Open Calls
x/y: a junk drawer of trans voices,
issue #1: resurrection
The true genesis of the project that would eventually become DPL, x/y was a zine that ran from 2018-2020, providing a platform for trans and gender-diverse artists to share their work, be it poetry, prose, visual art, or anything else that could conceivably be reproduced in a printed form. Now, DPL is thrilled to announce the return of x/y as a biannual zine to be released in print and digital. Open to anyone who identifies as trans (or to those who are seeking a platform to explore their relationship to gender but aren't quite sure how they identify), x/y is now open to submissions for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, recipes, collage, comics, drawings, paintings, crossword puzzles, or anything else that you want to throw at us, loosely themed around the idea of "resurrection". Don't be afraid to send us your weirdest, most challenging work; we are not interested merely in neat and tidy trans stories about representation and empowerment, but in representing the totality of the trans experience, scars and all. Submissions due at midnight on February 31st, for publication in March.
Be Gay, Do Time: On Queerness & Incarceration
The Library is open to submissions for our first anthology, Be Gay, Do Time: On Queerness & Incarceration, for publication in print and digital. To be queer is to be the Other, and historically the Other has been repressed and persecuted by not only casual discrimination, but violence at the hands of the state. Be Gay, Do Time is a venue for those who have faced or are facing carceral action at the hands of the punitive system, a chance for them to tell their stories, air grievances, and hopefully, achieve some degree of catharsis. We are open to stories, poems, essays, and visual art. The anthology is open to individuals who a) identify as queer and b) have experienced either incarceration or the threat of incarceration. (note: for the purposes of this anthology, we are including state-mandated stays in mental hospitals as incarceration). Loved ones of those individuals may also submit, with acceptance depending on the volume of submissions, as preference will be given first to those directly affected. We will pay $5 for accepted work for this project; we know it isn't much, but feel due to the subject matter that contributors should receive something. Submissions will remain open until the anthology is full, with the publication soon to follow after. You will also receive a print copy of the anthology. All profits from this project will be donated to LGBT Books to Prisoners.
The Vineyard
*AS OF JANUARY 1ST, THE VINEYARD IS CLOSED TO SUBMISSIONS. SUBMISSIONS WILL REOPEN IN JULY*
The Vineyard is our biannual unthemed zine, open to all and published in January and September. The zine is be available in both digital form available available for free and as a printed copy available for purchase. There are roughly forty pages of space available, so shorter pieces will have a higher chance of being accepted, though if you feel confident in a longer piece don't hesitate to send it our way. Poetry, prose, visual art*, or anything weirder you have up your sleeves—send it our way. Though we are not currently able to pay for submissions for The Vineyard, we hope to see this change for future issues. For now, you will receive both a contributor's copy of the zine and a printable PDF so that you can print as many copies as you want.
*a note on visual art: though we would love to see your full color submissions, please be aware that at this time we can only afford to print interiors in black and white, so they will only be in full color in the digital copy.
General Submission Guidelines
Prose, poetry, and other written work should be submitted as either a .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. Prose should be formatted in something approaching Shunn Manuscript Format, though deviations from this format will not disqualify you. After all, who are we to tell you what to do with your work. We have no guidelines or restrictions on content, and in fact hope to see your most challenging work, should you trust us with it. Other than that, we're pretty loosey-goosey with what we're hoping to see.
Please send your work to dionysianpubliclibrary@gmail.com, including your name, a few details about your piece, and a short third-person bio with any relevant social media links. Simultaneous and multiple submissions welcomed.