Call for Submissions: Issue 49 "Play"
It has been a dark and challenging few years for many of us. Hustle culture is celebrated and plowing through our work days can leave us exhausted. Sometimes we need to take a break from the seriousness of day-to-day life and binge-watch a favourite Marvel Universe show or indulge in some variation of Cards Against Humanity with our family and friends.
The theme for our upcoming issue 49 is ”Play.” We are interested in your narrative and poetic experiments, odd stories, humorous pieces, weird fiction, and the quirky. We ultimately leave “Play” up for your interpretation. Have fun!
We invite creators to submit previously unpublished pieces in the following genres: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, translations (French to English), photography, and comics for carte blanche issue 49, “Play.”
Submissions open on March 15, 2024, and close on June 15, 2024.
carte blanche acknowledges the intersectionality of individuals’ lived experiences and aims to provide a welcoming and safe space for racialized and marginalized voices. We encourage and welcome submissions by individuals who identify as LGBTQ2S+, BIPOC, disabled, and those who live with mental health challenges or neurodivergence.
Please note that while Canadian and international creators are welcome to submit their work to us for consideration, as a result of our affiliation with the Quebec Writers’ Federation and Canada Council grant requirements, we may emphasize a focus on Quebec-based creators in a given issue.
Please read a recent issue and our general guidelines, and please take note of the issue theme before you send your work.
General Guidelines
Simultaneous submissions: We accept simultaneous submissions. Please indicate in your cover letter if you are sending your piece elsewhere and withdraw your submission via Submittable if it is accepted somewhere else.
Unpublished submissions: We do not accept submissions that have been previously published, including on personal websites and social media.
Frequency of submissions: We encourage you to submit to carte blanche no more than once a year unless solicited by an editor.
Rights: We ask for first world serial rights and the right to archive your work on the website. Copyright reverts to the author upon publication. In the case of translated pieces, you must already have received permission from the original French publisher to translate the piece prior to submitting your translation to us.
Payment: carte blanche pays an honorarium of $75 for each published piece. We hope to increase the amount in the future.
We’re looking for comics that have a story to tell, that explore the boundaries of narrative within the comics form. We’re open to all styles, subjects, shapes, and sizes, but keep in mind that your comic will be displayed on the web using a Squarespace image slideshow. Please submit your files at web resolution (72dpi) in one file (PDF or ZIP). If your piece is selected, you will be asked to submit high-quality files for publication on our website and potentially in print-on-demand issues.
We consider nonfiction narratives including memoir, personal essay, and literary journalism. Creative nonfiction submissions should be factual. Any changes to names to protect privacy should be indicated in an author’s note. Maximum 3500 words.
We welcome poems in any form.
As of 2021, we have instated a submission cap. Please submit early–we will not accept late submissions by email. Maximum 3 poems per person per submission round.
Tell a story in 12 photos or less. Together, your photos should create a narrative–whether abstract or concrete. You may include a text-based artist's note that will accompany your piece.
Keep in mind that your photos will be displayed on the web using a Squarespace image slideshow. Please submit your files at web resolution (72dpi) in one file (PDF or ZIP). If your piece is selected, you will be asked to submit high-quality files for publication on our website and potentially in print-on-demand issues.
We accept all kinds of fiction. Maximum 3500 words (1 story can be up to 3500 words, 2+ stories must be 3500 words or under total).
We accept English translations of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction written originally in French. If possible, please include the original work on which the translation is based. If we choose to publish your piece, you will be required to provide proof of permission from the copyright holder of the original work to translate and publish the translation. Obtaining permission can take time, so please do so before you submit!