An Open Call for Submissions | How to Contribute Art and Writing

We do not consider work that does not meet our guidelines, so read through these instructions carefully. 

We do accept submissions that are being reviewed simultaneously by other publishers. 

Step by step instructions about how to submit your poetry, short creative writing, and art for possible publication in our next edition:

1. Complete & Sign a License 

2. Prepare files of your Art and/or Writing submissions

3. Send them as attachments to MotherTongue Email

The Call for Contributions contains the license for all artists and writers to fill out and send in with the submissions. NOTE: Submissions will not be processed without a completed & signed license. 
If you find this form daunting, you are not alone. Here's a how-to video about how to complete a license. (Passcode: @DhD&Yz3)
Please call or email, and we will happily assist you. 

• Download the License and save the document using this format: YOUR NAME License (example: Frida Kahlo License). 
• Open the license using a program like Acrobat or Preview and fill it out. (Alternatively, this document can be printed and filled out by hand. Take a photo of the license or scan it. Name the file with the correct name, and attach it to the email.)
• Make sure to completely fill out & sign*** the license. An incomplete license may result in your submission not being accepted for consideration. 
• If you would prefer a more old-school method, you are welcome to send your submission by snail mail instead. Click HERE for those instructions. 

***Note: If you are unable to sign the license electronically, don't panic!

This is a common issue. We can accept your written permission in the body of the email containing your license. Example: 
     "I (your name) give permission to We'Moon to publish my work. This is my electronic signature."

2. Prepare your files for email!

• Here's a how-to video about how to prepare your files. (Passcode: @DhD&Yz3)
• Each piece should be in its OWN file with its OWN file name. Note: We will not accept submissions that do not have a file name.
• File names should include the TITLE of the piece, CREDIT NAME (your name as you would like it published) & the credit YEAR (the year you created the piece. (example file name: Self Portrait-Frida Kahlo-1940.PDF)
• Formats we accept are: PDF, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, DOC, DOCX. We do not accept .exec files, google drive, or dropbox submissions.
• For Artwork: Please keep your file size down to 1 MB or less. If your work is chosen for publication, we will contact you to request a higher resolution digital file. 
• For Photography: If you are submitting photography that contains a recognizable human subject or model, you will need to send in a release form for each individual in the photo. (exception: self portraits do not require a special release.)
  • If the subject is under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must give signed permission for publication.
  • Download the photographer's release form.
  • Download the subject/model release form.
  • Include these forms with your submission. 
• For Writing: Limit Prose to 350 words maximum. Poetry should not exceed 35 lines (12± words per line). Limit your written word submissions to one side of one page. If you are not able to comfortably format it onto one single page, it is too long to submit. Please edit or excerpt it for our consideration.

3. Send it on in! 

• Attach up to 6 different pieces of writing, or 8 pieces of art into an email to MotherTongue
• Remember to include your fully completed and signed license
• Add "We'Moon Submission" to your subject line
• Click send and jump for joy!

 

We will contact you in the Spring to let you know whether or not your work has been selected for publication.

 

Final due date by: August 1, 2026 

Fancy Shawl Dancer at Sac and Fox PowWow © Barbara Landis 2008

 

Who is invited to submit their
art or writing to We'Moon?

We encourage women from all walks of life to take part in helping We’Moon weave a rich and varied tapestry. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to connect with us! We’Moon does not support or condone cultural appropriation. We do not knowingly publish oppressive or appropriative content of any kind. We invite you to share your work with respect for both cultural integrity and creative inspiration.

We invite all women to share their poetry, art, and creative writing.  

We seek to make We’Moon a safe and welcoming space for all women, including those from international women's cultures, women of color (WOC) and others marginalized by the mainstream, e.g., lesbian, non-binary, transgender, genderqueer, etc. 

We'Moon is dedicated to amplifying images and writing from women with diverse perspectives and is committed to minority inclusion.

We seek to hold welcoming, celebratory space for all women, and are eager to publish more works depicting Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, Latine, and all voices from the margins, created by women who share those lived experiences.

 

Compensation Information:

• Product compensation for each published piece of art or writing is two complimentary We’Moon datebooks.

• Small honorariums will be given for each published piece. The dollar amount will depend on size and placement.

• All published contributors will get a 40% discount off the purchase price of additional We’Moon products which include their work, if they wish to purchase additional copies.

