Submissions for Muleskinner Journal Fifteen are OPEN!

We don't mean to stress you out, but our theme for Journal 15 is Tension.

It's the elephant in the room. It's the lion tamer's head in the lion's mouth.

It's also the engine that drives the drama, the abracadabra that makes the magic, and the need that creates the invention.

For Journal 15, we want tension. We knock on your door and request that emotion come out and play. We pound on your door and demand the truth. 

We want the rubber band taut. We want resistance. We want your focus on the gap between where you are and where you want to be, the longing for home, or the need to get away. 

Send us the revelations, conversations, and adaptations that spring up. We want to explore tension channeled forward, from the drainage ditch to the river, to the waves and the ocean, to good things hard earned. 

We want the bad tension too. Ease our tension with yours. Ease your tension by screaming at us. Turn up the heat. Don't give us a break. 

We'll keep this fury fast. We'll close submissions on Labor Day, September 1, a fitting day to refocus your attention.

See our submission guidelines for deadlines, manuscript requirements, and other information