To apply, you must read our full call for submissions here. We do not accept any piece that does not speak to this issue. If our call interests you, then you interest us: please read the information below, which outlines who we are looking for, what we are / are not interested in, and info on how to apply.

ARE WE FOR YOU, AND ARE YOU FOR US?

• Who we are looking for. We invite writers, artists, activists, and creators of all kinds to take part in a global conversation that examines the complexities of Issue 13: Rebellious Joy. We are deeply rooted in the belief that genuine dialogue has the potential to shift cultural paradigms and discourses over time. At The Seventh Wave, we are committed to building community for and with individuals who come from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives to dig deeper into the hard conversations that impact how we view our lives, our environments, and our relationships to one another. We’re looking for unique perspectives, distinctive voices, and novel takes on our current issue, and are committed to being as inclusive as possible. We do not tolerate racist, sexist, homophobic, or xenophobic content. We also care very little for pieces/voices that dismiss the possibility and importance of feedback, because to us, writing is a conversation: one that begins with what you write, one that continues with our editorial process, and one that begins again once published. It is our genuine hope that your piece, once published, will create new conversations. You are very needed today.

• What we are (not) interested in. We are interested in why you are interested in this particular issue. What is it about the topic that grips you? Why submit it to us? We are interested in what kind of a writer or creative you are. Do you have a writing or artist community? Do you want or need one? How do you live as a writer/creative in the world? In part, this is why we do not read blind — that practice actually reinforces systemic issues in the publishing industry — and it is also why we require a cover letter. What you say matters just as much as what your piece can say. And so we are less interested in writers whose sole goal is to publish a piece. There are many magazines out there whose sole goal is to publish work. We are looking for writers and artists who want to publish their work with us, and then join our digital community of now 200+ creatives from around the world. We are also not interested, at all, in self-obsessed writers. So if, instead of submitting a cover letter, you write, "I think you'll see for yourself how my piece relates to the issue, and why it's/I'm important," save us both the time.

• What you can expect from us. Our editorial process is intimate. We speak with you on the phone once your work is accepted, and then go through an up-to-three-month editorial process, depending on what the work requires. It’s important to note that we welcome rough drafts, but not careless writing. Powerful work that is unfinished is entirely acceptable to us. Though, of course, the more polished it is, the better chance you’ll have of being accepted (we are a small staff of 12). Once the editorial process begins, you will have one point of contact, but 2 editors working with you on your piece. We utilize Google Docs to work together in a transparent manner. Our one requirement during this whole process is that you are open to feedback on your work. Every piece of work we publish, no matter how polished it is, will go through this process. We have yet to publish a piece where we did not make suggested edits to it. If our process, and this aesthetic, feels like home to you, then we welcome you to submit to Issue 13: Rebellious Joy. 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

To submit/apply, you must submit three items: a bio (2 - 6 sentences), a 500-word (max) cover letter (see below), and your submission as a Word Document or PDF. These are not optional. In your cover letter, please tell us in 500 words or less the following:

1. What are the driving forces behind your work? Tell us what your particular aesthetic and voice will bring to this issue.
2. What are recent social issues, political decisions, or cultural mishaps that sparked meaningful conversation and inspired you to create art, write stories, or otherwise communicate your thoughts to the world?
3. Tell us a little about what you hope to get out of this process.
4. How does your submission relate to our topic? 

OTHER NOTES:

• Waive Fee. If you are unable to pay the $7 fee, we are happy to waive the fee. Please send all of the above materials to submit@seventhwavemag.com, and write "Issue 13 Submission • YOUR FULL NAME" in the subject line. Please attach your submissions in Word Docs or PDF formats.
• To our past contributors. We hope to continue to provide a platform for new voices. While we are big fans of your creative work, if we have previously published you, we ask that you help us give space to new writers (as such, we do not publish anyone twice). We have other ways to continue repping your voice, and if you are not sure of what those might be, definitely do get in touch. We are just a click away: info@seventhwavemag.com.
• Multiple/Simultaneous submissions. Multiple submissions are not accepted; please only submit once for consideration. Do note: for poets, you can submit up to four poems, but do so as one "submission." We do accept simultaneous submissions; please let us know if any of the poems/pieces you submit get picked up by another magazine/platform.
• Payment. We are committed to paying our contributors. While it can vary by submission, generally speaking, we offer $75 for prose, film, plays, multiple poems, and multiple pieces of artwork; for individual poems, images, artwork we offer $40.

