Submission Guidelines

CURRENT SUBMISSION OPENNINGS:

ISSUE #4 OPEN SUBMISSIONS CALL

MARCH 20TH-TBD

Theme: Equinox

As ice thaws, buds peek from branches and the sweet chirping of morning birds fill the dewy air, the signs of a seasonal shift are apparent. March 20th, marks the vernal equinox - the cosmic beginning of spring. Neurodivergent people all experience change differently, and at a time of year where change is everywhere, from the celestial level to the workings of our own inner clocks, we’re looking for works that represent your relationship to change.

For some, transitions are emotional times of upheaval, and for others, novelty is a welcome addition. Change may be unplanned, like sudden, turbulent thunderstorms – although, sometimes we’re stormchasers, and we learn to dance in the rain. Changes can be small pushes in a new direction, or a hefty shove into the unknown. It can also be intentional - a challenge to be overcome so we can undergo metamorphosis, blossom into new versions of ourselves. As the equinox welcomes the spring and brighter days, we want to see what change is to you.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The Stars Diverged Journal accepts content from anyone who identifies as neurodivergent, especially hoping to promote pieces about the individuals’ neurodivergent experience.

We want you to be able to express yourself and your art however you feel fit, however, we do have some guidelines to make sure everything can stay organized, and everyone reading our issues can feel comfortable.

Thank you for helping us build this journal, and helping keep it a safe and welcoming space!

HOW TO FORMAT YOUR PIECE

For writing pieces, we ask that all submissions…

  • Are submitted as a PDF or Word Document

  • Have the piece’s writing form, title, and your preferred author’s name in the title

    • (EG: name your piece “Poem - The Meadow - Jean Doe”)

  • Short story competition: pieces should be 1k-5k words long

If you have any specific font or other formatting style choice you feel is important to your piece, please tell us in the “Anything else you’d like us to know?” section at the bottom of the form. (Or if it’s too late for that, get in touch using the Contact section of this site, or email us at: starsdivergedjournal@gmail.com)

For art pieces, we ask that all submissions…

  • Are submitted as a JPG or PNG.

  • Have the art medium of the piece, its title, and your preferred artist’s name in the attachment’s title.

    • (EG: name your piece “Digital Drawing - The Lake - Jean Doe”)

  • If submitting traditional art, please ensure that the photo of it you are submitting is very neat.

WHAT WE WILL NOT ACCEPT

Pieces containing racist, homophobic, sexist, ableist, or any other type of hateful content/language will not be tolerated

  • NOTE: If you wish to share a piece about experiencing hate/discrimination firsthand, and therefore use related and potentially harmful terminology, please reach out to us and we’ll discuss how best to move forward.

    We want our contributors to be free to express themselves in the ways they desire, but it is also important to us to ensure that everyone who visits this journal feels they are in a safe space.

Pieces containing excessively violent imagery will not be displayed on our page.

  • NOTE: If you are unsure of the propriety of the violence involved, please reach out to us, and we can discuss how best to move forward.

    We want our contributors to be free to express themselves in the ways they desire, but it is also important to us to ensure that everyone who visits this journal feels they are in a safe space.

Pieces that are plagiarized from other authors/artists, or pieces made using AI

Plagiarism is wrong. It is very important to us here at Stars Diverged that everyone respects their fellow creatives, and does not claim others’ work and/or ideas as their own. On that same note, we are against contributors submitting any sort of art or writing that they did not create themselves, and that includes not accepting the usage of AI in our submissions.

The goal of this journal is to celebrate your authentic voice and skill, so we sincerely ask that you uphold these values, and only submit your own original work. Thank you!

MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS

  • Please do not submit more than two separate works to one issue or competition, as we are trying to hear from as many different voices as possible.

  • If you are submitting multiple unrelated pieces, please submit them completely separately, filling out a submission form for each.

  • If you are submitting multiple works that are meant to make one piece all together (eg: a series of photographs), you can…

    • Attach all these pieces together in the submissions form, but please indicate what you are doing in the “Anything else you’d like us to know?” section at the bottom of the form. (Or if it’s too late for that, get in touch using the Contact section of this site, or email us at: starsdivergedjournal@gmail.com)

    • Send us an email instead with all your pieces attached, along with information such as:

      the medium of your piece, your preferred artist/author name, your piece’s title(s), and an optional short description of your works, as well as your Instagram handle if applicable.