Submissions Call for September Edition of Smashing Times Newsletter: ‘Peace and Democracy’’

Smashing Times Centre for the Arts and Equality would like to invite submissions to the September 2023 edition of the Smashing Times Newsletter. The theme this month is ‘Peace and Democracy’, tying in with the UN’s International Day of Peace on 21 September. Peace and democracy, two interdependent and essential components of a fair and equal society, are as relevant today as they ever were. This theme can be approached in many different ways, and any interpretation is welcome.

Submissions are welcome in any genre or form. A few notes:

• If submitting poetry, please send a maximum of two poems (of any length).
• If submitting a short story, a non-fiction essay, or an extract from a novel or play, please send just one, consisting of 2,500 words or less.
• Only one article may be submitted, and it must be 1,000 words or less.
• If sending a photograph, or an image of a painting, sculpture, or architectural work, please submit one only. Please also ensure the image is of a high quality.
• If submitting a song, a short film, a video artwork, a feature-film excerpt, or a dance piece, please send just one, and ensure it doesn’t run over 10 minutes. Likewise, please make sure it is of a high audiovisual calibre.
• You may submit in a maximum of two artforms.
• All submitted work should be previously unpublished, though we can accept pieces that have solely appeared on your personal website or blog, or have been performed live (and not recorded to be shared on a public platform).
• Translated works are acceptable, once they are submitted alongside the original, and all relevant permissions are obtained beforehand.
• If we’ve published your work before, please leave a gap of two editions before submitting again. (So if you were included in May, you can submit again in August.) Furthermore, if you have a piece rejected, you are welcome to submit to the next edition.
• Themes are always flexible; any subjective response is considered valid.
• Please submit in a word document to communications@smashingtimes.ie by midnight on Monday, 25 September. Please include a max two-line biography to accompany your piece, making reference to all of your previous publications (if applicable), as well as a headshot or photograph.
• If accepted, the editor will contact you with at least one round of suggested edits, so please monitor your email closely in that case.
• Furthermore, if your work is accepted, it will appear not only in the newsletter but on the Smashing Times website and possibly across our social media channels.
• Not all submissions will be accepted, unfortunately.
• Publication is unpaid, regrettably, as we are a small charity with limited resources. The newsletter reaches around 1,000 people, however, including a range of major arts organisations, and many members of Ireland’s arts and human rights communities.
• Submissions are especially welcome from individuals who have been underrepresented historically, such as ethnic minorities, members of the Traveller community, the LGBTQI+ community, women, and people with disabilities. Please let us know when submitting if you belong to any of these or suchlike minorities.

To read the August edition of the Smashing Times Newsletter, themed ‘Indigenous Voices’, please click here. For previous editions, please click below.