What We’re Looking For
We want WUNK to be a mix of high-brow and low-brow, a place where fine art and irreverence meet. We like art for art’s sake, and art that only exists because it exists . . . Which is a romantic way to say we are open to a lot of stuff!
We value weird, innovative, and unique work.
To be considered for publication, all submitted material must be previously unreleased, original work, AI-free, and donated for use.
Artists maintain all ownership over their work, and can re-publish the submitted work in the future, independently, or through another publisher. We ask for six months of courtesy from original print date in the WUNK Magazine before an accepted piece is printed elsewhere.
We are currently accepting pitches for the following:
Fiction - Standalone short stories. Up to 1,500 words is default max. Some exceptions may be considered.
Poetry - May submit up to eight (8) poems after an approved writing sample / pitch.
Satire - Singular pieces of text-based satire up to 800 words. Photo / art-based satire also accepted.
Comics - Complete-idea, standalone comics only. Can hint at a larger world, but all comics need to be self-contained. 1-2 page default.
Paintings - You can either submit a painting that a writer or poet can respond to, or you can be assigned a piece of writing to paint from.
Illustration - We accept singular illustrations to be written to, and we have illustrators write for articles. Let us know your preference.
Photography - Photo essays must contain a visual or narrative hook. Photo-journalists may be paired with a writer.
Collage - We accept collages as standalone pieces, and also as art to be paired with writing.
Reviews of Local Albums (Music) - 150 words or less. Positive and / or / irreverent reviews only. No negative reviews.
Gonzo Journalism - Up to 1,500 words. Nonfiction has the most guidelines of all mediums. Please see Medium Submission Guidelines further down this page.
We publish artists who make their own way.
Whenever possible, we would suggest you do the weird thing, the personal thing, the thing that is uniquely you that no one else could do. Be fiercely and unapologetically yourself; be bold, be daring, and explore your creativity.
We like funny, we like surreal, we like heartbreaking, we like absurd, we like thought-provoking, we like provocative, we like stupid on purpose, we like smart on accident, we like profound, we like vulnerable, we like jaded, we cynical, we like unrelenting optimism. We like a lot of stuff.
What’s Not Allowed
There are very few hard rules.
No topical politics. No named politicians, conflicts, ballot measures, et cetera. No calls to action. The internet is nonstop politics all the time, and as a print magazine we can not keep that pace. We’re just skipping that content. All art is inherently political, so we accept that there will be politics baked in, but we are avoiding explicitly political and “propaganda” art as much as possible.
No negative reviews of local artists. This town / scene is too small, and we don’t need to bully specific individuals. You can talk some shit on art movements, but stay vague enough for plausible deniability so individual artists don’t feel singled out. We want to be supportive of the scene, not tear it apart with infighting.
No outward-facing hate speech. You are not allowed to use slurs you don’t get called. You have a right to reclaim words used against you, but do not to hurl hate at other groups.
That’s it for now! I am sure more will get added based on pitches we get (if y’all get wild), but so far that’s it.
You can cuss, you can have sensual and sexual material, you can portray artistic violence. If we think something goes too far, we will let you know. As a counter & excess culture magazine, we want to let you explore artistically, and so we have almost no rules outside of “no direct insults".
Medium Submission Guidelines
In order to protect our time, we do not take submissions without first approving a pitch. Unsolicited submissions that have not been first approved as a pitch will be discarded without being read. Please read through the guidelines below for your specific artistic medium(s) of choice, and then fill out the form further down this page. Thank you!
Fiction - Tell us the idea, the genre, and the proposed length. Provide at least one link to a sample of your work.
Poetry - Tell us the themes, the style, the subject matter, and the tone of the work you want to submit. Provide at least one link to your work.
Satire - Tell us the idea, the proposed elements, and the expected length. Provide at least one link to a writing sample.
Comics - Tell us the idea, the ideal number of pages you want, the style, and how you make comics (digital or paper). Link to sample work.
Paintings - Give us a brief description of your medium and subject matter, and a link to sample work..
Illustration - Let us know if you prefer to submit solo work, or collaborate with writers. Provide a link to your portfolio / samples of your work..
Photography - Briefly describe your typical subject matter and style, and link to sample work. If wanting to submit a photo essay, explain the idea. If you would like to be paired with writers, express your areas of interest, and a snapshot example of your availability.
Collage - Submit a link to samples of your work.
Reviews of Local Albums (Music) -Call out the bands and albums you want to write about, and the genre of music.
Gonzo Journalism - We will prioritize irreverent articles, articles about outsider artists, and human, working class stories about regular people that don’t often get written about. Counter-culture and excess culture subject matter is more likely to get approved. Tell us your idea, if you want photography paired with your text or another visual art form, and your expected turnaround for a finished piece.
Send Us A Pitch!
We’re so excited to hear your ideas for stories, photo shoots, journalism, comics, and anything else you might have up your sleeve!
WE LIKE YOU AND WANT YOUR WORK!
Pitch us! Let us know what you want to contribute to the magazine! We will ask you questions, learn about your idea, and let you know our level of interest before you make anything, which protects your time and energy as an artist.
Show us! Share works in progress to make sure we’re all on the same page! If your idea changes in the execution (and art works that way sometimes), check in and let us know so we can change our expectations of delivered work.
Use us! We are a resource! We (editors Riley Parker and Zach Werbalowsky) are here to help you develop and shape the work if you prefer that hands-on experience (some folks like working with an editor) . If something is a little rough around the edges, and you want the help, we will work with you to make it sing!
We will aim to always turn things away at the conceptual level whenever possible, and not outright reject finished work. If you reach out and let us know what you’re working on, most of the time we will tell you from the pitch if it’s getting in the current issue of the magazine or not, and explain where we’re coming from.