Bridge

WELCOME TO THE BRIDGE SUBMISSIONS INFO PAGE

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE INFO ON SUBMITTING FILM & VIDEO. PLEASE VISIT OUR FILMFREEWAY PORTAL FOR SUBMISSION INFO ON THESE CATEGORIES

ABOUT THE TIP LINE & FREELANCING FOR BRIDGE

WHILE THE HARD BOUND PRINT BRIDGE JOURNAL serves as both a site of public scholarship and opinion about and place for artistic experimentation, as well as an archive of the work of the artistic collective, Bridge Magazine serves as a more topical site for analysis of its editorial subjects, art criticism & cultural reporting produced by the journal and written by a paid freelance staff of writers. Usually updated Mondays.

We invite readers to call into the Bridge TIP LINE at 224-307-5479 to share your voice with info on upcoming must-see art that’s not commercially announced or advertised, or you can email the Editors. Interested in writing for us? Please fill out our freelancer intake form, and we’ll be in touch.

ABOUT SUBMISSIONS TO EVERYTHING ELSE

We only accept submissions to the Bridge Journal through our Submittable submissions portal. We do NOT accept email submissions and materials sent via email will be immediately discarded unread.

Thank you for your interest in Bridge, Chicago's independent, intersectional not for profit organization for art and public scholarship. We welcome submissions in poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction, visual art, cultural criticism, design, and hybrid work from established as well as emerging writers and artists. We also have editorial departments for music, dance, architecture (unless design) and philosophy, couture and others that we do not accept submissions for here -- please pitch ideas for these departments to us directly at bridge.editors1@gmail.com.

We are especially interested in work that embraces the world and continues, however subtly, the ongoing global conversation about culture and society that Bridge has championed from its beginning in 1999. We also accept reviews and interviews, which we publish throughout the year at our online magazine, bridge-chicago.org.

Back issues are available in our member's area archives. A free membership is required for access.

How to Submit: We accept all submissions through Submittable, an online submissions system. There is no charge to create a Submittable account, but please note that we do charge a small reading fee to help cover the costs of the software and some operating expenses. We do not accept mailed or emailed submissions. As a periodical, we publish when we have sufficient material to justify it, and accept submissions year-round.

The deadline for submissions to be considered for the next volume of the Bridge Journal (V25 N1) is 11:59pm on October 1, 2024. This is for our regular "annual" journal, organized by members of the Bridge artistic collective, who also serve as section editors. This is also the deadline for open submission categories that may be published prior to this deadline, such as in our weekly seasonal magazine, the member's area of our website, or through our Bridge Books division.

CURRENTLY ACTIVE CATEGORIES

- For Ephemera, Marginalia & Comics:

Please include in your cover letter the title, year and any other information, including a short bio. Other specific criteria as listed within the submission form are also requested. Categories within this submission include:

- Spot Illustrations

- Marginalia

- Comics

Please refer to the Ephemera, Marginalia & Comics for details on submission requirements for each individual category.

-For Design, Visual Art & Visual Poetry submissions:

Please include with your cover letter an itemized list of submissions and an explanation of the included content. ALL submissions must be print quality images, minimum 300 dpi, minimum 4x5", and must include all relevant caption information, including: artist name, year, materials, and all relevant credits for those pictured, as well as any photographer credit. Please also indicate if the work has been shown in public previously.

Please refer to the Design, Visual Art & Visual Poetry section for details on submission requirements for each individual category.

- For Poetry submissions to the Bridge Journal:

Please include in your cover letter the title, year, author and any other information, including a short bio on the poet or author. Submissions are read by their respective Bridge section editors and, in the case of editors at-large, by the Editor-in-Chief. We do also accept literature in translation, so long as copyright from the original author or poet, their estate, or current rights holder has been obtained, and written proof can be provided.

Please refer to the Poetry section for details on submission requirements for each individual category.

