Submissions guidelines

The submissions window for the Lúnasa edition of Aimsir is now closed, but please read below the general guidelines for submissions to ensure that we are able to process your work as easily as possible in future:

Send your submission as an email attachment to aimsirpress@gmail.com, including:

  • Title of the piece and author or artist’s name in the subject line of your email

  • Your piece of writing in Word doc form (not as a pdf)

  • A short, third-person bio (200 words or less).

Welcoming the harvest season, Lúnasa (also spelt Lughnasadh or Lughnasa) is traditionally associated with the beginning of autumn in these islands. The feast day which marks this celebration takes place on the 1st of August, the month which shares its Irish name with this festival.

For this issue we are looking for work centred on the coming of the harvest, the approach of longer nights, rebirth, associated rituals, feasting, sacrifice and connections to the land. We are open to any interpretation of these themes.

We currently accept unsolicited work in English, Irish and Gàidhlig (Scots Gaelic). We are also open to commissioning work in Manx, Cornish, Welsh, Ulster Scots, Scots and Breton.

We will not publish anything that endorses prejudicial or hateful views towards marginalised groups, including but not limited to homophobia, queerphobia, racism, sexism, misogyny and misogynoir.

Submissions should be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, provided you notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.

We recommend that work is no longer than 3,500 words.

Aimsir Press is not currently in a position to pay its contributors for their work, though we are actively working on solutions that will allow us to do so in the future.

Poetry guidelines:

We are open to all forms and themes where poetry is concerned, and as such, we do not believe in limiting it to a certain line count. If you have any specific questions before submitting, please send us an email or get in touch with us on social media!

Prose guidelines:

We accept any and all styles of prose, from short experimental prose to longer work with a formal style (and everything in between). If you have any questions about style or theme, you can get in touch with us via email or social media.

Art guidelines:

We accept any type of visual art, including page-break designs, open or closing art and photography. Furthermore, we are also open to writing that contains illustrations, as long as you have received express permission from the artist (or you are the artist) for their use within your work.