Press Kit 2015

creating
IRIS
Press Kit
2015
creating
IRIS
2015
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
POETRY EDITOR
FICTION EDITOR
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
ILLUSTRATOR
Amanda M. Bennett
Rebecca L. Bennett
Elis Lui
Jay Dresden
Maria Civitello
Lyle Green
Amanda Meltsner
Tamara Reisdorf
Andrea Felber Seligman
Marylou Mao
STAFF READERS
Sydney Bourrie
Maria Civitello
Julie Ann Pope
PROOFS
Apolline Weibel
EDITORIAL BOARD ADVISOR
Roseann Civitello
CONNECT
[email protected]
www.creatingiris.org
IRIS
NEW WRITING FOR LGBTQ+ YOUNG ADULTS
Iris is a new literary magazine for young adults that launched in January 2014. Iris publishes fiction, poetry, and artwork with an LGBTQAI
slant. Iris features engaging, transporting, challenging writing and
aims to be a safe space for LGBTQAI teens and their alies. It is our
hope that it challenges and encourages queer teens.
Our goal always been to publish exceptional emerging voices alongside professionals. To that end, Iris features new, original fiction and
poetry from established YA writers and newcomers alike, including
young adults.
Our website, www.creatingiris.org, features literary and media critcism, feature essays, and blogs focused on LGBTQ advocacy, written
expressly for young adults.
Because Iris appeals to a young demographic and has readers as young
as thirteen, it does not publish writing that depicts sex, drug use, or
graphic violence.
Iris is published quarterly by Creating Iris, a nonprofit advocacy organization. A true labor of love, all staff and contributors volunteer their
time and talents to produce the magazine.
Iris is available to download free of charge at www.creatingiris.org.
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IRIS
NEW WRITING FOR LGBTQ+ YOUNG ADULTS
PRESS RELEASE
Iris: New Writing for LGBTQ+ Young Adults: Second Issue
Contact: Amanda M. Bennett, Executive Director
[email protected]
http://www.creatingiris.org
- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CHICAGO, April 14, 2015 -- Creating Iris, a nonprofit advocacy organization, is proud to announce
the second issue of Iris: New Writing for LGBTQ+ Young Adults. Named for the Greek goddess of the
rainbow, Iris features fiction, poetry, and artwork that engage with LGBTQ+ themes in new and creative
ways.
“Iris really fills a need in the young adult literary market because of our commitment to inclusion,” say cofounders Amanda Bennett and Rebecca Bennett. “Iris is a safe, welcoming place for all teens,
whether they identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, transgender, or as a supportive ally. We hope that
Iris will spark discussion among LGBTQ+ teens and their parents, friends, and teachers.”
Inside the pages of Iris, readers will find stories and poetry about queer teens and their unique
struggles, stories about coming out and developing ideas of self. But they’ll also find pieces that engage
with universal adolescent joys and struggles featuring characters who ‘just happen’ to be LGBTQ. Iris
publishes all genres, from fantasy to realistic fiction. “It is important to us to publish work that goes beyond traditional LGBT subjects like coming out,” says Executive Director Amanda Bennett. “LGBTQ+
teens want a reflection of all their triumphs and struggles in the work they read, not just the ones unique
to their sexuality.”
Iris, now a quarterly magazine, has published two issues to date, with the third issue scheduled
for publication on 30 June 2015. The first issue, centered on the theme of ‘identity,’ featured stories
about self-discovery; the second is themed ‘histories,’ and included writing exploring LGBTQ history as
well as characters’ pasts. Both are available free of charge at www.creatingiris.org/magazine. The forthcoming third issue is themed “change.”
Among others, the second issue of Iris features writing by Lambda Literary fellow Frank Adams,
BAFTA-honoree Islay Bell-Webb, Andrew L. Huerta, and Rob Jacques, as well as illustrations by artist
and animator Marylou Mao. It is also the first issue to feature work by a young author, Camilo Bacca.
“We’re honored by the many respected artists and writers whose work appears in Iris, and we’re also excited to be the first publication for several of our contributors,” says Creative Director Rebecca Bennett.
Iris maintains a strict content policy that prohibits the portrayal of sex, drug use, and violence.
Therefore, all of its content is suitable for the school or public library setting.
Founded in 2013, the magazine is produced by staff in the United States, the United Kingdom,
Denmark, France, Germany, and Canada. All staff and contributors volunteer their time and talent to
Iris. In addition to Iris, Creating Iris publishes regular feature columns, essays, and media and literary
criticism on its web site. All writing is focused on LGBT advocacy and written expressly for young adults.
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IRIS
NEW WRITING FOR LGBTQ+ YOUNG ADULTS
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS
We seek works of fiction and poetry that speak to LGBT young adults and their allies, including parents,
teachers, and peers. We are interested in creative, thoughtful, original work that engages our young adult
readers.
Iris is a themed publication. Please visit our website to learn about the theme for our current issue.
Because we publish for a young demographic, work submitted to Iris may not include depictions of sex,
drug use, and violence. They can certainly be discussed and referenced, but not directly portrayed. It is our
hope that Iris will find a home in classrooms and libraries; in order to do so, the magazine must adhere to
these guidelines. We publish pieces with profanity only if that profanity is neither gratuitous nor excessive.
We also accept pitches for articles (400-800 words) for publication on our website. We publish feature
essays as well as book and film reviews. Writers may pitch their ideas to our editorial team by emailing us
at [email protected]. Please include links to published work or a writing sample.
Iris is friendly to everyone along the LGBTQAI spectrum and their allies. You do not need to identify
on the LGBTQ spectrum to submit! We ask only that there exist an LGBT angle in your story. Young
authors may submit their work to the magazine and to the ‘Voices’ and ‘Features’ sections on our website.
If accepted, we ask young writers to please understand that we will need to secure parental permission.
Submissions should be emailed as an attachment to [email protected]. Please read the instructions
on our website and be sure to include the necessary cover sheet. Please do not contact us at this email
address; it is automated and we check it only occasionally.
We accept short stories (3,000 words max), poetry, and visual art. We encourage creators of visual poetry
to send us PDFs or image files only - we want to be sure that your work renders correctly for our readers!
If accepted, we will ask for either the PSD or AI file to ensure that everything is properly formatted in the
magazine.
We read submissions for our summer issue in April & May; for autumn, in July & August; for winter, in
October & November; and for spring, in February and March.
We look forward to reading your work!
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