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The Seventh Wave is a BIPOC- and queer-led organization. We are committed to meeting folks wherever they may be in their creative journey.
We invite writers, artists, and activists to take part in global conversations that examine the complexities of our deep-seated narratives. In general, there are three ways to work with us: through our 1) annual literary magazine, 2) digital residency program, and 3) Community Anthologies platform. You can see more info about each below:
- Annual Literary Magazine: If you have work that is ready to be edited toward publication, our annual literary magazine may be for you. We publish one issue per year, elevating up to 16 artists and writers. The call for submissions for the magazine opens in November of each year. Is our magazine for you? The short answer is: if our call interests you, then your work will interest us. Read our past issues here. Our calls are open to all writers and artists, as well as all genres and forms. Specific guidelines (length, etc.) may be found on our FAQ page here. Each contributor is paid $100.
- Digital Residency: This process-based program is for folks who are seeking accountability, community, and resources (but not necessarily publication). Our digital residency, Narrative Shifts, is a genre-agnostic, generative writing program that includes seven sessions over seven weeks, centering specific aspects of craft that any writer, reader, or thinker could wield both on and off the page. In 2025, we will be running two intakes — Spring and Summer — each with two cohorts of 12-16 residents. This program costs $895, but payment plans are available, and there are two fully-paid scholarship seats per intake. See more information here.
- Community Anthologies: This cohort-based storytelling platform gives our editorial keys to four editors-in-chief to create their own anthologies on our site. Each Community Anthology publishes 6-8 artists/writers, so 24-32 people in total. Our applications to be an EIC open in February of each year, and our submissions to the anthologies open in June of each year. You can see more info here.
Any open calls/opportunities will be below. For any questions, reach out to submit@seventhwavemag.com.
We are now open for submissions to Issue 18: Radical Futurity. 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.
- Dates + Deadlines. We are open for submissions until December 31, 2024. You will be notified of the status of your submission by end of February 2025.
- Submission Requirements. You will submit three items: 1) a bio of 2-6 sentences, 2) a 250-500 word statement (addressing the four questions below), and 3) your submission as a Word Document or PDF. These are not optional.
- Statement + Questions. In your statement — this will be a text field in the form on the next page — please tell us in 500 words or less: 1) What are the driving forces behind your work? Tell us what your particular aesthetic or 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 editorial process; and 4) How does your submission relate to our topic?
- FAQs. We highly recommend you read our Submit page and our FAQ page. There is plenty of information there: why we don't read "blind," why we charge a $7 fee, why we require a cover letter/statement, the type of work we're (not) looking for, etc. You should also read this post on our Well-Crafted bulletin: 7 tips on submitting work to the Seventh Wave.
- Genre/Form. We welcome prose and poetry, hybrid work, and visual art. For prose, a good limit is 3,000 words (though this isn't a strict cut-off). For hybrid work, a good limit is 10 pages (keep in mind how your work might appear on a digital platform). For poems, you can submit up to four poems (please let us know if they are all part of a series, etc). For art, please keep in mind that we will be publishing your work on a website. We have some visual capabilities — accordion scrollers, galleries and lightboxes, and even a flipbook, as well as audio capabilities — but we are primarily built to handle written pieces.
- Submission Formats. For prose and poetry, you'll upload a Word Doc or PDF. For art, send whatever format you think will help our selection committee get the best understanding of your work.
- Fee waiver. If our $7 submission fee is prohibitive, no problem. Just email your full submission to submit@seventhwavemag.com by the deadline, no questions asked. Please write "Issue 18 • [Last Name] [Genre]" in the subject line. Our submission fee helps us honor our team's time and labor in reviewing submissions.
- Note on editing style: Our editorial process is intimate. We host an orientation session for all contributors once selected; you work with two editors toward publication; and you'll get to know others in your cohort. If you are just looking to get your work published, our magazine likely isn't for you. Everything we do is rooted in community, conversation, and collaboration.
- Multiple/simultaneous submissions. Multiple submissions are not accepted. Please only submit once for each open call. We do, however, accept simultaneous submissions. Please just 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 $100 for prose, film, plays, multiple poems, and multiple pieces of artwork; for individual poems, images, and artwork, we offer $75.
Any questions, reach out to submit@seventhwavemag.com. We look forward to getting to know your voice!