Events

An aperture can be a point of connection, or control. It can be an opening, a gap, a portal, or chasm. An aperture can be a wound. A point of entry, or of no return.

While the theme and title of this issue is ‘Arc’ we encourage you to interpret it creatively.

We are looking to experience, witness, or understand the twisty circuits of the psyche, the gesture that makes all the difference, or the thing of consequence you can't explain.

Stories can be serious or humorous, or both. We can't wait to read all the heartwarming, inspirational, and hysterical stories you have about your cats.

Dream: A succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep? A reverie? A wild or vain fancy?

In January we’re looking for your stories about what you would have done if you were being honest with yourself. We are looking for your raw honest words, even if they are harsh, even if they paint you in a bad light. Even if they hurt. 

Throw together some unwieldy words that refuse capture and submit the soft down of your tender moments to us. 

This month, we want stories about overindulgence. Opulence. Living beyond your means. Whether that's money, drugs, generosity, or viciousness, we want stories about people who overdo it, and what happens when they realize they’re in a hole they can’t hope to fill.

The connection to the theme can be interpreted freely and does not need to be obvious, so we encourage you to keep it curious!

Our winter anthology focuses on themes of tradition, cycles of life – the light and the dark, and the need for human connection. We want your cozy holiday memories. The power of a winter storm. The sparkling beauty of a frozen landscape.

Although the essay holds the central role at DPA, we are open to other genres, including experimental, poetry and flash non-fiction, as long as there is a first-person point of view.

The theme is heartbreaker, but if you feel like your work is troubling or would start a fire, you're in the right place.

The Periwinkle Pelican Lit is a small labour of love, an indie passion project, and an ode to writers, poets, and dreamers everywhere.

We know this is a very broad topic. Neurodiversity is typically likened to a spectrum and for good reason, as everyone’s experience is unique.

For our Feb 2025 issue of inScribe, we are inviting new and creative explorations of the many and varied meeting points of science and imagination – so start theorising and get scribing!

Whether it’s the soothing melodies of a lullaby, the powerful harmonies of a gospel choir, or the beats that make us dance, music is intertwined with our personal narratives. This open call invites you to explore and celebrate this connection by sharing your unique stories and essays that use music as a prompt.

Our first anthology will focus on a theme of “blue,” and however you interpret it—as the sky, the ocean, the shade of a particular flower, or an emotion.

The theme for Last Stanza Poetry Journal Issue #19 is Fable, and it will feature the works of Swedish folk and fantasy artist John Bauer .

Whether companion or wild, predator or prey, animals’ experiences of health can shine a light on our own. BLR invites submissions that explore how health and healing both transcend and interconnect species, and what this can teach us about being human.