Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts
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blackbirdjournal.bsky.social
Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts
@blackbirdjournal.bsky.social
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An online journal of literature and the arts led by grad students at VCU. We publish poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art, & more. Submissions are open!
https://linktr.ee/blackbirdjournal
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blackbirdjournal.bsky.social
What a powerful quote. Read the full poem by Chelsea B. DesAutels at the link below! ✨

blackbird.vcu.edu/attunement/
A minimalist poem graphic with a fuchsia border. The title reads “Attunement” and the author’s name, Chelsea B. DesAutels, appears in bold beneath it. The poem text reads: “The child anticipated her mother as a mother divines an infant’s cry, completely.” At the bottom is the Blackbird journal footer with a small blackbird logo and the text “Poetry / Blackbird v24n1.” A black-and-white portrait of poet Chelsea B. DesAutels. She smiles brightly at the camera, her shoulder-length hair swept to one side. She is wearing a sleeveless top and appears against a softly lit, neutral background. A fuschia frame surrounds the image.
November 21, 2025 at 5:21 PM
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Submit to the Levis Reading Prize before January 15th, 2026 to be considered by the attentive faculty and students of the VCU Department of English and MFA in Creative Writing Program. Read Matt Schroeder's review of our 2024 Levis Reading Prize winner, Weijia Pan, at blackbird.vcu.edu. ✍️🐦‍⬛
Graphic with a pale yellow background announcing the Levis Reading Prize. Large serif text at the top reads: “Have you or are you publishing your first or second collection of poetry in 2025?” Below, italic text reads: “Submit to Virginia Commonwealth University’s,” followed by bold block text: “LEVIS READING PRIZE.” On the right side is a sketched illustration of poet Larry Levis’s face and hand holding a cigarette. Informational graphic on a pale yellow background. At top center is a line-drawing of an open book. Text below explains that the prize is awarded for the best first or second book of poetry published in 2025 and is presented by the VCU MFA in Creative Writing Program and VCU Libraries with support from the College of Humanities and Sciences and the family of Larry Levis. Additional text notes that the winner receives an honorarium and a paid trip to Richmond for a public reading in the following fall. Pale yellow informational graphic listing submission requirements for the Levis Reading Prize. Bullet points note that each entry must include: three physical copies of the author’s first or second book (48+ pages), one digital PDF copy emailed to levis@vcu.edu, a cover letter, and a brief author biography. Beneath the list is a line illustration of an open book with a feather quill. Text at the bottom states: “The current entry deadline is January 15, 2026.” Pale yellow graphic with two quill pen illustrations. Text reads: “Read more about our criteria and past winners here:” followed by the VCU English department link for the Levis Reading Prize: "english.vcu.edu/about/national-literary-awards/levis-reading-prize." On the right side, bold text lists contacts: Matthew Schroeder, Levis Fellow (levis@vcu.edu) and Gregory Donovan, Ph.D., Levis Prize Director (gdonovan@vcu.edu).
November 20, 2025 at 2:55 PM
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(2/2) blackbird.vcu.edu @megmcdermott92.bsky.social
A smiling woman poses in front of a framed painting. The caption below reads: “Here’s Megan with Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s A Sea Spell, 1875–77, at Harvard Art Museums!” The background is brown with a subtle texture. On a green background with a bookmark illustration, the heading reads “What writers are currently inspiring you?” Below, the quote says: “This semester I've been taking a Virginia Woolf class, and I am obsessed with her brain. Her works feel like an invitation to let my own writing be more wild and strange, and her commentary on the complex nature of gender dynamics and the ways in which we might be attracted to upholding them feel as timely as ever.” On a brown background, a white marble bust of a woman with the top of her head open is paired with a disembodied white hand reaching down toward it. Text reads: “I also recently loved Elena Ferrante’s novel The Lying Life of Adults and aspire to write as viscerally and poignantly about the uncomfortable aspects of being human as she does.” Final graphic on a marbled green and purple background reads: “Read ‘The Space Says Yes to Me,’ an interview with Gretchen Scherer, our featured artist for Flight 24.1, developed by Megan McDermott and Gwen Hall. Thanks, Megan!” The Blackbird logo appears at the bottom with the text “an online journal of literature and the arts.
November 17, 2025 at 4:37 PM
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(1/2) Swipe through these graphics to read Megan's stellar thoughts about art and literature. Thank you, Megan, for your insights! Check out Blackbird's art section of Flight 24.1 to see the fruits of her labor. 🎨 blackbird.vcu.edu @megmcdermott92.bsky.social
Graphic titled “Editor Spotlight: Megan McDermott, Lead Art Editor.” The background is a swirling marbled mix of green, purple, and black. Below the title is a collage of classical and neoclassical marble busts and statues in grayscale and sepia tones, including male and female figures like Apollo and Medusa. Text on a textured green background reads: “As Art Editor, it is a joy to deeply engage with a creative medium other than my primary one (poetry). I believe my own creative work becomes richer through considering the inspiring work of creatives who think and create differently than I do, and I hope the readers of Blackbird find their literary sensibilities enriched by engagement with visual art as well.” Decorative flourishes include quotation marks formed by brushstrokes and small classical statues in the corners, one seated and one in flight. Quote on a brown textured background reads: “In many ways, arts are under attack in our culture, whether that's through cuts to funding, attempts at censorship, or systemic denigration of values like diversity, equity, and inclusion, which help us have a more meaningful and robust experience of the arts and art history than we would otherwise.” Three white marble statues of women stand across the center, each holding a staff or spear. Against a marbled green and purple background, a large classical statue group—The Rape of the Sabine Women—stands in the center, with two grayscale pointing hands on either side. Text reads: “The more venues and platforms that continue to celebrate and feature authentic, thought-provoking art in the midst of this current cultural moment, the better!”
November 17, 2025 at 4:37 PM
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Read "FATHER" by Zlatan Nezirović and translated by Ena Selimović. Swipe to take a look at headshots of the author and the translator. You can read this heartfelt and moving piece at the link below. ❤️

