Publication dates are early in the months of February, May, August and November, more or less (but for no particular reason) coinciding with the festivals of Imbolc, Beltane, Lugnasadh and Samhain.

The magazine does not operate a submissions window – we welcome at any time offers of up to six original & unpublished poems written in English from anyone. Accepted poems that ‘miss’ a given issue of the magazine are simply rolled on for the following issue.

Space on the Contributors’ page is at a premium so, if you wish to appear there, let your included bio note be succinct but tell readers something interesting about yourself, not just list magazines you’re in.

Although hard copy submissions are acceptable, we prefer to get your poems as a Word attachment. Please use single spacing, minimal formatting and Times New Roman 12 point, avoiding frames, columns and text boxes. RTF is good. We do not knowingly accept simultaneous submissions.

If sending work by post, please include a stamped self-addressed envelope big enough to take all the poems (C5 or larger), in the absence of which expect no reply unless your poems are absoLUTEly brilliant.

Our poetic likes and dislikes: the editors tend to favour work that may be unsure of itself but is willing to explore untried creative directions. Criteria include authenticity, humanity & the attempt to take off. Predictability, dogma and wordiness will almost always be rejected.
We prefer dreams to deathbeds, and please be didactic only if you are being ironic. In our view a poem is a sharing not of an opinion but of a perception.
Since we only publish poems we like, poets would be wise to look at a recent copy of OWP before offering us their work.

Anima Loci is a visual culture journal focused on the interdisciplinary exploration of the relationship between image and place. We publish articles and photo-essays that explore this theme from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. We currently are calling for submissions from researchers and visual practitioners (e.g. artists/photographers/filmmakers) with a writing/research aspect to their practice.

Example perspectives on this relationship between image and place include:

• Cultural memory, history and archives
• Psychogeography, architecture and the urban space
• Monuments and the commemorative
• Place-making, identity, territoriality and marginality
• Cultural production and artefacts
• Landscape and natural landmarks 

The article format consists of a 1500-2500 word text, with images to illustrate, if applicable.

The text does not necessarily have to be academic in style, it can also take the form of a first-person narrative or other experimental formats.

The text should not have been published elsewhere. 

Neon publishes dozens of writers and artists each year – all from unsolicited submissions. If you’ve got something which might fit the magazine, please read the guidelines below to find out how to get it published.

Before sending work for publication…

The best possible thing you can do to increase your chances of being accepted is to read the magazine! This is easy to do: the print edition costs less than a sandwich and a coffee (and ships to anywhere in the world) and you can set your own price for the instant-download digital edition.

Not only will reading the magazine give you the clearest possible idea of Neon‘s aesthetic, but by subscribing, purchasing a copy or donating you’ll be supporting one of the UK’s longest-running independent literary magazines.

On top of that, anyone who supports the magazine in any of these ways will receive expedited responses to submissions, complete with editorial feedback. If that’s something you’d value, please consider supporting the magazine before making your submission.

What we’re looking for

We prefer darker pieces, especially those with an element of the surreal or speculative, but are open to anything and like to be surprised.

Images, comics, and graphic poems are also welcome, as are self-contained extracts. If you have any doubts about whether something is suitable, go ahead and send it anyway.

Themes

Alternate issues of the magazine are themed. The theme of the next themed issue will be:

Cuisine

Please note in your cover letter if you think your work relates to this theme. Unthemed submissions are always welcome. There is no deadline for themed submissions; when a themed issue is full this page will be updated and any extant themed submissions will be considered for an unthemed issue.

How to submit

• Include a covering letter
• Include a third-person bio (up to 100 words)
• Submissions are read by Krishan Coupland and Lee Mackenzie
• Up to 6 poems, 5,000 words of prose, 10 images
• Simultaneous submissions: okay
• Reprints: welcome
• One submission at a time, please

Send work to subs@neonmagazine.co.uk. Please add this email address to your whitelist or “safe sender” list. If you don’t, you may not receive a reply.

Please query if you have received no response after six months (expedited submissions can expect a response within six weeks).

Terms

We ask for non-exclusive, one-time, worldwide rights to publish your work in print and digital formats, and then to archive it indefinitely.

We pay on acceptance, via PayPal, at these rates:

Prose: 2p per word
Poetry: 20p per line
Photography: £5 per image
Comics: £5 per page

We consider submissions of poetry, prose, and art year-round. No affiliation to the US West Coast is necessary. Only previously unpublished writing will be considered for publication, but it is fine if art has been published elsewhere. We accept (and encourage!) simultaneous submissions, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. 

Poetry Submissions
Please send up to seven (7) poems and include a cover letter and third-person bio in the body of the email. 
​
Here is a little more insight into what kind of poems we like.

Prose Submissions
Please send up to three (3) interviews, reviews, or prose poems/microflash (flash: under 500 words). Include a cover letter and bio in the body of the email. 

We believe writers should be paid for their labor. As such, we are happy to provide each writer with a small payment per each accepted poem/prose piece (paid via PayPal upon publication). We also, of course, promote all contributors, and we nominate for Best of the Net prizes.

Re-knewing 

the work

the process

* We encourage each artist to include a translation of their work. The translation can be done in a recognized language, or one you create (such as through ekphrasis). Artists can translate their own work, or work with a translator/collaborator.

It is our hope that each translated work opens up space for further understanding and empathy of other cultures, languages, and movements, while creating community between collaborators in the process.

If you are unable to translate your own work or find a collaborator, we will work with you. Please let us know if you would like a translator in the submission email.

* We welcome these styles and genres:
​
poetry / fiction / creative nonfiction / critical theory / articles / rituals / spells / essays / reviews / visual art / music / photography / translations / collaborations / performances / novellas / hybrid work

​* Send up to 5 poems or images and up to 10 pages of prose.