Submissions are CLOSED for Teiresian’s first ever poetry zine! We are currently working with Isaiah, a wonderful trans poet, to publish a collection of hys poems as a zine. Watch this space for updates on title and publication date!
This is an opportunity for a poet who identifies as trans, non-binary, and/or gender non-conforming to have a poetry collection published by a trans led publication, in the form of your very own zine — risograph printed, hand bound, and filled with your work. We may even have time to illustrate your poems!
You will be working with two trans editors on your work, Adrian Cox (he/they) and guest editor Sonny Walker (they/he). We are both trans writers/artists, here to support you in creating the best possible version of your poetry for publication.
Submissions close on 1st November, 2024, at 5pm GMT. Please note that, should we be overloaded before then, we reserve the right to close submissions early, so don’t wait until the last minute! Before you submit, though, please ensure you read the guidelines below in full.
Guidelines
- You must be 18 or over to submit work. If we discover that you are under 18 and have submitted artwork for consideration, your submission will be declined and you will be barred from submitting to Teiresian in future, even after you turn 18.
- This time, we are only open to submissions from individuals who identify as transgender, non-binary, and/or gender non-conforming.
- For this project, we will not accept previously published work. We consider previously published to be any work that has been shared via a publication, whether in print or online (e.g. a magazine, journal or zine). Work that has only been shared on your personal social media profile is not previously published. If you’re unsure where your work fits, get in touch and ask for clarification.
- We consider simultaneous submissions, provided you let us know and withdraw your submission if your work has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
- Please submit between 10 and 15 poems in one document, with each poem beginning on a new page, clearly titled.*
- Please do not include any personal information (name, contact, etc.) in this document.
- Poems can be written in any easily legible font, 12pt.
- We accept docx and pdf files. For poetry which relies heavily on visuals, we recommend sending as a pdf.
- Poems can be on any theme of your choosing!
- We’re open to anything, but please note that we’re less likely to consider collections which revolve heavily around coming out stories, or rely on common tropes and metaphors (e.g. romantic poems about girlhood, and poems around trans mascs identifying with dogs, as much as we love these tropes, are feeling a bit overdone).
- All of the usuals — no plagiarism, no prejudice, no gratuitous (or simply distasteful) violence.
* We will start with 10-15 poems, but, particularly for those new to the publishing world, it is worth bearing in mind that this selection may be adjusted if your work is accepted. For example, we may ask to remove some poems, or replace a couple, or add one more. The editing process will be involved and thorough, and we will collaborate with the poet throughout.
There is no fee, nor will there ever be, to submit work for consideration. However, if you would like to donate to aid the efforts of Teiresian in supporting trans artists, we would welcome a donation via our ko-fi. We’re just starting out, and exceptionally low on funds, so any donation or purchase of Germination helps to keep the lights on.
Reimbursement
Alongside a free copy of the finished zine, the successful poet will receive a minimum payment of £50, which will be paid after finalising the edited zine, before publication. After this, if 25% of profits exceed £50, the poet will then receive 25% of profits going forward. If 25% of profits do not exceed £50, then no additional payment will be made. As a tiny publication, we are offering the absolute maximum we can afford right now, with a percentage that is competitive even with larger publications.
As well as the poetry zine, we will be printing limited edition posters featuring individual poems from the zine, which we will sell at a low price to raise funds for Teiresian. The poet will receive no additional compensation for this.
Any questions? Email us at hello@teiresian.co.uk, or DM us on Instagram.
We can’t wait to hear from you! <3