Editor Interview: Channel

Eco-writing

Some of our favourite publishers here in Ireland include SEED: Objects of Wonder Journal, Banshee Press, Aimsir Press and Skein Press. Internationally, a wealth of journals and small presses focused on nature, place and ecological thought – Hazel Press, The Willowherb Review and Orion to name a few – have offered inspiration for our work.

A few writers whose work has informed Channel's vision include: Rumi, Leonard Cohen, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Camille T. Dungy, Rachel Carson, Eli Clare, Robert Macfarlane and Dara McAnulty.

Channel operates on the understanding that all writing can to some extent be called eco-writing, in the sense that all human thought and language is shaped by engagement with the world beyond humankind. The work we publish isn't limited by traditional definitions of eco-writing or nature writing, which is in any case a genre that's been defined and redefined countless times over the centuries – we're interested in writing of any sort that takes that universal seed of connection to the living world as a creative source and runs with it, exploring new ways of inviting an aspect of nature onto the page whether as character, setting, image or metaphor.
We're also interested in disrupting the history of the nature writing genre as a space that has traditionally been dominated by a narrow canon of white, middle-class, able-bodied, cisgender and heteronormative voices. We believe that meaningful creative engagement with today's global climate and biodiversity crises requires an ambitious coming together across geographical and cultural lines. Channel's creative team has always been queer-led, we have a strong history of bringing the work of Irish writers together with work from the African continent, Central and South America, India and elsewhere, and we're constantly seeking to expand the range of cultural touchpoints that inform our work.

Read some of what we've already published to see whether your work is a fit in spirit as well as meeting our submission guidelines. If you can't afford to buy a back issue, there is work available for free on our website.

My ideal submission is something that I feel I couldn't have written myself – a piece that speaks to me in a voice distinct from my own, and makes me want to listen.

We often receive submissions of more than four poems, which is the maximum amount we can allow from one poet during each submission period.

Please feel free to tell us anything about you that you feel will enhance our understanding of your work. Cover notes are optional and previous publication credits don't matter in the slightest – if you've never published before we'd be honoured to read your submission and perhaps provide a first-ever home for your work.