For this special issue, we're looking for works of short, flash, or micro-fiction on the theme of “aperture.” In photography, the aperture is the space through which light enters the camera. In architecture, apertures are commonly windows or doors: points of access or boundary between the interior and exterior spaces. An aperture can be a point of connection, or control. It can be an opening, a gap, a portal, or chasm. An aperture can be a wound. A point of entry, or of no return. We're looking for braided flash or micro snapshots, surrealist, realist, magically realist, speculative, or even auto-fiction; fiction encountering the aperture of the void, fiction exploring grief, or borders, or time travel, or birth. Fiction examining the artist, the photographer, the painter. Wildly creative interpretations of the theme of “aperture” are welcome, as are the explicitly literal – send me your discoveries, musings, glimpses, and memories as stories. Please ensure work is submitted in a legible, serif font (think Times New Roman or Garamond). We're not too fussed about size or spacing. Please nothing longer than 3500 words. If sending flash, please send no more than 3 pieces of up to 1000 words each, and micros of no more than 10 pieces of 100 words each. Accepted authors can expect to engage in a brief editorial process – we hope you will submit with a willingness to discuss recommended changes with the aim of enhancing your work for publication.  

For this special issue, we're looking for works of creative nonfiction on the theme of “aperture.” In photography, the aperture is the space through which light enters the camera. In architecture, apertures are commonly windows or doors: points of access or boundary between the interior and exterior spaces. An aperture can be a point of connection, or control. It can be an opening, a gap, a portal, or chasm. An aperture can be a wound. A point of entry, or of no return. We're looking for lyric essays as snapshots, or memoirs as explorations of experience oriented around a single entry point. We're looking for hybrid works, works of ekphrasis, essays, and more. Wildly creative interpretations of the theme of “aperture” are welcome, as are the explicitly literal – send me your discoveries, musings, glimpses, memories, and stories. Please ensure work is submitted in a legible, serif font (think Times New Roman or Garamond). We're not too fussed about size or spacing. Please nothing longer than 3500 words. If sending flash, please send no more than 3 pieces of up to 1000 words each. Accepted authors can expect to engage in a brief editorial process – we hope you will submit with a willingness to discuss recommended changes with the aim of enhancing your work for publication.  

CREATIVE NONFICTION:

In 2025, Oyster River Pages seeks an entry-level candidate interested in publishing to join our team and support our 8th issue as a creative nonfiction editorial intern. At ORP, we are dedicated to publishing diverse and/or underrepresented voices that must be heard (read more about our mission here) and hope to find an intern as passionate about our goal as we are. As a creative nonfiction editorial intern, you will assist your supervising editor in all aspects of the publishing process, from acquiring submissions and author meetings to editing and final publication. If this all sounds interesting to you, we encourage you to send us an application. All applications will be read, thoughtfully considered, and replied to, though individual feedback will not be possible due to the amount of applications we receive. Note that you need not have any experience to apply, editorial, literary, or otherwise.

VISUAL ARTS:

In 2025, Oyster River Pages seeks an entry-level candidate interested in publishing to join our team and support our 8th issue as a visual arts editorial intern. At ORP, we are dedicated to publishing diverse and/or underrepresented voices that must be heard (read more about our mission here) and hope to find an intern as passionate about our goal as we are. As a visual arts editorial intern, you will assist your supervising editor in many aspects of the publishing process, from acquiring and reviewing submissions independently and jointly with the editor, editing artist statements, and preparing for final publication. If this all sounds interesting to you, we encourage you to send us an application. All applications will be read, thoughtfully considered, and replied to, though individual feedback will not be possible due to the amount of applications we receive. Note that you need not have any experience to apply, editorial, literary, or otherwise.

At Oyster River Pages, we are committed to furthering the legacy of documenting the history of the heart through the dissemination of poetic voices that need to and must be heard—poets whose verses exist in defiance of indifference, cruelty, and oppression to reveal the nuanced, resilient, compassionate and connective power of humanity. We are especially invested in publishing poets who represent the underrepresented in institutionalized publishing—Brown and Black voices, Queer voices, voices forged from forces found beyond the halls of academia—that continue to be decentered and marginalized.
 

In 2025, ORP seeks a passionate and responsible individual with strong editorial skills and a generous spirit to serve as our new Editor for ORP’s Emerging Voices in Poetry. Aware of the many barriers in publishing, Emerging Voices seeks poetry from new voices with the aim of empowering creatives in the early stages of their artistic journeys, especially individuals who may not have access to conventional literary resources and supports. We seek to demystify the publishing process by being a welcoming and inclusive space!

