This week, I spent several hours looking for literary journals who still print actual, physical artifacts. The things we can hold in our desperate hands. At the time, I also wanted a journal who would print a graphic essay (selfishly). Or, if not that…something experimental and boundary-destroying. And I was devastated to learn that many journals really are going out of print. It’s sad. And their ghost-websites are even sadder. But here we are. And experiments like 48 Hr Magazine tell us that the world needs print, needs to be printed and to have a thing to hold.

Hence: in lieu of weekly thoughts for today’s post, I am sending out a call for submissions for art that does not suck. Good art. Art that is excellent, really. Art that will be printed and bound into a journal. I don’t know what art is, but I have proclivities towards illustration and things that have words. Not full narratives for this project, but diagram, maybe.

Who We Is

I am the arts editor/designer/art director for the excellent literary journal, Sonora Review…which is currently edited by the interesting and pizza-loving Jake Levine and Jon Walter. (Some added props: Jake just had a chapbook published with Spork Press, and Jon won Atlantic Monthly’s 2008 contest in fiction for a short story. Both of these links are not ideal…but are what I could find.) Also, Ander Monson is our journal’s advisor. I try to mention/link to Ander in most posts because a) He has books and ideas that everyone should read and b) I think it’s funny.

What We Want

After much toying around with themes and ideas, I thought, screw it. I want awesome things…awesome illustrations that make us think and possibly smile and add something to the dialogue. Drawings or whatevers made by actual fingers.

Specifically, Speaking

All images need to be reproducible in a small size (about 6 x 9 inch pages). So they need to be clear and hopefully interesting. Words are good. I like words. But I can’t print narratives…if you do have a superb graphic essay, or the like, check out our website for details about where to send, and to whom.

There aren’t restrictions on who can send submissions. They just need, for my sake…for our sake, to push the bounds of what illustration or art is. To perhaps question the form. To be more interesting than ink on paper, which we have seen so much before. Make us better than we are. (I’m being vague on purpose.)

In it for You

If we publish your work, you’ll receive two copies of the journal and your brief bio in the Contributors section. We don’t make money really, so it’s the best we can do. Also, I’ll publish the work here on my site as a Sonora Spectacular! or something like that. With links to your site and greatness.

Deadline: June 5th, 2010 @ 12am EST.

All submissions can be sent via email to me. If you have questions, comment here or send me an email. I check these things obsessively.