Hello & happy one-month-til-Leo-season to all who celebrate!

Today’s post contains a smattering of different topics regarding recent reflections re: gatekeeping/accessibility, what I’ve been reading, and journals I recommend submitting to.

A thought re: accessibility.

I’ve written and spoken extensively about the matter of gatekeeping within the literary world and, in particular, the issue of charging submission fees. And—for those of us who are on journals’ editorial teams—here’s another accessibility-related issue you might consider: the format of contracts.

Most literary journals these days request First Serial Rights as part of the publication agreement: that is, the work must be “previously unpublished”—never before displayed on a website, blog, or periodical.

For many journals, this agreement is implicit: the terms are laid out clearly on their website’s “Submission Guidelines” page, and—by saying “yes” to the work being published, the contributor thereby agrees that it hasn’t been published elsewhere.

Other journals, though, require contributors to sign/date a legal contract prior to publication—and this is done either through Submittable, an e-sign website, or by printing, scanning, and emailing the contract back.

Here’s my hot-take: If you require contributors to sign a contract, make it an e-contract. My inbox often includes a host of reminder-emails asking me to “hurry up and send the contract back”—which can be exhausting for writers who don’t have easy access to a printer.

At this point, most of us who submit have reliable WiFi. But young folks and students, in particular, may not own printers—and certainly not scanners. So Submittable or e-sign contracts, rather than paper, would make many contributors’ lives easier.

Reading recommendations.

Books I’ve read lately that you might check out, too:

Your Art Will Save Your Life, Beth Pickens
If Not, Winter, Sappho (tr. Anne Carson)
Lesbian Lists, Dell Richards

Essays/nonfiction/praxis-related articles I’ve read lately:

“Multiplicity from the Margins: The Expansive Truth of Intersectional Form,” Jen Soriano (free!)
“Under the Skin: An Exploration of Autotheory,” Arianne Zwartjes (free!)
“Queer Love,” David M. Halperin

Journals open for submissions.

Paying:

The West Review
Snarl
SmokeLong Quarterly
Palette Poetry
Frontier Poetry
Moonflake Press
Protean Mag

Not paying (sad!):

Finally! I’m moving in a month and thus purging my bookshelves and art collection. If you’re US-based and want a ton of books/art/journals/zines/stickers/miscellanea for $30 bucks, I’ve got you.

That’s all for today, folks. Hope you have a great week.

-DB
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re: accessibility, summer reading, and…