A LITERARY JOURNAL
FOR OUTSIDERS
About
Rabbitbrush is a person focused digital literary arts journal catering to outsiders who demonstrate a connection to rural life in the contiguous Western United States (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming). Take heart if you are not from the West, we specifically seek work by rural artists and /or about rural places and we encourage any one writing from that experience to submit.
Outsiders: Traditionally this has meant people without academic training in creative writing, and we will emphasize those writers. We do understand there are many circumstances that push us into the edges of a mainstream lived experience, regardless of education level. In that vein, we specifically seek to publish people currently experiencing poverty, houselessness, and or who’ve grown up poor; people living with disabilities; people with mental health challenges; our elders; LGBTQIA+; people in recovery; rural youth and BIPOC.
Prove It: If you submit to our publication, your bio (250 words max) must include information about who you are and why you fit into a journal for outsiders about the Western US. Do not include a list of your publications or awards. We are happy for you, but we will not publish you if that is what your bio contains.
Rural: For the purposes of this journal, we loosely define rural as being non-urban and having a population of 10,000 or less in the city limits or a density of 1,000 people or less per square mile. If you write about or have lived experiences in this geography, we want to see your work. If you feel a place with a greater population is rural to you, make your case. You must identify the geographic place you are writing about.
Our focus is on snapshots of place. We seek flash nonfiction and poetry. One page maximum per piece. See our Submission Guidelines.
Submissions
GUIDELINES:
Submissions will only be considered if they meet the following criteria:
- We accept unpublished and previously published material if you retain the rights.
- We encourage you to submit a photo or other image that compliments or relates to your text.
- You must include a bio that explains who you are and you name the geographic place you are writing about.
- Simultaneous submissions are welcomed, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
- Please allow up to 90 days for a response. We will do our best to get back with you well before this. If you don’t hear back from after this time, please feel free to contact us again.
- If we have published your writing before, please wait one calendar year before submitting again.
LITERARY ART:
Poetry and Non-Fiction Prose must address the following:
THEME: Your work must demonstrate through its subject matter, a connection to the American West.
FONT, SPACING, MARGINS: Industry standard— 12pt, Times New Roman or similar serif font. POETRY can be single spaced. PROSE must be double spaced. 1- inch margins
PAGE LIMITS: ONE PAGE per poem / two poems maximum ONE PAGE per prose piece / two prose pieces maximum.
IMAGES: (optional) send a photo that inspired or reflects your writing.
NO AI GENERATED MATERIAL
HYBRID TEXT/IMAGE:
We like weird stuff. Found objects, poetry that you’re not sure is poetry, the genius of a text message, erasure poems, flash non-fiction, prose poetry, text and image, literary memes, experimental / hybrid, etc. Send us a poem about a gas station or a billboard you saw on your road trip and the picture you took when you were there.
BIOS:
Do Not send a list of your publications, awards, residencies, workshops or your creative writing or art school education. If your bio contains such information, your submission will not be considered.
Do send a short biographical statement (max 200 words) that explains your connection to the Western US as defined and why you consider yourself an outsider. What are you outside of? How has this influenced your creative vision? We want to know who you actually are.
DISCLAIMER:
We will not publish anything that promotes or contains hateful speech, inflammatory language, social or political rants, or anything we deem offensive, and without artistic merit.
PAYMENT
Rabbitbrush is an entirely self-funded endeavor. We cannot pay contributors.
