Announcements: 4,432 & To the Stars

Hey there, friends. Submissions open tomorrow, and we’re so thrilled to get started reading for Issue 39. We ran the numbers, and we put eyes on over 4,000 submissions last year. Think about that for a second. This little magazine, with its team of editors who work for sweet potato chips, cat pictures, and the occasional giddy feeling, held your work in their hands and their hearts exactly 4,432 times. How incredible is that, right?!

This year, we hope to see even more work from all corners of the globe, so that we can continue to publish work that astonishes us. A few weeks ago, we wrote on Twitter about the importance of fighting for art and taking up space. Our feelings on this haven't changed. We want to continue to fight for your right to take up space, and the time has come for us to fight for ourselves as well.

Starting this year, Passages North is implementing year-round Rocket Fuel submissions. Let us be clear right off the bat: submissions are still free. Submissions will always be free, except on the occasions we hit our 500-submission-per-month cap on Submittable (at which point we hope you'll wait until submissions are free again the following month). Our hope is that, given the opportunity, our readers will see the magazine as a worthwhile endeavor that deserves their financial support. We understand and respect that our community comes from diverse backgrounds, and that supporting the journal financially may not be possible for everyone. Rocket Fuel submissions won't receive priority reading; they won't receive special consideration, or have different guidelines. The only difference between Rocket Fuel submissions and regular submissions is your desire to support the work we do with your money as well as your time and your creativity.

We hope you view this change the same way we do: as a way for us to work toward our ultimate goal of self-sustainability. In the meantime, we're here for you.

Thank you so much for your continued support, and for giving us 4,432 opportunities to earn your trust last year. We can't wait to earn it all over again.

Until then: do good. Be well.

Warmly, Jacqueline Boucher Managing Editor