Submission Guidelines - PEN Zine
Welcome to the submission guidelines for the second edition of the PEN Zine! The PEN zine aims to create an avenue where OEP students, staff, and alumni can publish and share their environmentally-oriented non-academic and academic work. Through bringing together the varied works of many in the OEP community, the zine aims to re-produce the OEP’s diverse and crea
tive thinking and expression. Below are some key points to consider when making submissions for the zine. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
*Who*
All current students, alumni, and professional and academic staff connected to the Office of Environmental Programs may submit. We strongly encourage submissions from community members who are first-time creators, or who do not consider themselves to be ‘creative’. The themes and calls for related submissions will be released sequentially across the year. Deadlines will be rolling.
***The first theme is RESILIENCE***
Tell us about the mundane or the extraordinary; about the past year and the possibilities in those rifts and ruptures; about growth in and of environments; about what holds you (or another being) steady; about emotions. Respond to the word or the image (on our page) - RESILIENCE - be as literal or abstract as you desire.
*Dates*
- Submissions for the first theme close Monday 31st May at 11:59pm.
- The second theme, RESISTANCE, will be officially launched on June 1st; the third theme, RESOURCES, on August 2nd. If you want to respond to one of these prompts now, please go ahead!
- The zine will be published in print and digital formats in November 2021.
*Medium and format*
- All written pieces must be under 1500 words in length. We strongly encourage written pieces of any style, time, and any length - fiction, non-fiction, creative non-fiction, journaling, a compilation of the ‘notes’ on your phone, a paragraph from an essay you’re proud of, a (consensual) love letter to your garden... the list goes on!
- We encourage out-of-the-box pieces. This might include things not typically considered ‘creative’, like GIS maps, architectural plans, rough sketches, reflective journaling, recipes, playlists or anything else! If submitting something really out-of-the-box, please include a short explanation of its links to the theme.
- Pieces may be submitted in any medium, including those atypical of print publication (e.g. video with linked QR code) - if your submission is great, we will figure out a way to make it work!
- Multilingual pieces are welcomed. If you wish to submit a piece in a language other than English, please include an English translation, and state whether or not you wish the English translation to be included in the published zine.
- If submitting visual works, please consider formatting (e.g. layout, dimensions) appropriate for an A5 sized publication. Please submit all visual works as high-quality images (at least 300 dpi).
- Pieces do not need to be created expressly and exclusively for the zine, you can upcycle old work. Dig around the archives, and don’t be worried about it not feeling ‘finished’!
*Other notes*
- You are welcome to submit more than one piece, however, only one piece per contributor will be selected for publication.
- If your submission contains potentially sensitive content, please include an appropriate content warning.
- The PEN Zine is a safe space for students of a diversity of identities and life experiences. Any pieces expressing sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist, ableist, classist, or otherwise discriminatory sentiments will be immediately rejected.
*Submitting your work*
- Please send submissions to [email protected] with the subject line ‘PEN Zine submission’. In the body of the email, please include:
- Your current relationship to the OEP (e.g. your enrolled degree and student number, position at the university, or alumni year)
Include submissions as attachments.
