Call for submissions

How can joy be a form of resistance? What is the radical potential of laughter?

For Debris Issue 05, the editors investigate what it means to view the world through the prisms of joy – in all its manifestations and generative tensions. Contributors are invited to engage with this idea through creative non-fiction, poetry, conversations, visual essays, and other hybrid forms.

Prismatic joy can be found in the most delicate point of the heart. It is a type of revolutionary joy passed down by ancestors. It is both armour and deflector. It brings truth-telling into clarified focus through multiple voices and storylines, so that we can rebuild a world we all deserve. Prismatic joy is a multidimensional container: it enables bliss, grief, wonder and fury to coexist.  It reminds us to stay tender in a hardening world, while carving out sharp  angles towards intersectional justice.  

It is the flower pushing through the rubble; the social organising meme; the laughter amidst the grief; the defeat of the oppressor; the sovereign absence of fear.

In this issue, we look at the ways that we care for each other during moments of crisis. What does it mean to cultivate communal joy in the face of colonial horrors and genocide? How can small acts of rhapsody repair and sustain us?  

DETAILS

• Please note that Debris Magazine only considers submissions from writers and artists living in Australia. This also includes Australian writers currently based outside of Australia.
• Please submit pitches up to 300 words. You may also include sample/excerpts/full pieces.
• The total word count for selected pieces will be up to 3,000 words.
• Rates: long-form Text Works (Essays, Short stories etc.): $500 AUD Poetry: $150 AUD

KEY DATES

• SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED
• DEADLINE EXTENDED: Submit pitches by November 8th, 11.59 PM AEST. 
• Contributors will be notified of the outcome by November 15th. Please note that we are unable to provide any feedback should your pitch be rejected.
• Issue 05 will be published in May 2025. Please inform us if you are pitching to multiple publishers or if you are pitching an already published piece.

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