Preference will be given to applicants with editorial experience at literary journals (or equivalent experience) and an interest in publishing new voices in poetry, providing constructive feedback to submissions, curating a selection of poetry by new authors for publication, and being an integral member of ORP’s team.

Responsibilities 

• Review Emerging Voices submissions (about 200-250 poetry submissions per year).
• Sort through the “slush pile” for strong candidates; voting yes, no, or maybe on pieces via Submittable.
• Send decline letters to each poet via Submittable with a few lines of constructive and compassionate feedback for the first 100 submissions in the EV Poetry queue.
• Engage “possibles” with high potential in a review process focused on editorial questions about poetic choices, including offering suggestions on potential areas of improvement before acceptance of poems.
• Copy edit and proofread accepted poems (about 8-12 per year). 
• Work with the Poetry Editor to design Emerging Voices content pages, including uploading and formatting accepted, proofed poems; and reviewing uploaded content to check for errors, typos, extra spaces, etc.
• Communicate with poets of selected poems to collect bios, photos, audio files, and Contributor Showcase responses. 
• Use social media (Facebook, Instagram) to highlight poets, promote the journal, and connect with other literary/artistic organizations/communities.
• Meet online with ORP’s Editorial Team (about once a month); additional meetings may be scheduled depending on needs.

Preferred Qualifications  

• Strong editorial and analytical skills, and written and verbal communication skills.
• Self-motivated, flexible, and energetic with a capacity for independent and teamwork.
• Attention to detail, outstanding organizational skills, and multi-tasking ability.
• Commitment to empowering new voices in poetry, especially from underrepresented groups (Brown and Black voices, Queer voices, voices that are decentered and marginalized).
   

Time Period: This is a one-year appointment with the availability of an extension, consisting of 15-30 hours/month and flexible scheduling. Note that most monthly team meetings tend to take place in the evenings Eastern Time.

Salary: This is a volunteer position.

To apply: Answer the questions in our application form and submit it with your resume and two references via Submittable by December 1, 2024. Interviews will be scheduled in late November and December via  Zoom video platform. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If the position is filled before the deadline, we will update this page as necessary.

Questions? Email ORP at oysterriverpages@gmail.com

ORP recruits and trains interns regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, nationality, sex, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, disability, age, veteran status, and all the other fascinating characteristics that make us different.  At ORP, we have a clear vision: to be the place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, stay, do, and share their best work with the world.

In 2025, Oyster River Pages seeks motivated and responsible individuals to serve as poetry and fiction readers. ORP poetry and fiction readers will dedicate a few hours each week to support ORP’s mission of publishing underrepresented voices that need to and must be heard. Preference will be given to applicants with a history of involvement in the literary arts (or equivalent experience) and an interest in supporting a volunteer-run nonprofit journal. 

Specifically, from January through May 2025, readers will help review submissions for ORP’s 8th annual issue. This includes voting, providing constructive comments, and participating in monthly video conference meetings with their respective genre editors to discuss the pieces reviewed each month. We estimate that readers will spend about 2 to 5 hours per week reading and assessing submissions. 

We expect to bring on one poetry reader to support ORP’s Poetry Editor, Eneida Alcalde, and one fiction reader to support ORP’s Emerging Voices Fiction Editor, Michelle Tanmizi. 

To apply: In addition to your resume and two references, please upload a brief statement (no more than one page) explaining which reader position is of interest to you along with your qualifications for this role. In your statement, please also share your experience, if any, in the poetry and fiction communities, literary arts journals, creative writing, or related fields. Additionally, mention any creative writing-related studies or projects in which you have been involved. 

While we seek individuals with a background in the literary arts, we prefer readers who also bring real-world experience beyond creative writing workshops—people who have witnessed the transformative power of the literary arts to uplift, unite, heal, and challenge the status quo.

Please upload your resume, two references, and your statement to Submittable by December 1, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If a reader position is filled before the deadline, we will update this page as necessary.

Please note that all reader positions are volunteer and remote.

Questions? Email ORP at oysterriverpages@gmail.com

ORP recruits and trains interns regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, nationality, sex, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, disability, age, veteran status, and all the other fascinating characteristics that make us different.  At ORP, we have a clear vision: to be the place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, stay, do, and share their best work with the world.