Letter from the Editor
may round-up & zine, submissions & june contributors
This was our first month publishing under the new model, which made for a smaller, more intimate selection of work heading to your inbox.
We shared poetry and memoir that refused to look away from difficult questions or the heavier corners of human emotion, alongside stories that celebrated love. We even journeyed briefly into the fantasy world of Elvoria through the opening chapter of Mare Ephrathah’s novel, The Secret Petal.
Physical media feels more important than ever.
Compiling each month’s contributors into zine format, giving the work a tangible life beyond the screen, is one small way I try to honor that. I also hand them out at my local coffee shop, bookstores & leave them in little free libraries.
You can download a free printable copy of Root Smoke Zine featuring our May 2026 contributors here.
Root Smoke is now Rising in Fiction!
Thanks to our readers and subscribers, Root Smoke is now featured on Substack’s Rising in Fiction list, so far bouncing between #23 and #42. Our readership is growing because of your support, your shares, your comments, and your engagement. Thank you all for believing in this space!
We are still reading submissions!
I’m currently reading for August through December of this year and will also be announcing two themed submission periods very soon. (And a surprise guest editor!)
As to what I’m looking for at this time? Well…
I hope to see more experimentation with form in both poetry and prose, but especially poetry. I have a particular affinity for erasure and visual poetry and we’ve received very little. The more honest, raw, and human the work is, the more Root Smoke craves it. Overall, the weirder the better. I want to be surprised, shocked… maybe even scandalized. I am also in the mood to cry.
I would also love to begin publishing interviews, though I’m currently not able to conduct them myself. If there’s a writer or artist you’d like to interview and you’re able to submit a completed piece, please send your pitch to rootsmoke.lit@gmail.com
If you’re planning to submit, please take a moment to review our submission guidelines and use our new submission manager.
We have an amazing June line-up!
If you haven’t subscribed, now’s the time. Don’t miss what we have coming next.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the lighter publishing schedule in May and possible perks for paid subscribers.
Did fewer newsletters in your inbox feel more intentional, or did you find yourself missing the pace and rhythm of the previous format?
As a self-proclaimed snail mail connoisseur, I’m also playing around with the idea of mailing physical copies of the zine each month to those with a paid subscription. Is that something folks would be interested in?
That’s all for now. I’ll see you next month!
(Which is also next week.) Please keep hyping one another up in the comments. Watching fellow writers and artists connect, encourage one another, and celebrate each other’s work has become one of my favorite parts of Root Smoke. It truly makes my day.
-Azia
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