Submission Guidelines
Welcome to our trash fire! Scroll down for our Submission Guidelines *winks*
All submissions need to be sent to brwnbgnln@gmail.com for consideration
If submission guidelines are not followed, they will automatically be rejected
Submissions Closed
stay tuned for issue 9 *winks*
Submissions are judged blind, meaning no identifying information on the submission doc.
Submissions must be labeled as Genre_Title_SubmissionSeason (i.e. F_VineVibezz_Summer2023)
Click the arrows for guidelines
General Submission Guidelines
Brown Bag publishes bi-annually (Winter and Spring)
We love multi-media work. When submitting work across multiple mediums, please follow each mediums guidelines (as best you can) for proper submission.
Summer Issue submission period: Feb 1 – May 21
Winter Issue Submission Period: Aug 1 – Nov 21
We consider original, unpublished and published work.
Please include where, a link if possible, and date of publication for proper crediting.
You can submit up to 2 mediums per submission period.
If a submission is rejected, you are more than welcome to submit again. If accepted, wait until the next submission period to send us more art. We need the time to give each piece the time it deserves.
Yes, we accept simultaneous submissions.
We get it. We encourage it. If selected elsewhere, we ask for you to first celebrate and then let us know *winks*
The specifics
Include which category you are submitting to and include transcripts, mediums used, image descriptions, social media links, website link, etc. if applicable.
Audio (A)
- Up to 30-60 seconds
- music, spoken word, audio story, soundscapes, etc.
- Must submit in .mp3 format
- Include script/lyrics
Written Word
- All genres accepted (hybrids (H), fiction (F), nonfiction (NF/CNF), poetry (P), spoken word (SW))
- Up to 500 words total per submission (automatic rejection if over)
- Poetry – up to 3 poems
- Each must be sent as an individual attachment
- Flash (fiction and nonfiction) – up to 3 pieces
- Spoken word – If video/audio also submit transcription
- Audio of the piece for accessibility reasons
- Must submit in .doc/.docx format
Video (V)
- Up to 30-60 seconds
- Include script with submission (for accessibility purposes)
- MV, puppet show, stick figures, process, etc.
- Must submit in .mp4 format
- Include a short blurb
Visual (VA)
- Up to 5 visuals of any medium
- Sculpture, fashion, photography, painting, sketch work, etc.
- Has to be a high-res image (6000×8000 dpi)
- Must be in .jpg format
- Include image description (this is for accessibility purposes)
Multimedia (MM)
We love multi-media work, the more experimental the better in our opinion.
If you are submitting work across multiple mediums, please follow each mediums guidelines (as best you can) for proper submission.
The No Nos
- No excessive gore or violence
- No excessive sex – classy with a little trashy SEX WITH PORPOISE
- No vanity pieces (I.E. sunsets or flower fields. Push the boundaries and try new exposures on flowers etc. Make it yours.
- No fanfiction (We don’t want to get sued…yet)
Rights not 'Lefts'
We don’t own anything! We don’t own your soul or your first born (unless you want to give it to us). Just digital publication rights. We consider pieces previously published, just include the credit line for us to add if chosen. We ask that you wait six months before publishing it elsewhere and credit us as the original publishers. Making art is fun and hard and you deserve to show the world your work!
***Include proper copyrights/permissions when appicable