Last Leaves is a new online poetry magazine working on their third issue. They are currently open for poetry submissions until the end of August. Make sure to follow their Instagram, where they post and promote poetry and poets! Now that they’ve released their second issue, I wanted to check in and see how things are progressing, so I asked editor Maina Chen some questions to find out. See my interview with Chen and a link to their submission guidelines below.

HOPKINSON: Tell me a little bit about Last Leaves.

CHEN: In our second Last Leaves Magazine issue, we had some incredible submissions. The trust and vulnerability we received from the writers made it such a special compilation. We want to continue creating a space for people who will entrust us with their art and poetry.

HOPKINSON: How/why was Last Leaves originally started?

CHEN: Cailey, Kiera and I met in college and have been writing friends ever since. We thought about starting a lit mag together numerous times and now we’re still running with it!

HOPKINSON: Who is your target reader audience?

CHEN: Anyone with a penchant for words and storytelling! Whether it’s about the mundane or something specific to you, we want to hear it. We’ve received incredible works from high schoolers, emerging writers, poetry veterans, and everything near and in between.

HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for?

CHEN: Art, poetry, and photography with your interpretation of the theme! We tend to favor shorter poems that are impactful in the fewest words. If it’s a long one we want our eyes glued to every stanza. Take a gander through our past issues to see what we’ve accepted before.

We also love reading and feeling a connection. We received poems where people offered snapshots into a time of their life, and some of the best were when they wrote about it with great joy or devastating beauty.

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

CHEN: More artwork and photos. If you’re an artist and a poet, send us both! We’ve paired poems with art before and we’re proud of the results.

We would love to see more poems from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women! I will always fight for a community and platform that respects and amplifies diverse voices.

HOPKINSON: What is your favorite part of being on staff with Last Leaves?

CHEN: There would be no Last Leaves without Cailey and Kiera. I’m so grateful that the two of them wanted to start a project like this with me. We keep each other motivated, stay respectful, and hold each other accountable. We also enjoy interpreting poems with multiple or hidden meanings and talking about them!

HOPKINSON: Where can we send submissions?

CHEN: You can send your art and poetry to lastleavesmag@gmail.com!
Be sure to check out our submission guidelines before you do: https://www.lastleavesmag.com/submissions.
It’s important to us and makes formatting and decision-making easier. Please follow them so we can give your work the attention they deserve!

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

CHEN: DM us on Instagram at @lastleavesmag or email your questions to lastleavesmag@gmail.com. We’re more than happy to help you out, especially if you have a question about submitting! We try to respond as quickly as possible on both platforms, and our submission response time is around two months.

DEADLINE: August 31, 2021

SUBMISSION FEE: None

PAYMENT: None

FORMS: poetry

FORMAT: online

SUBMISSION METHOD: Email

DUOTROPE: https://duotrope.com/listing/29833/last-leaves-literary-magazine

SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram

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