Guidelines
Poetry
We are primarily interested in poetry with deep reverberations, which usually means it includes wild images (perhaps like Mary Oliver), leaps of imagination (such as Robert Bly wrote about), insights that open into deep channels (like William Stafford), places of connectedness & grounding (Wendell Berry). We like spiritual poems (like Rumi and Hafez), but have found that they are difficult for people to pull off effectively. We are less interested in confessional poetry.
Essays and Prose
We love essays that:
Use mythology, story, or even pop culture imagery to shine a light into the depths of the human experience.
Mythologize every day life to, as James Hillman once said, “deepen events into experiences.”
Explore psychological archetypes—their phenomenology, imagery, and application to life.
Tie myth and psychology to current events, thereby opening deeper reflections of the cultural landscape.
Explore humanity’s deep connection to the natural world through the heart and philosophical ideas.
Inroads is not afraid of controversy, debate, and discussion. We encourage it. Celebrations of books, leaders, and other works in mythopoetics are welcome, and so are criticisms. Our job is to foster conversation.