A Call for Ekphrastic Writing for  Ecotopia: A Speculative Visual Art and Creative Writing Collaboration

Ecotopia is a themed and interdisciplinary collaborative art project that will be exhibited in a special issue online in 2023. Currently, Harpur Palate is looking for poetic and hybrid ekphrastic responses to one or more of the visual pieces on our homepage, “FLOURISH,” “Horizon,” and “Making Time for the Ocean.” 

Ideally, the written works could convey an optimistic, yet realistic, speculation for the deep future, where humans coexist peacefully and sustainably with the more-than-human world. The goal is to foster a cross-disciplinary approach to discussions necessary when locating ourselves and our communities within the context of a pressing global issue, as we share a bright ethos of our futures, while embracing acceptable emotions and conversation norms like hope, excitement, and progress.

Submission guidelines:

• Submit up to 3 poems or hybrid pieces for consideration, no more than 6 pages total, with individual pieces being less than 500 words each
• We define hybrid as any mixture of poetry, prose, drama, or nonfiction
• In the cover letter section of Submittable, please include a third-person bio (<50 words) and your social media handles
• We do accept simultaneous submissions, please send us a prompt note if your work has been accepted elsewhere

This open call for ekphrasis will run until May 15. After this, Cole Depuy, editor of this special issue, will select a small number of pieces to present alongside the artworks on our website.

SUBMIT

General Submission Guidelines

OUR AESTHETIC: Harpur Palate has no restrictions on subject matter or form. Quite simply, send us your highest quality short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.  In order to get an idea of what we are looking for, we encourage potential submitters to peruse our online issues or purchase a print back issue.

HOW TO SUBMIT: We accept online submissions through Submittable. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please notify us if your work is accepted elsewhere. Contest entries should leave identifying information off the file.  We cannot accept submissions from current Binghamton University students, faculty, staff, or recent alumni.

READING PERIOD: Our fall reading period runs September 15-November 15, and our spring reading period runs March 1-April 15. We accept CNF and poetry contest submissions in the fall, and fiction contest submissions in the spring. Regular submissions in all genres are accepted throughout both reading periods. Our typical response time is 6-8 months.

CREATIVE NONFICTION: Creative nonfiction submissions should be no longer than 5,500 words. Flash essays cannot exceed 1,000 words each. Please send no more than one CNF submission per reading period, either as a single essay or up to three flash essays. We prefer narrative nonfiction from diverse voices, and welcome hybrid and experimental forms. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us immediately should your work be accepted elsewhere.

FICTION: Fiction submissions should be no longer than 4,500 words. Flash stories cannot exceed 1,000 words each. Please send no more than one fiction submission per reading period. We can accept up to three flash pieces per submission. We prefer scene-driven stories that are strange, off-kilter, and sometimes ruthless. Simultaneous submissions are accepted as long as you notify us immediately should your piece be accepted elsewhere.
     Aesthetic statement from Fiction Co-Editors Samia Ahmed and Alycia Calvert: “For long form fiction we are interested in both traditional literary fiction and experimental fiction. We especially like fiction with well rounded characters who take us on journey’s that linger. For flash fiction we look for brevity, stories that unapologetically rearrange our understanding, and use the most beautiful language doing it. We also value inclusivity and hope to publish work informed by a diverse range of perspectives and experiences.”

POETRY: We accept submissions of 1-3 poems per reading period–no more than 5 pages total. Please send no more than one poetry submission per reading period. We prefer poems with a strong lyric voice and sense of urgency. Simultaneous submissions are accepted as long as you withdraw your piece immediately should it be accepted elsewhere.
     Aesthetic statement from Co-Editors Cole Depuy and Rachel Stempel: “We’re looking for poems that push against social norms which block hyperconfession and raw emotion, ones in deep conversation with the personal and public and how they collapse into one another. We love hybridity, diversity and philosophical endeavors contrasted with sharp physicality. We’re seeking disjunction with intention. Make us laugh, and make that laughter guttural. Our opinion may not be correct, but it is final. Do send us the edgiest poems you’re fearful of submitting elsewhere.”

SUBMIT