- For Bridge &c -- Magazine & Member's Section Submissions (bridge-chicago.org) - Currently Accepting Short Fiction, Reviews, Essays & More

Submissions &c Thank you for your interest in Bridge magazine and our new Member's Section publications.

In Chicago and interested in writing for us on the reg? Please fill out our freelancer intake form, and we’ll be in touch. All others, please continue with your submission here.

We are especially interested in work that embraces the world and continues, however subtly, the ongoing global conversation about culture and society that Bridge has championed from its beginning in 1999. We also accept reviews and interviews, which we publish throughout the year at our online magazine, bridge-chicago.org.

Member's Section publications are published in our member's area archives. A free membership is required for access. How to Submit: We accept all submissions through Submittable, an online submissions system. PLEASE NOTE IN YOUR COVER LETTER WHICH SECTION YOU ARE SUBMITTING FOR. There is no charge to create a Submittable account, but please note that we do charge a small reading fee to help cover the costs of the software and some operating expenses. We do not accept mailed or emailed submissions.

The &c category accepts submissions for sub-category projects and ongoing initiatives at the online Bridge Magazine and for our free member's section. PLEASE note which category you are submitting to in your cover letter, and follow the instructions for submission unique to each. These currently include:

The Readings Archive: an ongoing poetry & fiction archive series of audio recordings, we accept original audio recordings of readings of original poetry and fiction by the author/poet. Accepted submissions are presented in our Reading Series section of the Bridge site as an embedded video or Soundcloud link, with an accompanying bio and headshot of the contributor. Examples of our Soundcloud embeds are available for listening (and viewing -- we also accept video submissions through our FilmFreeway link). We accept readings from anywhere, not just Chicago.

Please submit as either an .mp3, .wav or other common format, bio, any explanatory text that is required, and a headshot of the poet/author as a JPG or other common image format file. Readings should begin immediately at the start of the recording and be no longer than 15mins in total length. No music or other audio should be included, just the reader's voice. Recordings must also be clear and distinct, without any static or interference. Group readings, or recordings presented as part of a reading series may exceed the 15min cap, but each individual recording must then be no longer than 15mins. For group readings, a bio for each contributor must be included in the cover letter, and for reading series, a bio for the organizer and statement as to the goals and purposes of the reading series must also be included.

For recordings longer than 15mins, please query us via email at bridge.editors1@gmail.com. We do also accept literature in translation, so long as copyright from the original author or poet, their estate, or current rights holder has been obtained, and written proof can be provided. Please submit no more than 3 original audio recordings for individual readers, and no more than 6 per group submission, including reading series recordings.

Zine Reading Room is a member's area initiative to host zine-style publications of any kind, on any subject. Accepted zines are presented in the online readings archive section of the Bridge member's area as an Issuu flip-book, with an accompanying explanatory text. Examples of our online flip books are available for viewing through the Bridge Journal archive section. Each submission pays $10. Please include your mailing address / Venmo info in your cover letter.

Please submit as a PDF. If accepted, we will ask that each page of your publication be submitted as individual .jpg files, numbered in the order in which they appear, front and back cover included, in a zipped folder. The folder should also include a file clearly marked "bio" and "headshot" and, if required, a file marked "statement" that further explains the zine project (this will all be included in the reading room profile along with the flip-book). Page files must be clear and unmarred with wrinkles, shadows or scanner bed imperfections.

Reviews of books, art exhibitions, dance, live performance and etc. may be submitted to the online Bridge Magazine for inclusion on a Monday publication date while in-season.

We do not accept first-time writers for our reviews section. In your cover letter, please provide at least two examples of past review work in the area, along with pertinent links.

Submissions for this section are also time-pegged; for example, a book review should be submitted for publication on the month of or month prior to the release of the book; Book pitches, for 800-1500 words. Ideas for this category may be pitched prior to submission. Each published submission pays $30. Please include your mailing address / Venmo info in your cover letter, along with your bio, information on the publisher / event venue, dates, etc.

Please note that for reviews, submissions must also include one photo -- either of the book cover, event, exhibition view, or similar, along with full caption credit information, including description and any relevant photographer credit info.

