Science Write Now publishes poetry, short stories, book reviews, and literary or personal essays. “We believe that truth comes in many forms, some of which—like fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and memoir—help us translate complex or remote ideas into everyday lives, build spaces for empathy and change.” Issues are themed. Read the complete guidelines here.
SQF: Why did you start this magazine?
Amanda & Jessica: Too much science is paywalled in academic journals, written in complex language, or simply lacks the context folks need to understand what it really means. This is where creative writing and the arts come in - science is part of our everyday lives, and the arts show us how. We started Science Write Now as a space to celebrate science in all its forms.
SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?
A&J: Originality - something that feels new, that sparks something when you read it. SWN is about bringing science and creative and reflective ideas all together in a common space. Yet we’re all working with the same essential building blocks, and we get used to the same metaphors and imagery. Original combinations of ideas pulls us out of our comfort zone and makes us think.
Clarity - a concrete idea, solidly executed. We do work with our writers on editing their pieces, but to edit effectively we need to feel a deep sense of the writer’s vision and believe in that vision enough to back it with our (mostly unpaid!) time.
Science - everything we publish needs to connect to science in some way, and we’re trying as we grow as a magazine to make these connections more visible to readers. This is the heart of what we do.
SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?
A&J: Sometimes we get submissions that just aren’t related to the theme we’re publishing, or don’t connect with science at all - and that just feels like the author hasn’t taken the time to understand what we do and why.
SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s)/stanza(s) of a submission?
A&J: A well-formed world (real or imagined) with a voice we want to spend more time with.
SQF: What is The Learning Studio?
A&J: We run online writing courses that weave science, art, and writing - we have four great courses so far, in which you can write a whole braided essay or story with Australian legend Kris Kneen; work with arts and nature writers; and even have a crash course in evolutionary biology as a means to deepen conflict in stories. Watch this space - we have more in the works! (And a new website due to launch next month)
SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?
A&J: How do you work?
One of the things we didn’t realise before we started SWN is that many (most?) literary journals are passion projects - run on very tight budgets with small numbers of staff. For example, we are 3 people with full-time jobs and PhDs on the go, spread across three cities on two continents. We prioritise paying our writers, artists and Managing Editor, so currently we do most of our editorial work in-kind. We feel new empathy for turnaround times on our own submissions11!
Thank you, Amanda and Jessica. We all appreciate your taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.
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