• In addition, the front cover artist will receive $500, the back cover artist $350, plus extras.

• Work published in the datebook may also be included in We’Moon on the Wall and/or Greeting Cards, with additional terms and compensation.
  

Moonrise © Jenny Hahn 2018

 

Thematic Inspiration

These past four years we have based We’Moon's theme on the first phases of the Lunar Cycle . . and now at its Waning Phase . . . It is time to celebrate all that has been accomplished!

The 2028 datebook theme is On the Cusp
We draw inspiration from the Waning Half Moon.

The Waning Half Moon is our touchstone for We’Moon 2028. Here we stand astride the luminous liminal line that splits the moon in two: one foot in fading brightness, one in deepening shadow. Here intuition is sharp, embodied, steady, and trustworthy.

Even in diminishing light, a spark flashes—unexpected pockets of possibility, expand-o time—it’s a leap year! 

This last quarter moon invites balance and counterbalance. From this vantage we can appreciate alternative perspectives, dare to share our views with those on the other side of an opinion. In this place, differences are honored, cherished. Both /And. Two sides of the same coin.

The dance of transcending polarities plays out in our personal realms as surely as on the world stage. The personal is political is planetary. 

This is also Crone territory—autumnal, reflective, wise. Harvest time! What is ready to be forgiven, composted, released? In this shadow realm, generations gather, are re-membered, and transformed. This is We time.

We will need community—our collective intelligence and shared resilience—to stay balanced as perspectives and paradigms shift.

And like the nimble Monkey (our lunar year companion), we may find that adaptability, curiosity, and even a touch of sacred play are not distractions, but survival skills—creative responses to changing terrain. 

Artists and writers, we invite you to stir this rich cauldron with us. Send your images, your poems, your stories born of shadow and insight—Help us moonifest We’Moon 2028!

Show us what stirs for you
as the Moon continues to share
Her hidden treasures!

Queen of Swords © Viandara Elfaerian 2023

 

Oh Goddess of the Cusp!

You who stretch your embrace beyond the far reaches

of every Pole, every North/South, every Opposition.

A thin line ‘twixt every This and That, your home space.

Crisp Balance, Eternal Poise, Midpoint of the Cosmos.

Where Light and Dark have their Holy Kiss.

The precise splendor of Difference in conjunct fervor. 

 

We praise you Ereshkigal, Kali, Hecate

Holy Mothers of the Netherworld

Amaterasu, Malina, Sunna—Bright Sky Deities

And Oh Persephone! Ah Inanna! Journey-Queens

Rooted in Underworld. At home in Radiance.

Teach us, O Clever Edge Travelers!

To dare, invent, trust for our Blessed Planet in Peril

Stay true to our own Wisdoms as we

Meet Discord, Forgive, Mend

 

Moon, show us to see by Half Light

You straddle Cusp for a moment in Your Dance—

Your waning stroll pauses, as glow prepares to fade.

We marvel, bow, leap!

© Bethroot Gwynn 2026

Frog at Night © Amanda Suutari 2021

Questions to inspire you as
you consider work that you would like to submit:

• Tell us about the sheroes who are preparing for the next cycle of leadership. What does a world shaped by matriarchal values feel like, sound like, look like? How do we help one another, our communities, through darkest passages toward a brighter future?
• What inherited wisdoms and elder guidance resonate now? Are there nourishing learnings from the past we can preserve for generations to come? What, with clear eyes and grateful hearts, can we compost? What will sprout from that dark soil?
• What keeps you awake at night? What creative imaginings show up with possible solutions for personal quandaries? For a planet on the edge?
• What does Leap Day awaken in us? A spark of women’s empowerment? A call to take initiative and hold the reins? In this Monkey year, where are we claiming nimble courage and creative resilience? When has playful disruption become wise expression? How are we adapting—creatively and communally—on the cusp of shifting times?
• How can maintaining/respecting boundaries help us grow? Strengthen relationships? What does it mean to re-member our families—by blood and/or by choice? As we re-weave herstory, what tapestry takes shape in our shared hands?
• What does lasting repair from harm look like? Explore the tension between revenge and restoration on the world stage. What bridges are calling out to be mended in our personal lives? In our care for the earth and her creatures? How do we take accountability for mistakes, so we may step into a better tomorrow?

 

Thank you for sharing your creative work with We'Moon. May the light of the Muses shine brightly for you.—Blessings!

 

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