Call for Submissions: Humana Obscura

Deadline: Aug. 1, 2021

While we are open to style, we’re looking for work that is nuanced, raw, and imagistic with strong elements of the natural world or the human-nature relationship. We tend to favor work that is unexpected, real, evocative, yet subtle, with a strong sense of place and strong imagery. We like contemporary, but we’re a bit old school in that we shy away from publishing work that references technology—like your iPhone or Tinder or TikTok… We will not publish political pieces, poetry that rhymes or is longer than 75 lines, or work that is fantastical in nature or of the horror genre. We steer away from work that is entirely anthropocentric.

We prefer free-verse poetry and prose that is accessible to readers, is straightforward, and avoids fancy language and doesn’t try too hard to be clever, to rhyme, or to be confined by syllabic or structural constraints—unless haiku, tanka, micropoetry, or similar.

When it comes to art, we like the subtle, and both the realistic and abstract—think out-of-focus photography and impressionistic smears of colors on a canvas. We love photographs of nature, be it landscapes, animals, or otherwise.

Surprise us. Delight us. Haunt us. Make us keep thinking about your piece long after we’ve read it or viewed it.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Poetry – 3 to 5 poems (or up to 10 haiku, tanka, or other forms of micro poetry, 5 lines or less), no pages each. Please include all poems in one document.

• Short Prose/Flash Fiction – no more than 2 pieces, 1,000 words maximum (per piece).

• Artwork & Photos – 5 to 8 works at a time, high resolution (300dpi).

At this time, we only consider submissions sent through Submittable. Emailed submissions will not be considered. Submissions must be accompanied by a brief cover letter and 50 to 100 word third-person bio. Poetry and prose submissions should be sent in a single document (.doc or .pdf formats preferred). Please allow up to one month for a response.

We accept simultaneous submissions, but we must be immediately notified if a piece is accepted elsewhere. We will not accept previously published work, though we are considering work that has been posted to a social media account only. Content posted to a blog or website will not be considered.

Please do not submit more than once per genre per reading period. However, you may submit to more than one genre within one reading period. Additional submissions will not be read. While we ask that you please adhere to our reading periods for specific issues, we do accept submission on a rolling basis. Submissions received outside of our reading period will be considered for the next upcoming issue.

We ask for first time worldwide rights for accepted pieces. Following publication, all rights revert back to the author. Please note that your work first appeared in Humana Obscura if it is reprinted elsewhere on the web or in print.

At this time, we are not able to offer payment to our contributors for published works; however, we do our best to promote our writers/artists and their work (both within Humana Obscura as well as outside our magazine), so be sure to subscribe to our magazine and connect with us on Twitter (@humanaobscura) and Instagram (@humanaobscura).

Before submitting, please see our past issues for the type of work we publish.

Please send any inquiries to editor[at]humanaobscura[dot]com.