In April 2024, I got the idea that I could create a journal dedicated to speculative poetry and art. I quickly created some short chapbooks using only open source tools: LaTeX for typesetting, Inkscape and the Gimp for graphics, and Scribus for creating covers. Seeing that these programs could produce quality PDFs that print-on-demand printers require gave me hope, so I begin to rework Island of Wak-Wak’s homepage with information about Sublimation, reading periods and submission guidelines. After that, all I needed to do was to inform Duotrope about Island of Wak-Wak and the magazine and hope that poets and artists would submit. And submit they did,
as the five issues of Sublimation featuring speculative creatives from all over the world shows.
As the time to choose Pushcart Prize nominations approached, I began to create a special book that would include all the poems I nominated for Pushcarts and the Rhysling Awards and will nominate for the Dwarf Stars. There were so many quality poems that it felt a shame not to honor those that slightly missed out on the award nominations. So Sublimation Annual was
created to showcase the best poetry and art from Volume 1. But why stop there? Why not add some new poems by having an annual contest with all the finalists featured in the book? Thus, the dual-chaptered book format for Sublimation Annual was born.
Sublimation Annual 1 is available as an eBook, a paperback, case-laminate hardback and thread-stitched hardback with a dust jacket and a ribbon bookmark.
Featuring poetry by
L. Ward Abel, Ken Anderson, F. J. Bergmann, Frank Coffman, Harris Coverley, a.d., Tony Daly,
Megan Diedericks, Louis Faber, Diane Funston, Annette Gagliardi, Akua Lezli Hope, Barbara E. Hunt, Scott E. Green & Herb Kauderer, Ngô Bình Anh Khoa, LindaAnn LoSchiavo, John C. Mannone, Danielle McMahon, Jamie-May Minjie, Ophelia Monet, Kurt Newton, Juan Perez, Jonathan Chibuike Ukah, Lynn White, AJ Wilcox, River Wilde, and Trevor Wright.
Featuring art by
Christopher Collingwood, Jamie-May Minjie, Irina Tall, Jack Tricarico, and Jacelyn Yap.