THEME
ARCADIA
The vision of Arcadia considers the relationship between humankind and nature as it ought to be: a nurturing symbiosis in which humans can partake in the fruitful majesty of nature without taking more than needed. Arcadia draws upon images of gardens, pastures, forests, and Earth’s splendor. It engages with ideas of natural provision and deep-running roots in the land. Most importantly, Arcadia challenges the notion that humans spoil the unspoiled wilderness and suggests that it is possible for humans to live in harmony with nature.
Can we find Arcadia, or is this Edenic paradise forever out of reach? What happens to humankind when it loses the vision of and longing for Arcadia? Do these ideals even persist in a world that frames the landscape as dispensable, unimportant, or worse—an object for human consumption? Our vision is that this year’s contributors to [spaces] will probe these questions, acknowledging what has been lost while simultaneously sowing seeds of hope. We invite artists that believe in God’s call to stewardship, exalting Him as the ultimate source of Earth’s beauty as well as those wrestling with the ways we have misused the earth for our own ends.
The [spaces] 2023-24 team invites contributors to imagine the restoration of our relationship with nature and actualize this longed-for harmony in their writing and visual artwork.
Submission Guidelines:
Submissions are open for our 2023-24 academic year until November 5th at midnight.
[spaces] accepts fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, prose, photos, and artwork by current students and alumni of Trinity Western University. All submissions are subject to an anonymous reading by a vetting panel, with the exception of works submitted by featured guests. Guest contributors are invited through consultation with advisors/and the spaces board. [spaces] does not return manuscripts.
Literary works are accepted on the condition that students attend a revision workshop and should expect to make further changes to their work. This aspect of the process is in keeping with our vision to nurture emerging writers, and to publish the very best (revised) draft of the student’s work.
Upon publication, copyright remains with the writer or artist, but [spaces] asks that should the piece be published elsewhere, first publication by [spaces] will be noted. No part of this journal may be reproduced without the explicit consent of the editors and writer(s) or artist(s).
Submissions to [spaces] must be original works never before published and not simultaneously submitted to any other literary publication.
In years where we have an experienced translator, we can accept submissions in other languages! If chosen, the piece will be published in the original language, and the translation.
We do not accept artwork, poetry, or prose that has been generated by AI and any AI generated work will be removed from the vetting process.
Please email any questions, comments, or concerns to spaces.literaryjournal@gmail.com
Please send submissions to spaces.literaryjournal@gmail.com