Video Essay Submission Guidelines

Blackbird is actively seeking video essays at this time! 

The writer and artist M. Freeman (whose own video essays are in a recent Blackbird Flight) describes video essays as “the mixed-breed love child of poetry, creative nonfiction, arthouse indies, documentary, and experimental media art.” We dig that! The video essays we admire most employ language, image, and sound with equal craftsmanship and collective vision. John Bresland’s “On the Origin of the Video Essay” shines a light on our video essay preferences. You can watch the video essays in that feature as examples, as well as our more recent video essay publications. 

Some other video essays we admire are featured in TriQuarterly (like “Touch” by James J. Hodge) and Brink Literary. Check them out! 

Specifications:

-Submit up to 5 at a time.

-Video essays can be 12 minutes max, but we think the sweet spot is usually between 2 

and 8 minutes.

-We do not accept work that uses Generative AI in any form, especially work that 

passes off AI-generated visuals, audio, and/or writing as one’s original creation. We 

acknowledge that most modern video and audio software integrates artificial intelligence 

to some extent, so we encourage submitters to contact our team should they have any 

questions regarding this policy.

What to Submit:

-Send submissions as Vimeo or unlisted YouTube links.

- A transcript of the text (as a Word Doc)

- Artist statement: A short paragraph about the project, its intentions, and how image, sound, and text interact. This gives context for reviewers and can be brief.

- Author/artist bios: 50–100 words for publication and editorial purposes.

Sound-based Literature Submission Guidelines

As Blackbird continues to develop our podcast and publish new media, like video essays, we are now seeking sound-based literary projects. 

What is Sound-based Literature? 

Writers and musicians have been pushing the boundaries between text/sound for decades. 

Sound-based literature is an original piece of writing that pairs a recorded voiceover with a musical composition or sound design score. We are seeking original, sound-based literature similar to JJJJJerome Ellis' The Clearing or Katie Moulton's Dead Dad Club: On Grief and Tom Petty. Sound-based literature submissions will be considered for publication in a future Flight and/or inclusion in an upcoming episode of the Blackbird Literary Podcast. 

Be sure to listen to our first podcast episode here to best understand the kind of work we’re seeking.

Specifications: 

-Submit up to 5 at a time.

-Submissions can be 12 minutes max, but we think the sweet spot is usually between 2 

and 8 minutes.

-We do not accept work that uses Generative AI in any form, especially work that 

passes off AI-generated visuals, audio, and/or writing as one’s original creation. We 

acknowledge that most modern video and audio software integrates artificial intelligence 

to some extent, so we encourage submitters to contact our team should they have any 

questions regarding this policy.

What to Submit:

- The sound-based literature piece (ideally as a private SoundCloud or unlisted YouTube link or a WAV/MP3)

- A transcript of the literature (as a Word Doc)

- Artist statement: A short paragraph about the project, its intentions, and how sound and text interact. This gives context for reviewers and can be brief.

- Author/artist bios: 50–100 words for publication and editorial purposes.