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Wild Greens is looking to publish art, commentary, essays, poetry, short fiction, handmade items, and music for our August issue.
Wild Greens is looking to publish art, commentary, essays, poetry, short fiction, handmade items, and music for our August issue.
The theme is "Ekphrasis."
The theme is "Ekphrasis."
It’s our favorite time of year: the Ekphrasis call is here! We love this theme so much we make it a yearly tradition.
Here at Wild Greens, the Ekphrasis issue is our issue that asks YOU to go into our archive and find art, music, writing, and handicrafts that speak to you. Then, describe, respond, reinterpret, remix, or bring to life those pieces with your own work, connecting Wild Greens artists across issues and across years.
Our prompt is simple: create art, writing, music, and more in response to a work previously published by Wild Greens. By referencing past issues, recent and long ago, the Ekphrasis issue shows how our community builds upon, reinterprets, and has conversations with each other across time.
Submissions open now through July 8. When you submit, indicate what piece your art is responding to.
Read more about the history of the Ekphrasis issue here:
Ekphrasis (n): a literary description of a visual work of art. For our purposes, also the reverse: a visual representation of a piece of writing. The word ekphrasis describes something that happens fairly often in literature. A famous example comes from Homer—in the Iliad when the poet describes Achilles’s shield. Another of my favorites is the Keats poem, Ode on a Grecian Urn. Here’s an article with a few more favorites if you’re interested: The Guardian, “Ten of the Best: Examples of Ekphrasis”
When it happens in painting, I’ve generally heard the term “literary painting” or “the literary scene” used. We’re taking liberties (because we can!) with the definition of ekphrasis to mean any art form transformed into another media. I found this article on art inspired by poetry to be particularly educational: https://theartgorgeous.com/10-artworks-inspired-by-bittersweet-poetry/ How many of the paintings did you recognize?
Check out the past three August "Ekphrasis" issues for more inspiration: 5.10 August 2025, 4.10 August 2024, 3.10 August 2023.
Or just dive into the archive and see what inspires you.
Please read all of the relevant guidelines before submitting.
Please read all of the relevant guidelines before submitting.
General FAQ
General FAQ
When is Wild Greens open for submissions?
Wild Greens solicits submissions monthly. Our call for submissions tends to open around the 20th of the month and close on the 8th of the next (although this isn’t an exact science!). The best way to be “in the know” for upcoming themes and deadlines is to subscribe to our Substack.
Can I submit anything to Wild Greens?
Each month at Wild Greens centers around a theme, and all submitted work must follow that theme to be considered for publication. Work that is not on theme will be automatically rejected.
For writing, we accept poetry, short fiction, cultural commentary, and personal essays. For art, we accept traditional artworks (paintings, sketches, inked work, etc.) and digital art. We also accept photography, photos of handcrafted items, and music.
Before submitting, we recommend you browse our archive to see what we've published in the past.
I have multiple pieces I'd like to submit for the current theme. How many can I send to you for consideration?
We love that you feel inspired by the current theme, but unfortunately, due to the capacity constraints of our small volunteer editorial team, we must ask you to submit only one piece for consideration each month!
Can I submit to Wild Greens multiple months in a row?
We ask that you limit your submissions to Wild Greens to once every three months, even in the case that your work was not selected for publication. Alternatively, you can choose to limit your submission frequency to four times per Wild Greens volume (November to October). We're choosing to make this change to help us balance our capacity and ensure we’re always making space for both our beloved regulars and brand-new voices. As our community grows, we are working on being conscientious about welcoming new artists, writers, and musicians into our budding magazine.
My work has been published elsewhere; can I still submit to Wild Greens?
We cannot accept work that has been published elsewhere. Simultaneous submissions are OK, but if your work is accepted elsewhere, we kindly ask you to withdraw your work from consideration for publication at Wild Greens.
Can I republish my work elsewhere after Wild Greens has published it?
As the writer or artist, you keep copyright of any work we publish, but Wild Greens requests that you request permission before republishing your content elsewhere after it has been published in our magazine. If it is republished, you must indicate that Wild Greens was the first to publish.
I would like to have my work unpublished from Wild Greens. How do I do that?
Wild Greens will always honor requests to unpublish work. Please contact us through our contact page and we’ll unpublish your work ASAP.
I’m a student/young artist (under 18)—can I submit my work?
We love supporting the next generation of creators! While our standard monthly issues are for those 18+, we dedicate a space in our annual April issue to a "Kids Corner" specifically for artists and writers under 18. Please check back in the spring for details on how to get involved in our youth showcase!
Does Wild Greens pay artists?
We are proud to say that we are entirely community-funded by our readers! At this time, we can offer accepted artists and contributors a small tip for their published work from our reader-donated “tip pool.”
When will I hear back about my submission?
We respond to every submission, but please note that we are a small, entirely volunteer editorial team. We work hard to respond to all artists and writers as soon as possible after submissions close, but there may be delays! We appreciate patience and understanding with timelines.
I'm a reader of Wild Greens. How do I donate?
First of all, thank you! You are the reason we are able to keep publishing the magazine every month. We have a donate page on our website. Or, send us an email to talk more.
Submission Guidelines by Category
Submission Guidelines by Category
Poetry
Read this first:
You may submit one poem for consideration per issue. We adore poetry of any type or variety, though it must fit the theme of the issue for which you are submitting.
