(Image: Industrial wasteland landscape with a distant view of planet earth. Art by Carlos Cavalie)
The editorial team of REFUSE: A Journal of Iconoclasms seeks submissions for its inaugural issue. We welcome writers, artists, and scholars of all stripes (independent, affiliated, contingent, recovering, fringe) to join us in creating a platform for full-bodied and unapologetic refusal of societal bunk.
The journal embraces the multidimensional and ambiguous meaning of the term “refuse.” To refuse is to be unwilling to do or perform that which one considers unacceptable. Refuse is matter that has been thrown away, deemed worthless. To re(-)fuse is to bond together that which has been broken; to repair.
Iconoclasm is the intentional destruction of traditional cultural images, monuments, and doctrines. Places from which the force of authority and discipline emanates are, from the perspective of iconoclasts, the ruins of tradition. In our refusal of the dominant, default and disciplinary, we reclaim and celebrate cultural productions and forms of knowing that have been trashed and neglected, and in doing so repair the severed connections in our collective mycelium, fertilizing possibilities for new life in the ruins.
We welcome submissions of writings and two-dimensional artworks such as (but not limited to):
A curated number of submissions will be chosen to be independently published as part of a printed limited edition zine, available to contributors, Incite Seminars Patreon members and for purchase (while supplies last). Accepted submissions will also be shared on an ongoing basis in an open-access online compilation.
Final submissions to be considered for the inaugural issue should be sent no later than October 31, 2020 and should relate to the themes of refusal and iconoclasm, broadly conceived. We strongly encourage you to send pitches and proposals for consideration by September 30th. Email us at refuse.submission@gmail.com with questions and proposals.