blackbird.vcu.edu/father/
Graphic featuring an excerpt from “FATHER” by Zlatan Nezirović and translated by Ena Selimović. The text reads: “The life of the young palm is just beginning, and Father’s is ending. I want to hang up, but instead I ask Mother to start over and tell me everything again, no skipping or sugarcoating. She tells me everything from the start and again softens reality. She’ll never learn to unload her worries and hardships onto her sons.” Below the poem: “Poetry / Blackbird v24n1.” The image has a white background, pale pink border, and a small blackbird silhouette in the bottom right corner. Black-and-white portrait of Zlatan Nezirović indoors in front of a bookshelf. He looks off to his right side. The photo is framed by a pale pink border. Black-and-white portrait of Ena Selimović in front of a speckled wall. She looks into the camera with a soft smile.
November 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM
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Read "Prayer" by Debmalya Bandyopadhyay at the link below. It is moving, heartwrenching, and will stick with you through your day. ❤️

blackbird.vcu.edu/prayer/
Graphic featuring an excerpt from “Prayer” by Debmalya Bandyopadhyay. The text reads: “Some boys are rivers pushing / pebbles for as far as they can // brittle boys unafraid to bruise or break / bourns braided over their fishbone arms // as long as they keep pushing ahead / the pebbles lodged in their mouths // will keep making space for parables / godly shaped, like Amma, Mum, Ma—” Below the poem: “Poetry / Blackbird v24n1.” The image has a white background, dark blue border, and a small blackbird silhouette in the bottom right corner. Black-and-white portrait of Debmalya Bandyopadhyay sitting indoors with his chin resting on his hand, wearing glasses and a jacket. Behind him, other people sit at tables, and a large painting or mural decorates the wall. The photo is framed by a navy blue border.
November 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
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Check out "AFTER YVES TAKES ME HOME FROM THE DOCTOR, I LIE IN THE DARK" by Cameron McGill, a dreamy yet attentive poem from our brand new Flight! It's a stunner.✨

