Issue One Submissions are Closed!

Here's what to expect next

Dear readers and contributors,

The time has come! As of midnight on October 16th (in your local time zone), submissions for Soft Star Magazine’s inaugural print issue are officially closed! Thank you SO much to everyone who sent in their work for consideration. I will finish up sending out decisions within the next week at most.

So, what can you expect now? First, expect more great posts to come on this Substack. I will continue releasing Issue One stories and poems in the order in which they were received until all of them are posted here. Once those are all online, I will begin posting accepted submissions for Issue Two.

I am hard at work on the design of Issue One and hope to wrap that up soon. My goal is for the print issue to be available some time in November. A reminder: all contributors will receive a free copy of the print edition. I will offer a free PDF version of the issue here, as well as a link for readers to purchase a physical copy online. More updates to come on that front.

As outlined in Soft Star’s submission FAQs, Soft Star accepts submissions on a rolling basis, with no submission windows or reading periods. That means that submissions for Issue Two are now open! However, I am going to be trying something new for Issue Two: A themed issue!

The theme of Issue Two will be “Aurora,” inspired by the northern (and southern) lights that paint the polar skies in the darkest months. This issue will be released in winter here in the Northern Hemisphere. Check out the submissions page for more theme guidelines, and keep an eye out for an editor’s note about the aurora that I’ll be posting in the coming days. I hope that this theme will offer inspiration to contributors and allow for a strong, unifying tone in Issue Two!

That’s all for now. Thanks for being a part of this journey.

Until next time,

Miranda

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