Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts
An online journal of literature and the arts led by grad students at VCU. We publish poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art, & more. Submissions are open!
linktr.ee/blackbirdjournal
- DATE CHANGE ALERT‼️ VCU's newest faculty members teaching in the MFA program for Creative Writing will be reading their work on February 9th (this Monday!) at 7pm at the James Cabell Library. Come with open ears and open hearts! 📖
- Struggling to find your next read? Check out our reviews section in Flight 24.1 to see what books and collections have caught Blackbird's eye. Paul Lomio's review may just convince you of where to turn next! blackbird.vcu.edu/review-light-me-down-the-new-collected-poems-of-jean-valentine/
- Have you been able to check out AJ White's craft essay in Flight 24.1? Read it at blackbird.vcu.edu now! 📝
- In "Three Polystichs," Ian Cappelli articulates a strangeness rendered intangible without his words to describe it. A one-of-a-kind poem. Read the full piece at blackbird.vcu.edu!
- If you're in the Richmond area, you do not want to miss this event. VCU's newest faculty members teaching in the MFA program for Creative writing will be reading their work on January 29th (this Thursday!) at 7pm at the James Cabell Library. Come with open ears and open hearts! 📖
- We always draw attention to the *new* version of Blackbird, but thanks to Mary Flinn, advising founding editor; M.A. Keller, founding editor and online editor; and Kurtis Zirkle, lead coder & pagebuilder; our earlier publications live on at blackbird-archive.vcu.edu. Check it out!
- Read the entire insightful and well-crafted interview at blackbird.vcu.edu. ❤️
- Two of Farley's translations can be found in our most recent Flight. Read these beauties at the link in our bio! 📖
- Your lead and associate editors at Blackbird are back in session. Don't forget that we are OPEN for submissions in most genres! 🐦⬛ blackbird.submittable.com/submit
- "who will / hold you / he asked / & I said / only / I will" Read the full poem at the link below.💫 blackbird.vcu.edu/not-conversation-with-my-former-self/
- Our poetry submissions may still be closed... but we have so much more we're looking for! We can’t wait to read, watch, witness, and discover alongside you. Happy New Year! blackbird.submittable.com/submit
- You may have seen my face, heard my voice, or read my words... In any case, it's a pleasure to be here with you, however you may show up. ❤️ Read our latest flight at blackbird.vcu.edu
- What a gut punch of a quote. Oof. Thank you, Corey Zeller, for this stunner! Read the full poem at the link below. 🐦⬛ blackbird.vcu.edu/a-good-way-t...
- The world of literature lost a profoundly influential voice on December 23rd, 2025. Here are some quotes Blackbird is lucky to have from and about the great Vinod Kumar Shukla. More about him and his wise words can be read in his featured interview and Bhavya Bhagtani's review in Flight 23.2.
- Meet Lydia! She has been with Blackbird for around five months, and we are so grateful to have her on our team! Check out our newly published poetry at blackbird.vcu.edu. ⭐️
- A piece that appraises and antagonizes the self, Kasumi Parker's "Look and See" is a must-read from our most recent Flight. Check it out at the link below! blackbird.vcu.edu/look-and-see/
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- The results are in, and second place has never felt better! Our readers and contributors are the whole reason why we exist, so a toast is in order to you all and, of course, to the folks at @chillsubs.bsky.social who are so persistent in celebrating the literary community. Cheers! 👏
- Meet our dearest Bhavya! Check out Flight 24.1's poetry section to see how her hard work has come to fruition. 🪶 blackbird.vcu.edu @bhavyabhagtani.bsky.social
- A stunning quote from Dennis Hinrichsen's "Dementia Lyric with Miles Davis and a Gamelan." Read the full poem at the link below! ✨ blackbird.vcu.edu/dementia-lyr...
- The face behind our review and interview curation: Sam Schieren! Check out the "Book Reviews, Craft Essays, and Interviews" section in Flight 24.1 to see the wonderful pieces his work has yielded. blackbird.vcu.edu
- The last day to vote for Blackbird is this Sunday!!! www.chillsubs.com/best-lit-mag...
- Do you love Blackbird? Do you think Blackbird should be recognized as an outstanding literary journal? We agree! Cast your vote at chillsubs.com/best-lit-mag-awards today. Voting closes on December 7th, so be sure to act now!
- Brenna Womer's "Only" artfully blends creative nonfiction and visual storytelling. Check out the full piece at the link below! blackbird.vcu.edu/only/
- Do you love Blackbird? Do you think Blackbird should be recognized as an outstanding literary journal? We agree! Cast your vote at chillsubs.com/best-lit-mag-awards today. Voting closes on December 7th, so be sure to act now!
- (1/2) In leading our copyediting team, J.A. Holm works diligently to elevate our authors voices and make Blackbird look as good as possible. Head to blackbird.vcu.edu to see the evidence of their hard work!
- What a powerful quote. Read the full poem by Chelsea B. DesAutels at the link below! ✨ blackbird.vcu.edu/attunement/
- 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. ✍️🐦⬛
- (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
- 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/
- 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/
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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...
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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 🤩
- "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! ☺️
- Read "Metamorphosis" by Henry Hart in full at the link below. Check out the full flight, too! ☺️ blackbird.vcu.edu/metamorphosi...
- Read "The Stages of Ukranian Futurism" by Oksana Maksymchuk in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio! ✨
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Wondering what we're looking for in our video essay submissions? M Freeman's "Like the Air" is a remarkable example! Watch the heart-wrenching video from Flight 23.3 now! 🎥 blackbird.vcu.edu/like-the-air//
- Read "Half an O of light" by Shira Dentz in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio! 🐦⬛
- 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! 📖
- 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!
- 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!
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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-...
