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HELLO! PLEASE READ THIS.
It seems the entire world has been trying to submit to Litmosphere! The response has been absolutely overwhelming, and we've stopped accepting submissions for the Fall 2024 issue.
We're so sorry if you didn’t get your work uploaded before we needed to cap entries. And while we hate to disappoint those who planned to submit, it serves no one to accept entries we—a small nonprofit staff—cannot possibly read with our promised four-week response time. We plan to open again on January 1 — with an entry cap, so please submit early.
To stay up to date on Charlotte Lit Press (and all things Charlotte Lit), you can sign up for our newsletter here: charlottelit.org/newsletter. You can read the Fall issue mid-September at charlottelit.org/litmosphere. Thanks!
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Litmosphere: Journal of Charlotte Lit
Litmosphere is an open submission, paying online literary and art journal, published twice a year. We’re open for submissions of art, flash (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, and short prose (fiction and literary nonfiction) in January for the Spring issue and in July for the Fall issue. The journal is free to read and there is no fee to submit.
Litmosphere is a publication of Charlotte Lit Press, the imprint of Charlotte Center for Literary Arts, Inc. (“Charlotte Lit”). We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts center. You can find us at charlottelit.org and on social media: Instagram: charlottelit, Twitter/X: CLTLitArts, Facebook: CLTLit.
Our Vision
It seems the literary journal world has become an immense and sometimes less than friendly landscape for writers seeking to find homes for their work. We’ve envisioned Litmosphere as an oasis in the desert of long response times and impersonal rejection notes. As writers ourselves, we know submitters are putting real skin (thick or thin) into the game and deserve our full attention and respect. We strive to make meaningful connections with potential contributors, regardless of our ability to include their work in a particular issue. That desire to connect carries over to a preference for readers to more deeply experience authors’ voices by publishing together multiple pieces from the same writers. We are interested in work by all writers, and are particularly eager to receive submissions from those historically underrepresented in publishing. Finally, we’re committed to crafting a nourishing, visually appealing, easy-to-navigate journal.
Our Aesthetic
Litmosphere is for lovers of image and metaphor, writers and readers as curious about inner experience as driving narrative. It’s a place readers can easily dip in, read a piece or two, but our goal is to curate content and design a reading experience that makes you want to linger, luxuriate in rich language, reconsider the world and your place in it.
How and When to Submit
All work must be submitted through Submittable during the month of January (for our Spring issue) or July (for our Fall issue).
Charlotte Lit’s Poetry Chapbook Lab is a year-long low-residency program designed to help you produce a cohesive, well-crafted chapbook manuscript of 12-20 poems (approximately 28 pages). The program combines monthly online workshopping with quarterly weekend intensives and one-to-one mentorship by one of four award-winning poet faculty members. Before you apply, please read the detailed information here. Attending an information session is also required for us to review your application.
Application Notes
- Applications are for the upcoming program year, which runs from September 2023 to August 2024.
- Applications are open October 1–November 10, 2024.
- The cohort is limited to 16 members; admission is competitive.
- Strong candidates will be avid readers of contemporary poetry, have previous craft class and workshopping experience, and have created a body of work that includes both finished and in-progress poems.
- We welcome applications from poets of all backgrounds and cultural communities throughout the U.S.
- Judging is not blind; you should include your name on all documents.
- A $20 reading fee will be collected with your application. Fee waivers for writers with limited ability to pay can be requested from the address below.
Required for your application
- Answer three sets of questions about you, your writing, and this project. [Preview the questions here.]
- Upload a document in .DOC, .DOCX, or .PDF format containing:
- An artist statement: tell us a little about why you write, who your influences are, and what you value in poems — maximum 300 words.
- A work sample of 12 poems, which can be previously published or unpublished, formatted in Times New Roman, with each poem beginning on a new page
Questions?
If you have questions about this application or Charlotte Lit's Chapbook Lab, please first visit this page. If you still need assistance, email us at editor@charlottelit.org.