New Lit on the Block :: Pictura Journal
Pictura Journal is a new online journal publishing poetry, prose, and visual artwork three times a year (April, August, December), with the editors favoring “concrete images and work grounded in a strong sense of place.” The journal’s name itself, says Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief Alicia Wright, comes from this same desire for story.
“I’ve always been obsessed with the idea of ‘image as narrative,’ and I wanted a name that made the same statement. I couldn’t tell you the first time I read the Latin phrase ut pictura poesis (and it would take some work for me to recall any more of the specifics of Ars Poetica), but when I was formulating the idea for the journal, ‘as is poetry, so is painting’ pointed directly at what I was aiming for. So: Pictura. I want to publish work that values the concrete image as a storytelling device, and artwork that fits well alongside it.”
Creating Opportunities
From concept to concrete publication, Wright has long held the dream of starting a journal, “I wanted to provide a low barrier, paying venue for writers and artists, and I knew that one way or another I’d be able to scrape together the funds to give it a good shot. I first tossed around the idea just after I finished my MFA, but the idea ended up buried beneath some serious impostor syndrome. Last year, I joined a small group of people rebuilding an adult literacy program from the ground up, and, in a roundabout way, it forced me to reevaluate how I was spending my free time. Working to build the program has been hard, satisfying work, and I wanted to pursue more projects that were fulfilling for me and anyone who might interact with them.”
Similarly, Wright notes, “It’s a lot of work” to start a new journal, “but seeing the first issue come to life made it worth the trouble. The number of people willing to donate funds or otherwise support a very small journal at its earliest stages has been humbling and surprising beyond anything I could’ve hoped for.”
Editorial Experience
Wright’s own background has prepared her well for this venture. She holds a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Marietta College and an MFA in Creative Writing (poetry) from Bowling Green State University, where she worked for Mid-American Review. “I wanted a group of contributing editors with perspectives that balanced my own,” Wright explains, “so I put a call out when I launched the site, and am grateful to be working with a full team of Contributing Editors.”
Those editors include Andrea Damic, born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and currently living in Sydney, Australia, a self-taught writer of prose and poetry with a Master’s degree in Economics. Anna Denzel, a multilingual teacher, translator, and writer. She graduated from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität with a Magister Artium in Italian and English Literature and Art History, subsequently studied at the University of Leeds and completed a Diploma in Professional Translation from New York University. Roberto C. Elizondo is a trilingual writer, poet, and translator from Mexico who holds an MFA from Bowling Green State University and a BA from Oklahoma State University. He has also been an Assistant Editor in Mid-American Review. And Rebecca Olson, a poet, writer, and art student who is “reinventing herself after a quarter century career with the space program.” She earned a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from the University of Denver.
For Writers & Readers
For writers looking to home pieces of their work, Wright explains, “We accept submissions year-round through our Google form or email. It might be a little cumbersome, but using free methods allows us to offer fee-free submissions and token contributor payments. The entire team reads blind, and every piece is reviewed at least twice before a decision is made. We do our best to respond within three weeks, but we also offer an expedited response for a small fee, and we offer paid feedback on submissions.”
Readers coming to Pictura Journal can expect to enjoy a broad range of vivid writing and artwork from emerging and established writers and artists based all over the world. Some recent contributors include Richard Jordan, Leah Mueller, Jane Rosenberg LaForge, Casey Aimer, Tommy Cheis, Safiyya Bintali, JC Alfier, Cassandra Caverhill, and Bill Garvey. “We also have an ‘interviews’ section on the site for contributors who choose to participate,” Wright adds.
Print, Prizes, Payment
Looking to the future, “Growth is the goal,” says Wright. “Currently, online issues will be released on the first of the month. These are available both as content on the site itself, and also as a free PDF download. We have every intention of publishing a print anthology no later than early 2026 and nominating accepted works for prizes when possible. Beyond the planned print anthology, I’d like Pictura Journal to reach the point where adding regular print issues is feasible without cutting contributor payments.”
NewPages welcomes Pictura Journal and hopes writers and readers will enjoy getting to know this new publication.
