The Chicago High School for the Arts 

The Literary and Art Magazine of  the Chicago High School for the Arts

Levitate aims to be inclusive, both in terms of the authors and the types of work we accept. We want to create a safe and comfortable place for writers of all backgrounds and languages. We recognize that the writing industry has been predominantly white and we aim to lift up the voices of writers of color, as well as other marginalized communities. We recognize that everyone deserves their voice to be heard, and we believe that it’s important that writers at various stages of their careers are given the opportunity to showcase their work and the perspective it shows. Levitate accepts all genres of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art, and is also accepting work under the theme “Censorship” for our Issue 9 themed dossier.

Levitate Magazine

General call

For our 10th issue of Levitate Magazine, our theme for the dossier section is "Lost & Found".
The things that are Lost & Found to us are incomprehensible and often undefinable. In this issue, we ask you to return to the places you've left behind, explore the places you have yet to go, and unearth everything buried in between. Give us your liminal spaces and unknowns. Allow yourself to miss the things you cannot name. The theme of Lost & Found is whatever you need it to be.
Respond to the theme in any way you see fit (including fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, visual art, or mixed-genre work), but please identify the genre of your submission and follow the length guidelines for that genre, though your work will be submitted under this category.
 
Please review our guidelines for each  genre below:
Poetry 
● Submit up to 2 poetry pieces (no single poem can be longer than 2 pages) as a Microsoft Word or Google Doc with a title. All poems should begin on a new page (Maximum of 4 pages per person).
● Untitled pieces are not preferred, but can be accepted for artistic reasons.
● Work is required to be in a 12-point standard font (i.e., Arial or Times New Roman), single-spaced. Alternative fonts and text styles cannot be guaranteed, but can be requested. 
● Include a 2-4 sentence artist statement with your submission regarding your piece and your artistic identity. 
● Work based on images must include the image of inspiration on the same document
as the piece and the source. (i.e., Title, Artist, Year Made)

 
Fiction Guidelines

  We do not accept excerpts. Only complete stories are allowed. 
  No excessive gore or erotic content. 
  No fanfiction. 
  All works must be in Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, and double-spaced. 
  There should be no less than 300 words in one document and no more than 5,000 words.
  All works must be submitted in the form of a word document or a google doc
  Content warnings must be included for potentially triggering content. 
  Please include an author bio and a small summary of your work.
  Plagiarism is not accepted, nor is AI. Please make sure your work is fully original.
  We do NOT accept hate speech or bigotry.


 
Creative Nonfiction
● A minimum of 250 words, and a maximum of 4,000 words in one document as a
Word document with a title.
● Standard font, Times New Roman, double spaced12 point
font size.
● Titles should be centered.
● Include a brief bio with your submission (should not exceed 200 words.
● Add trigger warning in the beginning if applicable.
● Do not include excerpts of writing. 
● No erotica or NSFW. Mild sexual themes are allowed, but nothing graphic or written solely for gratification. Editors will use their own discretion when deciding whether to accept or reject a piece.
● Submissions can include violent or triggering content for the purpose of conveying one’s lived experience. If the editors believe a work was written simply to shock people, it will likely be turned down.
● We do not accept submissions written with GenAI

Fiction Issue 10

Please see our guidelines below:

● Submit up to 2 poetry pieces (no single poem can be longer than 2 pages) as a Microsoft Word or Google Doc with a title. All poems should begin on a new page (Maximum of 4 pages per submission).
● Untitled pieces are not preferred, but can be accepted for artistic purposes.
● Work is required to be in a 12-point standard font (i.e., Arial or Times New Roman), single-spaced. Alternative fonts and text styles cannot be guaranteed, but can be requested. 
● Include a 2-4 sentence artist statement with your submission regarding your piece and your artistic identity. 
● Work based on images must include the image of inspiration on the same document
as the piece and the source. (i.e., Title, Artist, Year Made)

Here at Levitate, we strive to collect poetry that models a fresh use of emotion, imagery, and language. Meaning that we are accepting well-written and thoughtful work that represents the authors as individuals and artists. We believe that good poetry comes from the heart and aspires to reflect life from a new viewpoint. We are interested in authors who are well-detailed, observant, and who can convey a message through lines, metaphors, and stanzas. We accept various forms of poetry, including songs, spoken word, and traditional and experimental pieces. We look forward to your submission!

Poetry Issue 10

Dossier (Lost & Found) Issue 10

Our guidelines are as follows:

● A minimum of 250 words and a maximum of 4,000 words in one document as a
Word document with a title.
● Standard font, Times New Roman, double-spaced,12 point
font size.
● Titles should be centered.
● Include a brief bio with your submission (should not exceed 200 words).
● Add trigger warnings in the beginning if applicable.
● Do not include excerpts of writing. 
● No erotica or anything NSFW. Mild sexual themes are allowed, but nothing graphic or written solely for gratification. Editors will use their own discretion when deciding whether to accept or reject a piece.
● Submissions can include violent or triggering content for the purpose of conveying one’s lived experience. If the editors believe a work was written simply to shock people, it will likely be turned down.
● We do not accept submissions written with GenAI 


We want strong storytelling in submitted pieces, paired with unique perspectives and developed ideas. There should be appropriate use of convention that has intention to further the story through scene, characterization, and reflection. We accept all types of nonfiction as long as they meet the conventions listed above--including experimental! We look forward to reading your work!

Creative Nonfiction Issue 10

Artists are encouraged to submit in any medium, including drawings, paintings, photographs, sculpture (any material), ceramics, prints, graphic narratives (2 pages).
 

   Please identify the medium(s) that you used in creating the work.
   Include the titles and a short artist’s statement describing the work, as well as a brief bio.
   Artists can submit up to four pieces (four pieces equal one submission).
   Any artwork that is in any three-dimensional form (sculpture, ceramics, etc.) must be photographed and categorized as a three-dimensional form. If you are submitting a picture of a three-dimensional figure, it is optional to take multiple pictures at multiple angles in order to get a better understanding of the original piece (it will count as one entry).
  Any graphic narratives submissions can be no more than 2 pages long 
   Please submit your work as .jpeg or .tif (300dpi).
   We do not include commercial art, fanart, or artwork that is disrespectful to others, and no explicitly sexual content. (if there is gore or extreme violence please add a trigger warning.)
  No AI generated, traced, or stolen artwork. (Inspiration work must be submitted with the art title and artist name that they got inspiration from.)

 
*If you are interested in the Dossier theme (Lost & Found) please submit your artwork in that category*

Levitate Magazine

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