Editor Interview: IHRAM Press Literary Magazine

International Activists

I'm interested in CavanKerry Press because of their complex yet unique amalgamation of poetry, beauty, and emotional landscapes through stunning, high-quality books (especially their covers). They offer a variety of opportunities for a wide-range of readers & writers, highlighting diversity and inclusivity, especially through the uniqueness of their themed titles.

We publish both writing and art; however, my focus normally falls under writing, so Ocean Vuong, Caleb Azumah Nelson, and Madeline Miller have always caught my eye. I'm always open to discovering new and emerging artists!

IHRAM Publishes, which is part of our micro-charity press, IHRAM Press, has a unique set of values: beauty, sincerity, vulnerability, and engagement. We choose work that promotes these values and stays away from anger, hate, or pointing fingers. Global writers and artists share first-hand accounts of social-justice issues happening in their corner of the world.

IHRAM Press proudly provides a platform for these voices, offering a space for poetry and prose to resonate with reflections of emotion, hope, and the enduring connection to one’s identity. It's important to stay on theme, review our submission guidelines, and include all the required supplemental information before submitting as this helps keep the process streamlined. I believe it's beneficial to read other works similar to your style, open your horizons, share your work with people outside of your family or friend network, be open to feedback, and craft your own unique style.

The ideal submission would firstly follow our submission guidelines, including sharing it as a Word Document or Google Doc, attaching all the essential supplemental information, and containing high quality work. This helps our editors review your submission smoothly -- we're a small team, so ensure your submission email is correct before submitting! Although we also publish work from within the United States, we are always open to work submitted from all over the world. We are always looking for writers from countries that have not yet been represented by IHRAM Press.
Work that is evocative, speaks to the author's personal experience with a human rights issue, and embraces their unique writing style is what we wish to publish.

Occasionally, we will receive submissions in languages other than English. Unfortunately, we can only publish work that is written in English, unless you're able to provide a translation. It's very important to include all the essential supplemental information, such as author bio, country of residence, foreword, and your work attached as a Word Doc to the email! Including the call you're submitting to in the email subject line and body is essential in helping our editors review your submission accordingly. However, if you have any questions about our submission process, please reach out to us before submitting!

It's important for us to know the author's country of residence so that we can make sure to publish writers from all over the world. Providing a short bio and foreword helps us better connect with the writer and their thought-process behind their work. Writers are encouraged to include previous publication credits in their bios, if they have them. However, previous publication is not a requirement -- far from it -- we love to discover new authors, and, when making editorial decisions, prefer to let the works speak for themselves.

It depends! Sometimes I can tell that the piece is a bad fit within the first few lines, especially when the subject matter does not align with our themes. (For example, we do not publish love poems unless they are tied in some way to human rights.) Other times I will read a piece twice over before making a decision. For an average poetry submission, I read to the end, but I will reject prose before reaching the end if I am confident that it's a bad fit for IHRAM Press. I believe that, sometimes, less is more in both poetry and prose -- cutting back can, at times, strengthen your work more. Therefore, work that repeats a theme or concept too much may lessen the intended meaning.

Works are evaluated for quality and fit, with an emphasis on whether it aligns with our themes and values.

We have a fantastic small team of volunteer submission reviewers, who go through the influx of submissions, sharing their views and suggestions. My work-day is an amalgamation of different things, from reviewing submissions, to updating writers on their submission progress and guiding them through the next steps. One moment I could be reviewing a writer's work once it's been accepted, sharing my feedback and suggestions, and the next I could be preparing the next steps for the upcoming publication. However, submission review normally entails reading through 20+ submissions per day.

The amount and type of editing required depends on the length of the piece. Poems typically require copy edits and basic proofreading, while longer works, such as essays or short stories, may require line editing as well. If a piece requires substantive editing, we likely will not accept it for publication. The author always has final say -- they can accept or reject all edits, with the exception of grammatical changes and typos.

IHRAM Press is a Pushcart-Prize, Best American Short Stories, Best American Essays, and PEN nominating literary journal.

As a charity micro-press, as well as the imprint of the International Human Rights Art Movement, we rely on external funding or profits from book sales!

IHRAM Press is on Instagram and Facebook @ihram_press and IHRAM Press, where we share upcoming submission calls, new releases, and opportunities. We have also started an exclusive monthly newsletter, where readers can receive updates. We love to promote our authors and artists on our social media pages, website, and newsletter!