blackbird.vcu.edu/after-yves-t...
Graphic featuring an excerpt from a poem by Cameron McGill titled “AFTER YVES TAKES ME HOME FROM THE DOCTOR, I LIE IN THE DARK.” The text reads: “Sleep dissolves like slate tiles on the roof. My fever’s / placed on the table, a vase of tulips, each cut with a handsaw.” Below the text: “Poetry / Blackbird v24n1.” A small blackbird silhouette perches in the bottom right corner against a white background with a navy blue border. Black-and-white portrait of Cameron McGill, wearing glasses, a flannel shirt, and a patterned bandana around his neck. He looks directly at the camera with a neutral expression. The photo is framed by a navy blue border.
November 3, 2025 at 4:35 PM
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New Flight alert! We are beyond thrilled to announce Flight 24.1. Swipe to see some of the wonderful authors published in this issue, and peruse pieces from Gretchen Scherer, our featured artist! Check it out now: blackbird.vcu.edu 🤩
Blackbird 24.1 cover Cover image for Blackbird issue 24.1. The upper section reads “Blackbird 24.1” in large black text with a bird silhouette. Below is the painting "Trubetskoy Palace, Dining Room, 1914" by Gretchen Scherer — an imagined palace dining room with ornate ceilings, chandeliers, a long table set with dishes, and walls covered in framed paintings. Poetry contributors Header text “Poetry” above a painting titled "Sir John Soane’s Museum, Library and Dining Room" by Gretchen Scherer. The painting depicts an ornate red-walled study filled with bookshelves, framed artwork, sculptures, and open books on a central desk. Below, names of contributors appear: AJ White, Corey Zeller, Brian Komei Dempster, Dennis Hinrichsen, Cameron McGill, Ian Cappelli, Julia Levine, Chelsea B. DesAutels, and Debmalya Bandyopadhyay. Nonfiction Header text “Nonfiction” above Gretchen Scherer’s painting "Palace of Aranjuez, Porcelain Room," showing a white and gold ornate room with framed portraits, vine motifs, and decorative porcelain detailing. Contributors listed: Brenna Womer and Kasumi Parker. Fiction Header text “Fiction” above Gretchen Scherer’s painting "Sanssouci Palace, Library and Picture Gallery," which features open double doors leading into an opulent room lined with gold-framed paintings. Text below lists: Ena Selimović translates Zlatan Nezirović.
October 29, 2025 at 3:52 PM
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"Writing is the way that a civilization sees itself." - S.A. Cosby.

Thank you to S.A. Cosby for coming to speak with our editors and interns this past Wednesday. His latest book, King of Ashes, is out now! ☺️
S.A. Cosby sits at the front of a classroom speaking to a group of Blackbird editors and interns. A white board is visible behind him. S.A. Cosby sits at the front of a classroom and gestures expressively while addressing the audience of Blackbird editors and interns, who are seated and listening attentively. A projector screen and classroom setup are visible in the background. A closer look at S.A. Cosby speaking to Blackbird editors and interns. The faces of the engaged students are visible.
October 27, 2025 at 3:27 PM
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Read "Metamorphosis" by Henry Hart in full at the link below. Check out the full flight, too! ☺️