Reviewers interested in joining the internal Bridge freelancer's list are asked to fill out our freelancer intake form, and we’ll be in touch.

Photographer's Chapbooks is a member's area initiative to host chapbook-style publications for photographers, on any subject. These are intended for photographers who have not yet staged significant exhibitions or publications of their work, to experiment with ideas and present them in a layout that attempts to organize or assemble imagery, organized narratively or otherwise. Accepted photo chapbooks are presented in the online readings archive section of the Bridge member's area as an Issuu flip-book, with an accompanying explanatory text. Examples of our online flip books are available for viewing through the Bridge Journal archive section. Each submission pays $10. Please include your mailing address / Venmo info in your cover letter.

Please submit as a PDF. If accepted, we will ask that each page of your publication be submitted as individual .jpg files, numbered in the order in which they appear, front and back cover included, in a zipped folder. The folder should also include a file clearly marked "bio" and "headshot" and, if required, a file marked "statement" that further explains the photo project (this will all be included in the reading room profile along with the flip-book). Page files must be clear and unmarred with wrinkles, shadows or scanner bed imperfections.

Lastly, for Flash Fiction, we are currently seeking flash fiction or serial content in the 800-1500 word range to publish on the "front page" of the Bridge Magazine site. Please include in your cover letter the title, year, author and any other information, including a short bio. We do also accept literature in translation, so long as copyright from the original author or poet, their estate, or current rights holder has been obtained, and written proof can be provided.

Each season of the magazine runs roughly 15 weeks, and goes from roughly Aug-Dec and Feb-June. We are now accepting submissions for the magazine's Feb-June & Aug-Dec 2024 run, ending on Oct 1, 2024 at 11:59pm. There is no regular deadline for submissions; to be considered for any of the above categories, work must be submitted according to the criteria above. For reviews of events and exhibitions taking place outside of Chicago, please query us first at bridge.editors1@gmail.com with all relevant information.

Please note that payments where noted are disbursed at the end of each season cycle. The magazine and member's area programming are organized by members of the Bridge artistic collective, who serve as volunteer section editors, and a pool of paid freelancers.

For all &c submissions, please include in your cover letter the title, year, author and any other information. Please also include a mailing address and 250-word or less bio with your submission.

Please refer to our submissions guidelines before submitting your work, and for information on other categories. We accept simultaneous submissions, except where otherwise noted. You can withdraw or edit your submission at anytime by logging into your account. To learn more about Bridge and our mission as a periodical, please refer to our masthead page.

- For SMUT: An Anthology

Submissions Thank you for your interest in Hurm Editions by Michael Workman Studio and Bridge Books, the book-publishing division of Chicago's independent, intersectional art and culture journal.

Hurm Editions is currently seeking cutting edge SMUT

Hurm Editions announces a call for the best in poetry and fiction for an upcoming anthology volume of literary, poetic and experimental erotica. For SMUT, we seek to fulfill the promise of the word: stories, pictures or comments about sex that deal with it in a way that some people find offensive, while having as much fun as possible.

We look to precursors such as the anthologies of Susie Bright, and volumes that sought to expand the literary erotic including Zadie Smith's "piece of flesh,' Mary Christmas & Audacia Ray's $pread magazine articles, Sophie Calle's "Exquisite Pain," or Anaïs Nin classic erotic story collections such as "Seduction of the Minotaur and "Little Birds," or Georges Bataille's "Blue of Noon."

Final deadline: Oct. 1, 2024.

Please include in your cover letter, c.v., previous book publications (if any), which press you are submitting for, the title of your submission, year and any other information, including a short bio.

All book-length fiction and poetry submissions must include a completed manuscript. Nonfiction and scholarly submissions should include a proposal abstract, chapter list, and sample intro / first chapter with their submission, as well as a list of other current relevant titles in the specific field of interest. If the proposed title is a book in translation, please also include what countries the title has appeared in previously, as well as name and contact information for first appearance publisher.

