Published by The University of California, Air/Light is an international literary journal with a West Coast aesthetic. They take their name from a Lawrence Weschler article titled, “L.A. Glows,” which talks about the idea of “airlight”: a clarity of light that comes from oversized particles in the air. They see “airlight” as a metaphor for what their journal aims to accomplish: “…to walk a line between clarity and a kind of focused blurring, a necessary balance between being found and getting lost.” Air/Light is affiliated with The Kenyon Review, one of the top-ranking literary journals in America.
Air/Light plans to curate four editions a year, and the contents of each quarterly issue will be released gradually online over a three-month period. So far, they’ve published one edition, which you can read online to get a sense of their style. Air/Light accepts a wide variety of writing, both experimental and conventional. They aim to be a writer’s journal, to publish work that pushes boundaries and speaks bravely and directly to important concerns.
Poets may submit up to 10 pages of poetry. Authors of fiction and nonfiction may submit up to 4,000 words. Air/Light also accepts cross-genre work, collaborations, visual art, music, videos, digital art, multimedia art, and interactive art. Submitting authors and artists can expect a response within one month.
Air/Light accepts submissions online, using Submittable. They do not accept submissions via email or by post. They accept simultaneous submissions but ask that authors withdraw work published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published work.
Air/Light won’t consider writing that doesn’t follow these submission guidelines. Please read their guidelines in full before submitting.
If you would like to learn more or submit to Air/Light, please visit their website here.
Bio: Ella Peary is the pen name for an author, editor, creative writing mentor, and submission consultant. Over the past five years, she’s written hundreds of articles for Authors Publish, and she’s also served as a copywriter and copy editor for a wide range of organizations and individuals. She is the author of The Quick Start Guide to Flash Fiction. She occasionally teaches a course on flash fiction. You can contact her at ellapeary@gmail.com.
