Do you accept refunds and/or order exchanges?
We do not, except in extraordinary cases (i.e. if your package arrives damaged or incorrect). In those cases, please email hello@halfmystic.com. We would love the opportunity to make it right.
Do you accept submissions to the blog?
Yes, from past contributors, authors, and staff members! We’re always open to hosting our community for interviews, essays, selections, or other guest post ideas. Email us your pitch at hello@halfmystic.com. (Please note that we don’t accept pitches from those who haven’t previously contributed to or worked for Half Mystic.)
What happened to Half Mystic Radio?
Half Mystic Radio was a podcast run by Half Mystic from 2018 to 2021. We released two seasons, the first hosted by editor-in-chief Topaz Winters and the second guest hosted by poet and comedian Stephanie Dogfoot. In the spring of 2021, at the end of our second season, we retired the show to allow time and space for our team to focus on our core operations—the journal, press, blog, and gatherings. Both seasons of Half Mystic Radio are still available to stream on every podcast platform.
Do you take recommendations from editors or readers into account when considering submissions?
Our submission process is completely anonymous, and we do not take into consideration recommendations we receive from anyone inside or outside Half Mystic. We do conduct background checks on submitters once our editors have accepted a piece for publication, to ensure that contributors align with our values and haven’t expressed racism, homophobia, xenophobia, or any other bigotry in their career—but before we’ve accepted a piece, no recommendations are factored into the process.
Do you ship to international customers?
We ship worldwide, and no matter where you live, shipping is $6 for economy or $12 for trackable shipping. We also offer free global shipping for all orders over $60, using the code FREESHIP at checkout.
How long will it take for me to receive my PDF order?
When you purchase a PDF copy of one of our books or journal issues, you will receive a download link in your email inbox within three working days of your initial order. Please whitelist hello@halfmystic.com and check your “trash” and “spam” folders if your PDF order has not arrived after four days, or send us an email to enquire.
What are your acceptance rates?
For the literary journal, 5%. For the publishing house, 1%.
What do you look for in a piece of poetry or prose?
We are interested primarily in writing that considers music integral to and inseparable from language, and writing that sings as an avenue to story. We like work that is faithful to something: its speaker or subject or setting, a reader it imagines or an object it can’t escape or a reality it’s chasing. We look for work that loves language as both lover and lifeboat, or in less ambiguous terms, work that commits itself to language at once as joyful choice and method of survival. In journal submissions, we’re particularly interested in pieces that rethink the issue’s theme, pieces that serve as incantations and invocations for melody. In manuscript submissions, we like books that are different from anything we’ve ever published, books that introduce music into their lexicon in stunning and surprising ways. We believe in work that notices the details, that pays attention to the background. We generally gravitate to the lyrical over the straight-talking and the surreal over the down-to-earth, but also, we like to be narratively, imagistically, and emotionally surprised. On the whole, we’re drawn to many of the same qualities in literature that we are in people—namely, work that knows where it came from and what it has to lose. Work that takes the risk with its eyes wide open.
Will it negatively impact my submission if I don’t include a cover letter?
For journal submissions, no! For manuscript submissions, we can’t say that the lack of a cover letter will lead to an automatic rejection, but we do prefer to know who you are as a person and artist before we sign any contracts. Call us old-fashioned, but we work closely alongside our authors to create something lasting and carefully-crafted—and we want to know what lives beneath the pages, the heartbeat of your work.
You took months to respond to my submission, but my friend received an answer to their submission within days! What gives?
We are a very small organisation, and as such, our submissions tend to ebb and flow. In recent years our response time has lengthened considerably as our readership and submission pool grows—but sometimes we have an unusually light submission period and can send responses within a week. It truly depends on the time of year! Regardless, we respond to all submissions as quickly as we can, and while we do our best to standardise our response time as much as possible, sometimes it will vary.