Please refer to our submissions guidelines before submitting your work. We DO NOT accept simultaneous submissions for our books submissions, exclusive submissions ONLY are allowed for this category. You can withdraw or edit your submission at anytime by logging into your account. To learn more about Bridge and our mission as a periodical, please refer to our About Us page.

Hurm Editions also accepts stories, poetry and completed comic feature-length formats including:

Graphic Novels
Poetry
Journal Entries
Transgressive literary and pulp / genre fiction

An independent publisher founded in 2023 as a press to release artist’s editions from Michael Workman Studio, including his graphic novel Biography of a Villain, due out in 2024, Hurm Editions also seeks to fill a void in the current international publishing landscape. In a culture increasingly sanitized by the infringements on art of corporate norms as community standards, that helps fosters a culture of mass shootings by refusing to depict the aftermaths of our national obsession with gun violence, and that claims to celebrate sexual identity while outlawing any depictions whatsoever of sex or eroticism, Hurm Editions seeks to support work that challenges convention, pushes boundaries, and that revels in the grotesque, incoherent, offensive and obscene.

While many independent presses and publishers of transgressive literature have faded from view in recent years, or otherwise gone out of business, Hurm Editions recognizes that much original, intelligent, genre-busting and groundbreaking new work goes unpublished and unnoticed. We will publish original titles in literary fiction and graphic novels, poetry, occult and witchcraft, nonfiction, erotica, memoir, and the unclassifiable. As well, we seek essays, scholarship and writing that expands and works to preserve underrepresented histories and voices, including crip lit, LGBTQIA, Black arts, writing by sex workers, and the incarcerated, and that explore taboos in drug use and addiction, sex and pornography, violence (societal and otherwise), and other controversial subject matter that would otherwise be deemed illicit and unsupportable, often because of its implicit critique of societal norms. We seek to give voice to the poor, the disenfranchised, the disabled, outcast and delinquent, and some of our favorite writers (whose work would likely otherwise slip through the cracks today) include such critical voices as: Georges Bataille, John Rechy, Hubert Selby, Virginia Woolf, James Baldwin, Kathy Acker, Anaïs Nin, Louis-Ferdinand Celine, Maquis de Sade, Italo Calvino, Jorge Luis Borges, Dennis Cooper, Jean Genet, J.G. Ballard, and Fyodor Doestoevsky.

Hurm Editions is currently building its mailing list, which you can join by singing up here. All new publication announcements and calls for submissions will be announced through this mailing list. Currently, we do not accept open submissions but feel free to query your work by emailing us here.

-For Bridge Books 2025 submissions: our book publishing division encompasses three distinct presses: Bridge Books, its specialty imprint StepSister Press, and Hurm Editions, a transgressive pulp fiction press. For submissions to these presses:

Please include in your cover letter which press you are submitting for, the title of your submission, year and any other information, including a short bio. Other specific criteria as listed within the submission form are also requested. Categories within this submission include:

BRIDGE BOOKS

- Artist's Monographs

- Book-Length Monographs of Literary or Poetry Criticism / History / Theory

- Book-Length Poetry Collections

- Arts Practice & Theory for the following focus areas:

- Essays for an anthology exploring the history & present of cinepoetry

- Essays / short book-length titles on dance and performance art

STEPSISTER PRESS

- Book-Length Monographs on Museum Studies & Art Educational Topics

- Book-Length Young Adult Fiction

HURM EDITIONS

- Graphic Novels

- Transgressive literary and pulp / genre fiction

Please refer to the Bridge Books page for details on submission requirements for each individual category.

NOT CURRENTLY ACTIVE CATEGORIES (But Coming Back Around Soon):

- For Literary Fiction submissions to the Bridge Journal:

Please refer to the Literary Fiction sections for details on submission requirements for each individual category.

We do accept simultaneous submissions, except where otherwise noted. You can withdraw or edit your submission at anytime by logging into your account. To learn more about Bridge and our mission as a periodical, please refer to our masthead page.