blackbird.vcu.edu/metamorphosi...
A minimalist square graphic bordered in olive green featuring the title Metamorphosis by Henry Hart. The poem reads: “A cool breeze lifts mist like grief from the lake. / The moon cobbles a path over waves to the other shore / where campers sing Dylan songs by a fire. // The voice that poisoned the air all day / like smoke from the paper mill / fades into pines beneath Fishkill Mountain.” The bottom text reads “Poetry / Blackbird v23n4” beside a small blackbird silhouette. A black-and-white portrait of Henry Hart framed in olive green. He faces the camera with a slight smile, wearing a collared shirt and a dark tie patterned with small crests, against a plain dark background.
October 24, 2025 at 6:22 PM
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Read "The Stages of Ukranian Futurism" by Oksana Maksymchuk in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio! ✨
A white square bordered in maroon featuring a poem excerpt. The title reads The Stages of Ukrainian Futurism by Oksana Maksymchuk. The excerpt reads: "In midsummer, his mother / in a sundress and a pair of Birkenstocks / like a girl caught off guard by a cruel remark / stands without crying at his closed casket." At the bottom: Poetry / Blackbird v23n4 with a blackbird silhouette logo. A black-and-white portrait of Oksana Maksymchuk, who has straight dark hair with bangs, a slight smile, and is wearing a top with a beaded collar. Trees and leaves blur in the background. The photo is framed with a maroon border.
October 21, 2025 at 2:40 PM
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Poetry submissions will close at 11:59pm TONIGHT! Get your poems in before then! All other genres will remain open. Link in bio to submit! ✍️

blackbird.submittable.com/submit
A yellow-to-green gradient graphic announcing: “Poetry Submissions CLOSE TONIGHT at 11:59pm.” A small black bird silhouette appears in the top left corner, and beneath the main text, the link “blackbird.submittable.com/submit” is shown. At the bottom, the Blackbird logo features another black bird perched beside the journal’s name and tagline: “an online journal of literature and the arts.”
October 16, 2025 at 2:10 PM
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Poetry submissions will close at 11:59pm on Thursday, October 16th. Get your poems in before then! All other genres will remain open. FOUR MORE DAYS! ✍️

blackbird.submittable.com/submit
A gradient graphic in shades of orange and red announces: “Poetry Submissions, 4 MORE DAYS TO SUBMIT.” Below, text reads “blackbird.submittable.com/submit.” At the bottom is the Blackbird logo, featuring a small white bird silhouette beside the journal’s name and tagline: “an online journal of literature and the arts.”
October 13, 2025 at 5:42 PM
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We have reached our cap for poetry submissions and will close them in ONE WEEK! Poetry submissions will close at 11:59pm on Thursday, October 16th. Get your poems in before then! All other genres will remain open.