 
SUBMISSIONS OPEN OCTOBER 20 - DECEMBER 13, 2020.
Any questions, reach out to submit@seventhwavemag.com.

** Due to COVID-19, we have cancelled our 2021 Bainbridge Residency. While we are saddened, of course, to not be able to come together in person, we have designed in its place an Editorial Residency that awards 4 creative professionals with a $500 grant. This is now our second Editorial Residency, as we had to cancel our 2020 Rhinebeck Residency due to COVID as well. **

The Seventh Wave is thrilled to re-introduce our Editorial Residency, a $500 grant awarded to four professional creatives. This Editorial Residency is for Issue 13: Rebellious Joy. If accepted, you are committed to the following:
 

• Publication: publishing a piece in Issue 13. At the time of your application, you do not need to have written this piece, but you do need to specify what piece you would be working toward, and how you envision it speaking to our topic of "Rebellious Joy." So please thoroughly read our call. Once accepted, each Resident will have a call with our Executive Director, Joyce Chen to welcome you to our community, and walk you through the editorial process.

• Seven Gatherings: partaking in 7 virtual gatherings sprinkled throughout Issue 13 (February to June). These virtual Zoom gatherings will be dinners, afternoon coffee sessions, or morning meetings, and they average 2 hours in length. We will work with our cohort to determine the most conducive format for these restful conversations. We designed these sessions with our "roundtable dinners" from our physical residencies in mind. 

• Workshop: Two of the seven sessions will be workshop sessions, where we focus on 2 of our residents. For those workshop sessions, TSW offers each resident $40 for takeout/dinner, so that we can do our small part in "cooking" for our residents by supporting their favorite local restaurants/markets. The other five sessions will be topical, so discussing things like craft or process, but also practical, like freelance life, being a teaching artist, applying for grants, etc. The whole goal of our residency programs is to create a space and place for dialogue, collaboration, and exchange.

• The Collective Journal: for our inaugural 2020 Editorial Residency, we created what we called "The Collective Journal," which is an uncurated but collaborative space for our residents to use as as a diary, an archive, a record, a timeline, a prompt, a blank space, or an opportunity to connect. This will once again be available for our 2021 Editorial Residents. 

WHY $500 for each resident? On average, overhead for our residencies is $2,000. Our residencies are free to attend, but residents do have to cover their own travel to and from. Normally, each resident/contributor receives $75 for publication. Given this residency has no operational costs, and that many artist and creative communities have been hit hard by COVID-19, we have decided to provide this stipend, which we feel represents an actionable amount for a professional creative who is in need of financial support and working on a project or manuscript.

To apply, please see form below. You are required to submit a brief bio, a cover letter, and up to three samples of your work (as we don't require that you have a piece already written or in progress for publication) that you feel best represent your scope and interests as a creator.  We are looking for eager and critical artists and writers from various fields of study who are producing art and writing that responds to the current world around them.

Other Notes:

• Applications open: Monday, October 20, 2020 — Monday, November 30, 2020.
• Fee: we have reduced our normal residency application fee from $20 to $7 due to COVID-19. As always, if this fee is cost-prohibitive, simply reach out to us at submit@seventhwavemag.com. We are happy to waive the fee. 
• Past Contributors. If you have been published with The Seventh Wave previously, you are unfortunately ineligible for this Editorial Residency. Please do get in touch if you are curious about other ways to continue working with us and being a part of this ever-growing community.

Any questions/issues, reach out Brett, Director of Programs, at info@seventhwavemag.com.