Send us something for the longest night
Aloka is starting a quarterly journal: sound, poems, photography, art, and whatever else comes out of sitting still.
One issue a season, published on the solstices and equinoxes. The first goes online, free to read, on December 21. It's open to the Aloka community and our friends. You don't need to be a published writer or a working artist.
What we're looking for
Anything made from the same place a sound bath comes from: attention, rest, grief, wonder, the body, the quiet after. It doesn't have to be about sound. It has to be yours.
Poems
Up to three, any form, any length.
Writing
Essays, reflections, letters, short fiction, notes from practice. Up to 1,500 words.
Photography
Up to five images. A single photo or a short series.
Art
Painting, drawing, collage, textiles, sculpture, anything you can photograph. Up to five images.
Sound
One recording: an improvisation, a field recording, a bowl in an empty room. MP3 or WAV, up to 10 MB.
Something else
A ritual, a score, a recipe, a map. If it fits on a page or in a file, try us.
The return of the light
The winter solstice is the longest night of the year. From the next morning on, the light comes back a little more each day.
Aloka means light. For the first issue we're drawn to that turn: what carries you through the dark, what returns, what you notice when things go quiet. Take the theme literally, loosely, or not at all. Good work that has nothing to do with it is welcome too.
How it works
Send your work by Sunday, November 22. Use the form at the bottom of this page.
We read everything. Every submission is read by a person, all the way through.
You hear back by Sunday, December 6. Yes or not this time, either way.
We check any edits with you. Nothing changes without your OK. Usually it's a typo or a line break.
The issue goes online December 21. Free to read, with your name and a link to your work.
Your rights
You keep the copyright. By submitting, you give Aloka permission to publish your piece in the online issue, in a printed edition from Aloka Press if one is made, and in posts sharing the issue, always with your name.
The permission isn't exclusive: you can publish your work anywhere else too. You can withdraw your submission any time before we tell you it's accepted.
Made by you
Send work you made and have the right to share. If other people appear in it, make sure they're OK with it. If AI tools were part of your process, tell us how in the note.
Questions
Write to hello@aloka.org. We're happy to help with files or formats.
Questions, answered
Who can submit?
Anyone in the Aloka community and our friends: people who come to sessions, practitioners, artists, writers, and anyone who has found their way here. You don't need to be published or a professional.
How much can I send?
One submission per person per issue. It can hold up to three poems, or one piece of writing up to 1,500 words, or up to five images, or one sound recording.
Can I send work that has been published before?
Yes, as long as you still hold the rights. Tell us where it first appeared and we'll credit it.
Can I send the same piece somewhere else too?
Yes. Just let us know if it's accepted elsewhere before our issue comes out.
My files are bigger than 10 MB.
Send a smaller version (a web-size image or an MP3). If your piece is selected, we'll ask for the full-size file.
Is there a fee, and do contributors get paid?
It's free to submit. For now we can't pay contributors. Everyone in the issue is credited by name, with a link to their work.
Will there be a printed edition?
That's the plan, from Aloka Press, later on. If it happens, your permission covers it and we'll tell you before it prints.
Do I have to live in Portland or come to Aloka?
No. If you feel a connection to this work, you're welcome.
Send your work
Paste your writing into the form or attach it, and add up to five files (10 MB each). You'll see a thank-you note on this page once it's sent.