Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience. We appreciate a sensibility that is open and thoughtful rather than didactic. We seek diversity in experiences, backgrounds, and spiritual perspectives, as well as in genres and art disciplines. We also welcome cross-genre, cross-discipline, or multimedia experimentation. Those interested in submitting are encouraged to read previous issues to gain a sense of the kind of work we're looking for.


DEADLINE EXTENDED! VITA POETICA WRITING & ART CONTEST

New Deadline: Oct. 22, 2024

In honor of our upcoming 5th anniversary, Vita Poetica is excited to announce a writing and art contest for publication in our first-ever print issue! Coming out in the winter of 2025, this special print edition will feature works from winners in the categories of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art. Prizes of $100 will be awarded to winners in each category. We are looking for excellent work that also engages thoughtfully with faith and spirituality. Deadline: Oct. 22, 2024. Entry fee: $10 per submission. For more details and to submit, please see our contest listing below.


GENERAL SUBMISSIONS

*Please note that general submissions to poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual arts will be closed from Oct. 15 - Dec. 31, 2024 while we read for our writing and art contest. (Other sections will remain open to pitches; see below.) All entries to the contest will also be considered for publication in our regular online issues. We will reopen for general submissions on Jan. 1, 2025.

For our online quarterly, we accept submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and other media. Please see details within each genre below for guidelines specific to the section. 

Pitches are accepted for our reviews, interviews, and contemplative practices sections. These sections will remain open during our contest reading period as well. For reviews, please see full guidelines and suggested review titles on our website here. For interviews and contemplative practices, please send queries to hello@vitapoetica.org, along with a brief bio and 1-2 writing samples. For all other genres (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and multimedia), please see specific guidelines in the sections below.

We do not accept previously published work, including web-published or self-published material. Simultaneous submissions are welcome provided you notify us immediately if the work is placed elsewhere. 

We ask for first-time rights of publication and request acknowledgment as the first place of publication. All rights revert to the author/artist after publication.

Please allow up to 3 months while we review your submission. We publish on a quarterly cycle, and it can sometimes take a bit longer if the submission arrived in between issues. If you sent a query or pitch, we will confer as a team and respond in about a month.

We regret that we’re unable to offer payment for publication at this time. Vita Poetica is a nonprofit organization and relies on a small team of volunteers who read every submission carefully. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for sharing your work with us.

$10.00

New Deadline: Oct. 22, 2024

In honor of our upcoming 5th anniversary, Vita Poetica is excited to announce a writing and art contest for publication in our first-ever print issue! Coming out in the winter of 2025, this special print edition will feature works from winners in the categories of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art. Prizes of $100 will be awarded to winners in each category. We are looking for excellent work that also engages thoughtfully with faith and spirituality. Winners and runners-up will be published in the print issue, along with selected works from previous issues. Each contributor to the print edition will receive a copy of the journal. The editors of Vita Poetica will judge. 

Entries must be submitted through our Submittable page by October 22, 2024, and include an entry fee of $10 per submission. Prose pieces are limited to 5000 words. Visual art may include, but is not limited to, painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, textile, and sculpture. All contest entries will also be considered for publication in our regular online issues. 

There is no limit to the number of submissions, but each submission must be sent separately. Simultaneous submissions are allowed provided you notify us immediately if the work is placed elsewhere. We do not accept previously published writing, including web-published or self-published material. Visual art may have previously appeared in exhibition but should not have been published in a magazine or journal, whether in print or online.

We encourage participants to become familiar with our mission and to peruse past issues to see the kind of work we publish. Works appearing in Vita Poetica have been selected for Best Spiritual Writing anthologies and have appeared on the cover of Best of the Net.

Deadline: Oct. 22, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EST

Prizes: Four prizes of $100 in each category of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art

Fee: $10 per submission

Submit through form below.

Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience. We appreciate a sensibility that is open and thoughtful rather than didactic. Those interested in submitting are encouraged to read previous issues to gain a sense of the kind of work we're looking for.

Please submit fiction of up to 5,000 words in a standard word-processing format (.doc or .docx).

Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience. We appreciate a sensibility that is open and thoughtful rather than didactic. Those interested in submitting are encouraged to read previous issues to gain a sense of the kind of work we're looking for.

Please submit creative nonfiction (including personal essay, memoir, reportage, and other types of literary nonfiction) of up to 5,000 words in a standard word-processing format (.doc or .docx).

Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience. We appreciate a sensibility that is open and thoughtful rather than didactic. We seek diversity in experiences, backgrounds, and spiritual perspectives, as well as in genres and art disciplines. We also welcome cross-genre, cross-discipline, or multimedia experimentation. Those interested in submitting are encouraged to read previous issues to gain a sense of the kind of work we're looking for.

Please submit up to 3 poems at a time, as a single file, in a standard word-processing format (.doc or .docx). Pdf files are permitted if special formatting is required. All efforts are made to preserve formatting in publication across platforms (web, social media), but we may at times be subject to limitations within a particular platform.

We welcome visual art, including but not limited to painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, textile, and sculpture. Previously published pieces (in a magazine/journal, print or online) are not eligible. The work should engage, whether directly or indirectly, with our publication's focus on art and spirituality. We ask that artists be familiar with our publication and the art we've featured in past issues before submitting.

Submit up to 5 pieces as a zip file or private link(s). Lower-resolution images may be submitted first, with high-resolution files (300dpi) required upon acceptance. Please include an artist statement of at least 1 paragraph or up to 250 words addressing your work as a whole and the submitted pieces in particular. Submissions without an artist statement will not be considered.

Vita Poetica