Note: Work that is not selected for Point Blank may still be considered for standard issues of Rawhead.
Purpose
Rawhead: Point Blank is a new digital series featuring the work of a single writer or artist, released semi-monthly, in response to what is happening now. We accept Poetry, Visual Art, CNF, Fiction, and Hybrid works for this series. Point Blank exists as a form of resistance and documentation, a way of marking what is being done, who it is being done to, and how it is being fought. This series extends our core mission into the present tense, serving as a rapid-response record for the stories and injustices unfolding right now that cannot afford the distance of traditional publication schedules.
This is a space to name the realities of state violence: from the kidnapping and murder of our neighbors by ICE, to the genocide of the Palestinian people, to the plunder of the earth itself as our forests and oceans are sacrificed to endless greed. It is also a place to witness structural rot of the everyday: the indignity of economic hardship, the legislative attacks on our LGBTQ+ community, and the systemic racism that decides who is protected and who is pushed to the margins. This is a space to call out the corruption that impacts most people’s daily lives. We are meeting that force with a point-blank record of our own.
At the same time, we recognize that resistance is found in the persistence of hope, the labor of community care, and the bravery of everyday heroes. Rawhead: Point Blank is a space for the work that documents what is being built as much as what is being broken. We value stories of the things we create in spite of the powers that be: the mutual aid, the art, the healing & recovery, the defense of neighbors, the unexpected kindness of the world, and the daily ways we choose each other over the systems that despise us. A ledger of the moment is incomplete without the stories of those who insist on beauty and survival in the face of injustice.
We want to hear from anyone paying attention, whether that perspective comes from the shop floor, the classroom, the kitchen table, the picket line, the waiting room, the cell, the back roads, or the street. Rawhead has always been committed to work that does not look away, and this series holds space for these conditions to be named and remembered as they unfold.
Honorarium
Rawhead: Point Blank offers a flat $30 honorarium to each featured contributor and a $10 donation to the charity of their choice. We recognize this is a modest amount, but it is an acknowledgment of your time, your labor, and the value of your voice. We hope to be able to offer more in the future.
Free to Submit
We believe financial reasons should never be a barrier to sharing creative work and are fully committed to always offering free submissions.
We do, however, offer paid submission options in the form of Supporter, Expedited, and Priority response submissions simply to cover operation costs and allow our journal to grow. Expedited submissions will receive a guaranteed response within two weeks and Priority subs will hear from us within 72 hours.
Rawhead is actively seeking funding to help support operational costs, produce print issues, offer payment to each contributor, and expand our reach. If you'd like to help us reach those goals, please consider selecting a paid submission option or donating to our journal here: Support Rawhead on Ko-fi
Donations are appreciated but do not influence our editorial decisions.
Submission Guidelines
Poetry
Submit 3 to 7 poems in a single document, totaling no more than 15 pages (.doc or .docx preferred). Use 12pt Times New Roman or Arial font. Format one poem per page unless part of a sequence. Indicate stanza breaks if a poem spans multiple pages.
Prose
We accept one to two nonfiction or fiction pieces up to 3,000 words each. For flash or experimental works (under 1,000 words), submit up to three pieces. Use 12pt Times New Roman or Arial font. Double space all prose pieces. Note: If a piece relies on non-standard font and/or spacing, please submit it to the Hybrid category.
Visual Art
Submit 3 to 10 pieces in any medium—illustration, photography, digital collage, mixed media, painting, sculpture, etc. Upload high-quality images (min 1500px, .jpg/.png/.tiff).
Hybrid
We welcome work that crosses or blends forms such as prose/poetry hybrids, lyric essays with embedded images, comics, sound pieces, etc. You may submit one larger hybrid work up to 3,000 words, 5 shorter pieces (provided they total no more than the limits above), or up to 10 images. Please provide a brief description of your mixed-genre piece.
AI Policy
We do not accept AI-generated content. Submissions must be original, human-made, and free of AI assistance.
Simultaneous & Previously Published Work
We accept simultaneous submissions because we believe that powerful work deserves more than a single appearance. Too often, published pieces reach only a limited audience before slipping into obscurity. At Rawhead, we’re committed to giving exceptional writing and art a second life where it can continue to resonate, provoke, and endure. Please ensure that you credit the original publication in your submission note, retain the rights to your previously published work, and wait at least 6 months after its publication before submitting again.
Cover Letters
Include a third-person bio, previous publications (if applicable), and any personal sites or social media handles you’d like us to share.
Ethical Standards
We do not accept work that promotes hate or dehumanization. That includes racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or any form of bigotry.
Response Time
For this series, we aim to respond to submissions within 2 months, though we will often reply much sooner.
Rights & Reprinting
By accepting publication, authors grant Rawhead First Serial Rights, Non-Exclusive Reprint Rights, Electronic Rights, Archival Rights, and Non-Exclusive Anthology Rights. Authors retain all other rights.
Additional Info
Follow us on Instagram @rawheadjournal and Bluesky @rawheadjournal.bsky.social.
Please consider donating to our journal here: Support Rawhead on Ko-fi.
Check out our sister journal, The Glacier, and read the latest issue.