Ringling College of Art and Design

A Journal of Literary Oddities
Shift is an international, student-run literary journal published by Ringling College of Art and Design.

We welcome new, emerging, and established writers to submit fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic/hybrid texts, or other word-based work in English or in translation. We cast a similarly wide net for images.

We’re especially interested in literary oddities–language-based creations that push boundaries, challenge expectations, and defy easy categorization.

Sylvia Whitman

Shift: A Journal of Literary Oddities

You may submit up to 5 pieces, but please submit each one individually

Published work may be nominated for Best of the Net, Pushcart, and other awards.

General call

Maja Urukalo is a disabled and chronically ill writer based in Italy who drinks excessive amounts of coffee and thinks too much for her own good. She's an addict of literary magazines and when she has the spoons writes in her Substack newsletter (A Crip Punk) about disability and accessibility-related stuff and other existential topics. You can find her on Tumblr too (@majaurukalo).

Bio #1

Maja Urukalo is a writer who lives in Italy. She has rheumatoid arthritis and a caffeine addiction. You can find her on Substack (A Crip Punk) and on Tumblr (@majaurukalo) where she rambles about disability, chronic pain, and accessibility when she has the spoons. When she's not writing she listens to Alanis Morissette and watches movies.

Bio #2

Maja Urukalo lives in Italy. She moved there from Croatia when she was 7. She's chronically ill and mostly tired but tries her best. When she has the spoons she writes a newsletter on Substack (A Crip Punk). You can buy her a coffee (https://ko-fi.com/cactus94).

Bio #3

Maja Urukalo Franov is not a writer from New York, she doesn't hold an MFA in Creative Writing, wasn't nominated for a Pushcart Prize and definitely never won a Pulitzer. She has a Master's degree in Anxiety and Catastrophising and is the founder of the CAA (Caffeine Addicts Anonymous). You can find more of her poems in Hey! Young Writer, Artemispoetry, and Y2K Quarterly.

Bio #4

Maja Urukalo Franov is a writer & poet living in Italy and has an unhealthy attachment to caffeine. She is a punk-rock and rock'n'roll enthusiast with a crush on Alanis Morissette and Patti Smith. She's been published in Hey! Young Writer, Y2K Quarterly, ARTEMISPoetry, and SHIFT: A Journal of Literary Oddities. She also writes novels, short-stories and screenplays. You can follow her on Substack (A Crip Punk) where she writes about disability and chronic illness from her personal experience.

Bio #5

Maja Urukalo Franov is a Croatian-born writer & poet based in Italy, a disability rights advocate and a punk music lover. She holds a BA in Modern Cultures and Languages and a Master's in International Cooperation. Some of her poems have been published across various literary magazines, like ARTEMISPoetry, SHIFT: A Journal of Literary Oddities, and Wishbone Words among others. Her first collection of poems, Ink & Blood & Nicotine, was published in March 2025. You can find her personal blog on Substack, A Crip Punk. 

Bio #6

Maja Urukalo Franov is a Croatian writer and poet based in Italy. She graduated in languages and literature to keep alive her passion for books and the literary world, and then pursued an MA in International Cooperation to better understand how human rights work and what ties our different nations together. Her work has been/will be published across various literary magazines, like ARTEMISpoetry, SHIFT, Wishbone Words, and MINImag among others. Her debut collection of poems, Ink & Blood & Nicotine was published through the Australian "In Case of Emergency Press". Personal health struggles led her to become an advocate for disability and chronic illness rights. You can find her both on Medium and Substack. Maja is also a punk-rock enthusiast, blending her advocacy with the punk attitude and aesthetic. 

Shift: A Journal of Literary Oddities

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