For what feels like an eternity we have been praying for an ending. Some finality to justify this interminable wait. But we have no more salt to throw and no more sage to burn. We have made sacrifices of ourselves, and burned all of our bridges. We believed—if only for a moment—that these offerings might force the hand of fate. But here we are again. Waiting.
Orchestra—once more, with feeling!
The fourth volume of Sūdō Journal wants to know how to dig ourselves out of the hole we find ourselves in. Should we use our broken fingernails, heavy machinery, or high explosives? Should we curl up and surrender ourselves to the comfort of darkened rooms, or attempt to placate the gods with burnt offerings? For now we’ll just touch wood and hope for the best. What gets you out of bed in the morning? How do you survive the horrors of our age? We could really use your help.
Sūdō Journal calls for submissions of art, photography, poetry and prose. We call for essays, fiction, creative nonfiction and poems that could address but are not limited to,
• the role of ritual and superstition in contemporary society.
• the sources of hope in times of crisis.
• serendipitous historical or cultural events.
• roadmaps for uncertain futures.
• environmental crises, real or imagined.
• investigations of sheer dumb luck or divine intervention.
• the relationship between humanity and nature.
• cultural touchstones in the twenty-first century.
• the ethics of sacrifice.
• the ability of art to represent nature.
• stories from the geographical, cultural, social or political fringes.
Email all contributions to submissions@sudojournal.com. Submissions should be no longer than 6000 words. Include the type of submission (essay, fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry or images), author’s name and title of the work in the subject line of the submission email. Include a brief abstract for academic essays (no more than 75 words). Book reviews of no longer than 1000 words are also welcome. Follow MLA citation style and format. All written contributions should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file, in double-spaced 12pt font. All images used must be with permission only. Hard-copy submissions will not be accepted and will not be returned.
Submissions close October 31, 2021 for our June 2022 issue.
Image: “Crushed Ute” (CC BY 2.0) by robstephaustralia