blackbird.submittable.com/submit
A bold blue graphic announcing the closing date for poetry submissions to Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts. White text reads: “Poetry Submissions CLOSING 10/16.” Below the text are small clock icons and the URL “blackbird.submittable.com/submit.” At the bottom, the Blackbird logo appears in white, with a small bird silhouette perched beside the wordmark.
October 10, 2025 at 4:15 PM
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Read "Half an O of light" by Shira Dentz in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio! 🐦‍⬛
A graphic with a maroon border features a poem excerpt titled "Half an O of light" by Shira Dentz. The excerpt reads: “among heavy dusk clouds, / pearl with rainbow luster // If energy can’t be created or / destroyed there’s no stillness.” The footer notes: Poetry / Blackbird v23n4 with a small blackbird logo. A black-and-white portrait of poet Shira Dentz, smiling outdoors with trees softly blurred in the background. She has long, curly light hair, glasses, and is wearing a dark top. A maroon border frames the image.
October 6, 2025 at 3:31 PM
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A huge thank you to Weijia Pan for coming to accept his Levis Prize and give a reading from his prize-winning collection, Motherlands, published by Milkweed Editions. Swipe to see the beautiful broadsides made by our very own Kathleen Graber. This collection is one worth reading: cover to cover! 📖
Weijia Pan stands at a podium reading from his book Motherlands at VCU’s Levis Reading Prize Night. Behind him, a large screen displays: “VCU College of Humanities and Sciences, VCU Libraries. Motherlands, poems, Weijia Pan. Levis Reading Prize Night,” alongside his portrait and the book's cover art. The cover of Motherlands by Weijia Pan. The artwork depicts a surreal mountainscape built from clustered buildings and electrical towers, shrouded in mist and fog. In the foreground, bare trees rise above rushing water while a flock of birds arcs through the sky. A cream-colored broadside featuring an ink illustration of a bird’s nest with two eggs resting on branches and leaves. Below, a poem excerpt reads: “The sparrows arrive with fresh worms / and twigs. The tangerine I nurture in my hands / will never hatch a bird. A bird / is a bird’s masterpiece.” —Weijia Pan from Motherlands Greg Donovan stands at a podium introducing Weijia Pan at VCU’s Levis Reading Prize Night. In the foreground, an audience member holds a broadside printed with green ginkgo leaves and Weijia Pan’s poem "Ultimatum." The poem's content reads: “If I forget one character a day, / I will have forgotten Chinese / by the end of 2042. // Sooner or later I will forget / my quarrel with my father, / I will forget if / I ever wrote to you. // And the new language / I will have acquired / will not be the same / as the one that bit me.”
October 1, 2025 at 5:39 PM
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We have officially opened our submissions for video essays and sound-based literature! Click "Submit to Blackbird" in our bio to read the full guidelines. We want your work!
A graphic announcing Blackbird’s “Call for Submissions: Video Essays & Sound-Based Literature.” Against a turquoise background, an orange vintage television shows the Blackbird logo while another TV sits beside it. A small illustrated figure leans toward a giant ear perched on the second TV. A turquoise graphic with black text that reads, “The video essays we admire most employ language, image, and sound with equal craftsmanship and collective vision.” Above the text are two small image icons, and below are two illustrated ear icons with sound waves. A turquoise graphic with black text that reads, “Sound-based literature is an original piece of writing that pairs a recorded voiceover with a musical composition or sound design score.” Above the text is a megaphone icon, and below is an open book icon. A turquoise graphic with black text that reads, “Read more here: https://blackbird.submittable.com/submit Or click ‘Submit to Blackbird’ at the link in our bio!” Centered above and below the text are illustrations of books and the Blackbird logo.
September 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
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We want your creative nonfiction! You can find the link to submit in our bio. Swipe through these photos to read the kind of work we’re looking for, straight from Jesse Lacy, our Lead Nonfiction Editor!
Quote slide on an orange background. The text reads: “It excites me to read creative nonfiction pieces that directly and indirectly confront their genre and veracity, essays that question the nature of ‘truth’ and the way it appears on the page.” To the right, a small illustration of a person in green pants holding an oversized pencil. Quote slide with text: “I want to read essays that wrestle with their containers. I want to read lyric essays, braided essays, hermit crab essays, essays with forms I couldn’t imagine before reading them.” Below is an illustration of a person in glasses sitting on the floor surrounded by books, reading. Quote slide with text: “I’m eager to dig into an essay where the narrator converses with dead movie stars or their neighbor’s cat.” On the left is an illustration of a large blue hand holding a pencil; on the right, a small black cat peeking out of an orange box. Quote slide with text: “I want to read an essay that does all of these as it nurtures a strong emotional core. In short, I am looking for essays that put the ‘creative’ in creative nonfiction.” At the top is a small illustration of hands writing on a paper surrounded by stationery. A small Blackbird logo is at the bottom.
September 23, 2025 at 5:52 PM
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Read "I Talked to My Cousin" by Angela Townsend in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio and below! 😊

blackbird.vcu.edu/i-talked-to-...
Quote graphic with a teal border featuring text from Angela Townsend’s nonfiction piece, "I Talked to My Cousin" in Blackbird v23n4. The excerpt reads: “I am not the black sheep of this family, although I like to think I am. I am the accidental blueberry in their red velvet cake. They cancel out my vote fivefold. I have a tattoo. But let’s be real. My tattoo is two cats hugging.” The bottom text reads: Nonfiction / Blackbird v23n4 with a small blackbird silhouette. Black-and-white portrait of Angela Townsend smiling, framed in teal. She has shoulder-length dark hair with bangs, wears butterfly earrings, and a polka-dotted top.
September 19, 2025 at 4:22 PM
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Read "The Light" by Jacob Griffin Hall in our latest Flight 23.4. 🤩 @jacobgriffinhall.bsky.social

