CAROUSEL (est. 1983) is an exquisitely produced hybrid literary/arts magazine with a global focus, positioning Canadian talent alongside international contributors. This innovative journal — now exclusively released online — prides itself on representing both new & established artists and on presenting work across many genres: if it’s original & engaging, we want to give it a home!
IS YOUR WORK A GOOD FIT?
· we strongly recommend that you research CAROUSEL carefully before you submit: you can read our current/recent issues (44-49) on our website; additionally, many archived works (highlights from issues 15-40) are fully accessible at our blog; and finally, sample copies of our lovely print back issues may also be ordered HERE
· please take a moment to follow us on Social Media: Instagram / Twitter / Facebook (plenty of clues about the kind of work we promote can be gleaned from our posts)
· add your email address to our electronic mailing list — you will receive one or two emails per month keeping you informed about events, calls and general CAROUSEL news
READING PERIODS
CAROUSEL does not charge reading fees, unless otherwise specified (please note that we only have a limited number of free submissions per month; if we exceed this number (which is 200), our free submissions categories will close for the remainder of the month ... in this instance, we turn on an optional $2 version of the category if you still want to submit NOW — or, please return on the first of the following month!)
General Call
Poetry + Fiction — forthcoming reading period:
· Fall / 23 (TBA)
#USEReview: Call for Experimental Reviews
· always open
READY TO SUBMIT?
GENERAL GUIDELINES
· we welcome submissions from everyone, but we especially encourage creators from marginalized groups (including but not limited to BIPOC, 2SLGBTQQIA, low-income, and disabled communities) to submit
· we do not accept previously published work (including works that have appeared in chapbooks or anywhere online)
· by submitting your work to CAROUSEL, you acknowledge that you will be automatically signed up to receive CAROUSEL E-News! — we send 1 or 2 emails per month informing you about events, submission calls and other magazine-related happenings (you may unsubscribe at any time)
SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS POLICY
· we allow simultaneous submissions; indicate in your cover letter if we are viewing works simultaneously submitted to other outlets
· if you do place work elsewhere, let us know immediately by adding a message to your submission (if you're open to sharing, we also love to know where your work was placed)
PAYMENTS & RIGHTS
· accepted contributors will receive an honorarium upon publication (paid in CDN currency, via Paypal or eTransfer) according to the following 2023 Fee Schedule: Poetry: $25 per poem — Fiction: $40–$80 per story — Experimental Reviews: $20–$40 per review
· CAROUSEL reserves the First North American serial rights and the non-exclusive rights to reprint and/or electronically publish any materials that appear in the magazine, including subsequent use on promotional materials related to the magazine and/or its events
· we also ask for credit to CAROUSEL (all caps, please) for any future reprints on all published works
· copyrights remain with the author or artist
RESPONSE TIMES
· expect a response within 6 months; if you have not heard from us by then, feel free to check in by email
· please do not submit again until you have received a response to your previous submission
We are currently seeking EXPERIMENTAL REVIEWS! We are especially looking for reviews of hybrid literature, graphic novels or experimental poetry and prose.
EXPERIMENTAL REVIEWS:
You are absorbed in thinking about a work of literature and you want to start a public discussion about it. You consider writing a traditional review. But maybe what you want to say is beyond the scope of evaluation and explanation. Maybe it cannot be articulated verbally at all. Or maybe you just dread sitting down to write a traditional 500-1000 word review …
Consider creating an experimental review for CAROUSEL's #USEReview section
These are the only parameters:
· your review must name the author(s) and specify the title of the text(s) being commented upon
· your review must offer some kind of commentary on the chosen text(s)
· the text(s) you are reviewing must be literary (poetry, fiction, graphic novels, creative nonfiction, or hybrid writing)
There is no set genre for your review. Send us a suite of poems, a comic strip, a short story, a piece of visual art — whatever you like, as long as you feel that your review meaningfully comments upon the text(s) in question. There is no set length for experimental reviews, though excessive volume could discourage us. The text being reviewed does not need to be contemporary, though we will likely prioritize reviews of more recent texts.
We are putting out this call for experimental reviews because we believe that it is important to publicize, discuss and engage with books. We like reviews, but we also believe that there can be fresh and thrilling alternatives to supplement the role of traditional reviews.
Please note that if you do send us a more traditional review, we will still read it, but we will only accept it if it is exceptional and thought-provoking. We are unlikely to be interested in a few paragraphs containing a list of adjectives like “raw,” “moving” and “lyrical.”
We hope that you will be as excited about staking out this new genre of experimental reviews as we are.
We pay $20-$40 for experimental reviews.
Please indicate which book you are 'reviewing' in the TITLE LINE of the submission!