Neon Door is a new online literary and art magazine featuring a yearly art exhibit and ongoing column section described as “the first truly immersive literary exhibit. We believe in art’s power to open doors, manifest worlds, transport and transcend.” They are seeking “your literary utterance, your emotional nudity, in the form of prose, poetry, visual arts, songs, soundscapes, for a chance to be featured in this unique immersive literary exhibit.” They have a unique non-hierarchical approach to their selection and editing process, you’ll want to read more about it in the interview below. I’m excited to see their first exhibit!

For more information, see my interview with founder Abbigail N. Rosewood and a link to submission guidelines below.

HOPKINSON: Tell me a little bit about Neon Door. 

ROSEWOOD: Neon Door is the first truly immersive literary exhibit. The name is derived from my favorite childhood manga Doraemon, in which there exists a pink door that allows you to travel anywhere instantaneously simply by stepping across its threshold, from your bedroom to the classroom, or from the closet to outer space, as long as you are able to imagine the other side. At Neon Door, we believe in art’s power to open doors, manifest worlds, transport and transcend.

HOPKINSON: How/why was Neon Door originally started? 

ROSEWOOD: In the beginning, I wanted to create a literary exhibit, more akin to an art gallery rather than a magazine. We spoke to a developer who could build a 360 environment online and they came up with the idea of a straight-forward online gallery. The more I learned about UI/UX designs and websites, the more I felt that we could be more ambitious—we could build an immersive environment using elements from other art forms like video games, augmented reality, and virtual reality. It took many conversations to hone in on and define our identity. 

HOPKINSON: Who is your target reader audience? 

ROSEWOOD: Anyone who appreciates art, literature, music, which I believe is everyone. The great thing about being online is that we are easily accessible. Our visitor doesn’t have to purchase a plane ticket, book a hotel, and go to a New York gallery to access high-quality content. They can do it from their living room. 

HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for? 

ROSEWOOD: Future-oriented, think of what the front page of our newspaper might look like fifty years from now, emotionally vulnerable, challenging, universal and yet specific, new.

HOPKINSON: What do you wish you’d see submitted, but rarely comes in? 

ROSEWOOD:  For Fiction, we would like to read more magical realism, dystopian, concept-based works in the vein of Ted Chiang or Jesse Ball. For non-fiction, we would like to see more engagement with the intersection of art and technology. We would like to see more music in general. 

HOPKINSON: What are some of your favorite lit mags/journals?

ROSEWOOD: One Story. They are simple, elegant, and their quality is always consistent. In the age of more, it’s a courageous choice to go with less. I admire them. 

HOPKINSON: What is your favorite part of being on staff with Neon Door?

ROSEWOOD: Our unique process: we are completely non-hierarchical. Neon Door is a team of working artists, writers, mothers, and professionals who have all been through this brutal process in finding homes for our own work. We know how hard it is to find just one editor who connects with a piece, let alone having to convince an entire team. We do not pretend to have unanimous taste. In fact, our team works because we are all so different from each other. Our editors in their genres have complete autonomy over what to accept/reject. In that sense, we are a truly collaborative team. At Neon Door, there is no editor-in-chief. 

HOPKINSON: Where can we send submissions? 

ROSEWOOD: https://neondoorlit.submittable.com/submit

HOPKINSON: If someone has a question, how can they contact you? 

ROSEWOOD: info@neondoorlit.com

Click here to read submission guidelines.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES: 

• Exhibit Deadline: Sept. 1, 2021
• Columns Deadline: Ongoing

THEME(S): Emotional Nudity

FORMAT: online

SUBMISSION FEE: None 

PAYMENT: Starting with $25 for an image, $50 for a poem, and $75 for prose

ISSUE FREQUENCY: Yearly Exhibit, on-going Column section

AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME: Six weeks

SUBMISSION METHOD: Submittable

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Yes

FORMS: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Visual Arts, Audio, Music, Video, Column

SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest

DUOTROPE: https://duotrope.com/listing/32901/neon-door

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