blackbird.vcu.edu/the-light/
A white graphic bordered in turquoise featuring an excerpt from The Light by Jacob Griffin Hall. The poem reads: “Like the suggestion of fire / I see the city’s lights now stretched / ahead of me I’ve always / imagined the apocalypse would come / with a hell of a view.” At the bottom, text notes: Poetry / Blackbird Flight 23.4, with a small blackbird silhouette. A black-and-white portrait of Jacob Griffin Hall wearing glasses and a dark button-up shirt, standing against a brick wall with one arm leaning casually. He looks toward the camera with a neutral expression. Blurred trees fill the background.
September 15, 2025 at 3:21 PM
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Welcome, Rabeetah Hasnain! New leadership means a new era. ✨ Swipe to see what she is excited about for this year! Submit for future flights NOW!
A welcome graphic with a smiling portrait of Rabeetah Hasnain against a pink background. Bold text at the top reads: Welcome: Rabeetah Hasnain. A banner at the bottom says: Blackbird's New Managing Editor! A mauve-toned graphic with text at the top: What are you excited about for Blackbird this year? Below, a quote from Rabeetah Hasnain reads: “Blackbird thrives because of its people: an incredible team of readers, editors, and artists who seek work that’s alive on the page. I’m excited to unearth pieces that re-imagine the familiar, turn the universal intimate.” Illustrations of a hand writing in a book decorate the corners. A mauve-toned graphic with a large circle and a thought bubble illustration. White text inside the circle features Rabeetah Hasnain’s words: “I want writing that unsettles us, jolts us, confounds, and bewilders. I want to have epiphanies on paper, and I want to be reminded of the scent of an orange.” A mauve-toned graphic with an illustration of hands holding an open notebook at the top and a blackbird logo at the bottom. Centered text reads: “This is what our contributors give us and what our readers come to discover, and I’m honored and thrilled to be part of the team making that possible.”
September 15, 2025 at 3:18 PM
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Read "faq 018318" by Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio and below! 😊

blackbird.vcu.edu/faq-018318//
A black-and-white portrait of Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi. He looks toward the camera with a slight smile. The image is framed by a salmon-pink border. A white graphic bordered in salmon-pink featuring an excerpt from Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi’s "faq 018318." The excerpt reads: “You say the feeling, sadness, does not seem appropriate, does not seem right. And yet you exist perfectly, and it is happening in the fibers and fluids of your existence, so why would it or should it be any different?” At the bottom, text notes: Fiction / Blackbird v23n4, with a small blackbird silhouette.
September 15, 2025 at 3:16 PM
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An event completely open to the public, our annual Levis Prize Reading event is on September 25th! Come see our winner, Weijia Pan, read from his prize-winning collection, Motherlands. See you there! ☺️
Digital flyer for the Levis Prize Reading Night featuring poet Weijia Pan. The background shows a misty landscape with bare trees. Large text reads: Motherlands, poems, Weijia Pan. Bold black text below announces: “Levis Prize Reading Night, September 25, 7–8 p.m., Cabell Library Lecture Hall.” A circular portrait of Weijia Pan is on the right. Additional text explains that the Levis Reading Prize is presented by VCU’s MFA in Creative Writing Program in partnership with VCU Libraries, with sponsors including the VCU Department of English and College of Humanities and Sciences, and funding from the family of Larry Levis.
September 15, 2025 at 3:14 PM
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Read "In every religion, a purifying" by the legendary Diane Seuss in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio and below! 🐦‍⬛

blackbird.vcu.edu/in-every-rel...
A black-and-white portrait of Diane Seuss. She has long dark hair with bangs, wears dark eyeliner, and looks directly at the camera with a serious expression. The image is framed by a salmon-pink border. A white graphic bordered in salmon pink featuring an excerpt from Diane Seuss’s poem "In every religion, a purifying." The excerpt reads: “The rain came in multitudes, / in droves, like supplicants / to a holy place, almost // beautiful, as a shattered / windshield is beautiful, / especially when it rains.” At the bottom, text notes: Poetry / Blackbird v23n4, with a small blackbird silhouette.
September 15, 2025 at 3:13 PM