Are you a woman* living or hailing from rural and regional Australia? Our Mona community is curious about who you are, how you see the world and what you have to share.
Your story is fascinating. Your ideas crucial. Your talents,
AWE-INSPIRING!
Mona is your space to believe that of yourself and of other women.
SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED
Our community wants to read your poetry and prose, your essays and insights into your unique experiences and those of other people in your community.
SEND US YOUR
personal essays
interviews
opinions
artwork
photography
recipes
reviews
short stories
anything that you think shares a piece of WHO YOU ARE or HOW YOU SEE the world around you.
REFLECT on how you see life in rural Australia and how this has been shaped throughout your life. What is it that you wish more people knew about your experience in rural Australia? What are the issues that matter to you and your life in the country?
What are your interests or passions that get you leaping out of bed in the morning?
What are your fantasies or wild curiosities?
SHARE with us the stories that awaken your imagination or get you seriously thinking.
What are your dreams, visions or the legacy you wish to leave for future generations of women in rural Australia?
If you have an idea burning a hole in your mind but you’re not quite sure how to bring it to life, shoot us an email or IM on Facebook.
It is our mission to bring your words to the minds of other women who are waiting to know you and your story.
We can’t wait to meet you. Please contact us if you need clarification or support.
*A woman is inclusive of the spectrum of what that means for you – all sexualities, bodies, expressions. If you are a woman and you have a story to share, we want to hear from you.
Tips
FOR SUBMITTING TO MONA
It is a daunting task to sit down and write! To help the process, consider the following:
1.Read what previous contributors have shared on our blog. This is a great way to know what we are looking for.
2. What do you want to say or explore? Be clear in your mind. Stick to one or two themes maximum for your pieces and build from there.
3. Why do you care? Show us why this idea/theme/experience is important to you.
4. Why should our community care about this idea/theme/experience?
5. Don't be afraid to get personal. Use lived experiences from your life or others. Be vulnerable and honest.
6. The opening is everything! A reader will either read on or move on based on what you write first. We love this breakdown from Jericho Writers. Great examples, dissections and tips to improve.
7. If you have an image that you own the copyright on, include it!
8. Limit non-fiction to maximum 1500 words and poetry two pages.
REMEMBER if you have an idea that you are not sure how to develop, pitch it to us! We are happy to work with you to get you started.
Good luck!
Submissions
GUIDELINES
The word count for our FICTION pieces published in Mona Magazine is 1000-1500 words. Poetry can be a single poem of between 15-40 lines, or it can be comprised of a collection of two or more poems (related or unrelated) that equate to that number of lines. For visual art or photographic submissions, we require at least one substantial piece (at least a single A4 page) per paid submission. For guidelines relating to the word count of experimental pieces, we accept a double A4 page spread.
Fictional and poetic pieces that have been successful in the past focus on the personal, the local and the political. They deal with the feminine, the feminist and all different shades of what it means to be living rurally. They have been able to capture emotions skilfully, craft authentic and relatable characters, describe places of importance in vivid detail and represent significant events in moving and metaphoric ways. If you are considering submitting poetry, we prefer the rhythm, varied rhyming structures and flow of free verse, unless you are an experienced poet with a background using standardised rhyming structures.
The word count for our NON FICTION pieces published in Mona Magazine is 800 -1500 words.
We accept pieces ranging from memoir and personal essay, to opinion, interviews and long-form journalism on anything that may be of interest to rural Australian women and their lives.
Non fiction pieces that have been successful in the past used their authentic and unapologetic personal experience as a springboard into looking at an issue from a broader, bigger picture perspective. They are well researched and provide interesting, factual information to contextualise their experience.
They acknowledge that the personal is political, and explore through their perspective, issues that continue to affect their lives and the lives of other women and communities in Australia. They are generous with their knowledge and insight into what they have learned from their experiences and they are not afraid to admit when they have got it wrong.
We also request that writers who submit pieces that claim to contain factual information, ensure that they have taken adequate care to present current, accurate information that can be verified. Editors may ask to see a bibliography.
We also request that authors and poets submit a bio and a picture to be published in our contributors section.
We do not publish pieces that have been published elsewhere, unless prior agreement has been made with the Mona Team.