Vox Viola Literary Magazine only accepts submissions from people who identify as women. We accept previously unpublished work in English across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual arts.

Formatting requirements: Times New Roman or Garamond, 12pt font. We seek work that demonstrates a distinctive voice, emotional authenticity, and an attentive eye towards craft and language. Send us work that is daring and insightful.

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At Vox Viola, we believe that every woman has a story worth telling. Our pages exist as a quiet but determined space where poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art converge. We are not interested in a single narrative or a narrow definition of womanhood. Instead, we open our doors to the full spectrum of experience — the insightful, the extraordinary, the frustrating, the devastating, and the quirky. Each piece we publish is a thread in a larger tapestry, one that reflects the complexity and richness of women's inner and outer lives across every community and circumstance.

The magazine takes its name from Viola, the sharp-witted heroine of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night who adopts a male identity in order to navigate a world that would otherwise refuse to hear her. That act of transformation is at the heart of what we do. For centuries, women’s voices have been silenced, dismissed, or forced into disguise. Vox Viola exists as a platform where no such disguise is necessary. Here, women speak as themselves, on their own terms, and in their own words — because the simple act of being heard remains a deeply revolutionary one.

Intersectional feminism shapes every decision we make. We recognize that gender does not exist in isolation; it is woven together with race, age, ability, sexuality, and countless other identifiers that influence how individuals move through the world and how they are perceived. Our commitment is to hold space for voices that have been pushed to the margins, not as a gesture of inclusion but as a foundational principle. The perspectives we elevate are not monolithic, and that is precisely the point. Difference is not an obstacle to understanding — it is the very ground from which understanding grows.

Literature and visual art have always been vehicles for exploring identity and belonging. In the works we select, we look for pieces that examine the roles women inhabit, the masks they wear, and the quiet negotiations they make with a world that often asks them to be smaller than they are. Whether through a tightly crafted poem, a sprawling short story, or a single arresting image, the artists we champion are engaged in the essential work of making sense of selfhood. Their creations invite readers to pause, to reflect, and to recognize something of their own experience mirrored in the work of another.

We are drawn to honesty in all its forms. The submissions that resonate most deeply with our editorial team are those that refuse to flinch away from difficult truths. Pain, joy, longing, rage, tenderness — these emotions find their way into the pieces we publish because they are the raw materials of a life fully lived. Yet we are equally captivated by the offbeat and the unexpected, the strange little corners of the imagination that defy easy categorization. A quirky voice can be just as powerful as a solemn one, and we make room for both.

Community lies at the center of our mission. Vox Viola is not simply a publication; it is a gathering place for readers and creators who share a belief in the transformative power of women’s storytelling. We aim to foster a supportive, empowering atmosphere where contributors feel valued and readers feel seen. The connections forged through shared narrative — across geography, across generation, across difference — are what sustain a literary ecosystem. When we speak our truths and listen to the truths of others, we build something stronger than any single voice could achieve alone.

The aesthetic of the magazine reflects its ethos: understated, deliberate, and deeply attentive to detail. We favor clean lines, generous whitespace, and typography that honors the written word without distraction. Botanical line drawings and soft neutral tones create a visual environment that feels both grounded and elevated, much like the work we publish. Every design choice is made in service of the content, allowing the voices of our contributors to occupy the foreground. The result is a reading experience that is calm, contemplative, and quietly beautiful — a place where words can breathe.

We invite women everywhere to join us in this ongoing conversation. Whether you are a seasoned writer, an emerging artist, or a reader searching for stories that resonate, there is a place for you within these pages. The act of speaking — of putting experience into language or image and sending it out into the world — requires courage. We honor that courage by treating every submission with care and every published piece with the reverence it deserves. Vox Viola is, above all, a space of possibility, where women’s voices rise together in a chorus that is impossible to ignore.