Website
Type Of Organization
Online
Mission Statement / Editorial Focus
MISSION STATEMENT The BeZine’s mission is to foster proximity and understanding through our shared love of the arts and humanities and all things spirited and to make—however modest—a contribution toward personal healing and deference for the diverse ways people try to make moral, spiritual and intellectual sense of a world in which illness, violence, despair, loneliness and death are as prevalent as compassion, hope, friendship, reason and birth. Our focus is on sacred space (common ground) and activism as expressed through the arts. Our work covers four quarterly themes—SustainABILITY, Waging Peace, Social Justice, and Life of the Spirit & Activism—from a range of affirming perspectives expressed respectfully primarily through literature—poetry, poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction— and the arts—music, visual art, videos, photography, and reviews.
Social Media Platforms Used
Facebook and X
Is Your Group Affiliated With A University, Portal Or Other Agency?
no
Primary Editor/Contact Person
Michael Dickel
Contact Title
Editor
Publishes
essays, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, reviews, art, translation, audio, video
Submissions Policy
THE BEZINE THEMES AND READING PERIODS March: sustainABILITY: climate crisis and eco-economics
Submission period: January 15 -February 15 June: Waging Peace: signing up, standing with, sitting in
Submission period: April 15- May 15 September: Social Justice: economic justice and equality
Submission period: July 15 – August 15 December: A Life of the Spirit: caring for self and world
Submission period: October 15 – November 15 WE SEEK
• fiction, nonfiction, creative nonfiction, essays, poetry, art and photography, cartoons, music videos, reviews and
• interviews, and documentary videos.
• feature articles (should include sources).
• poems based on news (should include sources if possible).
• work intended for our blog or for our quarterly issue (see details in submission guidelines).
• We accept previously published work, including work appearing on Social Media, so long as you hold the copyright. Please include relevant citations and links. HOW TO SEND
• Only email ([email protected]) submissions will be read.
• Prose, poetry, and hybrid: please submit as a word processing file attachment (Word, Pages, Open Document, or RTF — NOT PDF, NOT GOOGLE DOC).
—Work must be submitted in English and properly edited. Submissions in other languages are encouraged but please forward with a high-quality English translation.
• Prose should be no more than 2,500 words.
• Poetry should be no more than three poems of less than 60 lines each, or 180 lines total (i.e., 1 poem = 180 lines, 2 poems = 180 lines, 3 poems = 180 lines, maximum).
• We may make editorial suggestions for submitted work before we accept it.
• Photographs or artwork: submit as an attached jpg file of high resolution (preferably 300 DPI at least 1800 x 1800). Do not submit files over 5MB, please.
• Video / music: submit links to audio or video work in the body of the email with a short (50–75 word) synopsis of the video. See more details in submission guidelines.
• For groups of works that you expect to be published together (for example, 3 poems or 3 flash fiction pieces, a group of photos), suggest a short title for the whole group. COPYRIGHT
• You retain your copyright for work published in The BeZine or the Blog. By submitting to The BeZine, you agree to give us the rights to publish thee work on our site and to archive the work, if we accept your work. PAYMENT
• We regret that we are unable to offer payment or editorial feedback. While we don’t offer payment, neither do we charge for submissions or subscriptions.
Accepts Unsolicited Submissions
Yes
Submission Guidelines URL
Simultaneous Submissions Accepted
yes
Reading Period
Varies
Reporting Time
1 - 2 months
Author Payments
none
Number Of Unpaid Staff
5
Year Founded
2014
Number Of Issues Per Year
4
Ads?
no
Average Page Views Per Month
8,050 based on all-time views
Average Unique Visitors Per Month
1,322 based on all-time views
Publish Print Anthology?
no
Fiction
7
Nonfiction
7
Poetry
55
Reviews
1
Essays
7
Art
15
Translation
2
Audio
1
Video
5
Name
Michael Dickel
Title
Editor
How Did You Arrive At Your Current Position?
The founding editor, G. Jamie Dedes, first contacted me for an interview after a collection of my poetry, War Surrounds Us, came out. We made a connection and she asked me to becoming a regular contributor after awhile, then a contributing editor.
What Is The Staff Structure At Your Magazine/press?
Editor- also Poetry editor
Assistant Editor- Production (new)
Assistant Editor- Prose
Assistant Editor- Art
Copy Editor
Do You Have Any Cover Letter Advice?
Be brief, to the point. Give title(s)—if you submit a few pieces, suggest a collective title . Do NOT say that we probably won’t like the submission or that you think it doesn’t really fit. If true, send it to a better fitting magazine.
How Are Submissions Processed In Your Magazine/press?
They are read by editor and assistant editors for acceptance. Those accepted are read for edits and corrections. Members of the team do online layout with art suggested by art editor.
What Do You Look For In A Submission?
Heart, soul, passion, compassion. We look for creativity and craft, but especially like work that reaches out and touches readers, makes us think, moves us.
What Advice Do You Have For First-time Submitters?
Look through a recent issue. In the submission guidelines there is a link to the most recent issue on the themes (we have four rotating themes). Follow it and read it. Seriously.
Do You Have A Favorite Unsolicited Submission Discovery Or Anecdote?
Most of our submissions are unsolicited. My favorite at the moment is the one who asked if we could use help on our editing team. She will be joining us for 2023 (and beyond, if it works out). We began as a collective effort, and have that energy.
Who Is Your Ideal Reader?
Intelligent readers who care about humanity and the world.
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