All writing is reviewed by our editorial staff, and we may request revisions before publishing your writing. We’re happy to work with you from whatever stage your writing is in, but please proofread before submitting!
Short Fiction
Read this first:
You may submit one piece of short fiction for consideration per issue.
Please keep fiction under 1000 words (or let us know if you have a longer work that you'd like serialized across several issues). Short fiction can be of any genre, though it must fit the theme of the issue for which you are submitting.
All writing is reviewed by our editorial staff, and we may request revisions before publishing your writing. We’re happy to work with you from whatever stage your writing is in, but please proofread before submitting!
Personal Essays
Read this first:
You may submit one essay, up to 2000 words, for consideration per issue.
Essays should be written in a lively first-person voice about anything you are excited to tell readers. Essays should have an overall point or main idea that you want to get across and be on theme with the issue for which you are submitting.
All writing is reviewed by our editorial staff, and we may request revisions before publishing your writing. We’re happy to work with you from whatever stage your writing is in, but please proofread before submitting!
Cultural Commentary
Read this first:
You may submit one essay, up to 2000 words, for consideration per issue.
Essays should be written in a lively first-person voice about anything you are excited to tell readers. Essays should have an overall point or main idea that you want to get across and is on theme of the issue for which you are submitting.
All writing is reviewed by our editorial staff, and we may request revisions before publishing your writing. We’re happy to work with you from whatever stage your writing is in, but please proofread before submitting!
Digital Art
Read this first:
Before submitting your digital art for consideration, please ensure you follow our guidelines for submission.
File Format: We accept digital art in the PNG (for lossless quality) or High-Quality JPEG file formats. Please do not send .psd or .procreate files.
Resolution: Minimum 2000px on the long edge.
Color Profile: All images must be in sRGB color profile. Images submitted in Adobe RGB, ProPhoto, or CMYK will be rejected as they will not display accurately on our digital platform.
Note on AI-generated art: We are not interested in AI-generated art, so please don’t send us it. If we suspect that your work is AI-generated, we may request a “process shot” or screen-recording of the layers of your work. All AI-generated art will be automatically rejected.
Traditional Art
Read this first:
Before submitting your traditional art for consideration, please ensure you follow our guidelines for submission.
Digitization Standards: Scans are strongly preferred for anything 11x14 or smaller. If you are unable to submit a scan of your work and must instead take a photo of it, please follow the parameters below.
Lighting for photo submissions of traditional art: If you must take a photo of your work, we require indirect natural light (near a window, no flash, no yellow or fluorescent ceiling lights). Do not use a flash to take a photo of your work. We will not accept submissions that have visible shadows cast or camera flash reflections.
Angle of photo submissions of traditional art: The camera must be perfectly parallel to the art. No "skewed" angles or "artistic" tilts.
Cropping: The image must be cropped to the edges of the artwork. No frames, no easels, no bedroom walls in the shot.
Medium & Dimensions Disclosure: Please be sure you list the materials (e.g., "Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas") as well as the physical dimensions of your work.
Photography
Read this first:
Before submitting your photography for consideration, please ensure you follow our guidelines for submission.
Resolution & Format: Wild Greens accepts high-resolution photography, including photos taken on mobile devices, provided it is submitted as a JPEG or TIFF (no HEIC or PNG files) and shows no signs of digital zoom grain or heavy filtering. Photography must meet a minimum 2000px on the long edge. We prioritize accepting photos at 250 DPI, but will occasionally make exceptions. While we are a digital publication, we ask for this standard because we want your work to look as sharp on a 4K monitor as it does in your mind.
Color Profile: Images should ideally be saved with the sRGB color profile in order to display accurately on our digital platform.
No Watermarks: We do not accept photography with watermarks, as watermarks are not part of the composition of the piece. You retain the rights to your work and we credit you as the artist through the magazine.
Medium Disclosure: We ask that you share the type of camera used for your photograph.
Handcrafts
Read this first:
Before submitting your handcrafted art for consideration, please ensure you follow our guidelines for submission.
"Neutral Background" Rule: Handcrafts should, ideally, be photographed against a solid, neutral background (e.g. white, grey, or black). No cluttered or patterned backgrounds, and no "in-use" shots, unless it is high-end intentional photography of the handcraft that enhances the artistic expression of the piece.
Multiple Angles: For handcrafts, we require exactly three photos: one "Hero" shot (the best overall view), one "Detail" shot (a close-up of texture/technique), and one "Scale" shot (the object next to a common item or a hand to show size).
Focus: Your handcrafted work must be in sharp focus. Blurry or unfocused photos of your work will be rejected.
Medium & Dimensions Disclosure: Please be sure you list the materials (e.g., "natural fiber yarn and resin beads") as well as the physical dimensions (approximately, if not easily measured) of your work.
Music
Read this first:
Before submitting music for consideration, please ensure you follow our guidelines for submission.
Studio quality recordings: Recorded either at a professional or home studio, using microphones for voice and direct inputs for instruments (aka not recorded into your iPhone). This ensures that our audience will clearly hear all components of the song in high fidelity, and that artists' submissions will be represented in the quality they deserve.
Lyrics submission: This will ensure that lyrical content is appropriate for our magazine.
Consideration of length: Depending on genre, we ask that submissions generally be no longer than three and a half to four minutes.
August issue
August issue
Theme: Ekphrasis
Deadline: July 8
Next up...
Next up...
September: Loose Leaf
October: Delirium
November: Anniversary WG Editors' Issue: Yearbook
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