chase the forest - a literary and artistic zine
issue 5 - spring 2026
April Showers Publishing opens submissions for
“chase the forest”
A literary & artistic zine
to be published spring 2026
submissions close 15th march 2026
Title, theme and brief
“We see not why in prose, there should not be much of that mighty licence in the fantastic, that measured riot, that right of whimsy, that unabashed dalliance with the extreme and the beautiful, which the world allows, by prescription, to verse. Why may not one in prose chase forest-nymphs, and see little green-eyed elves?”
David Masson, academic & supporter of women’s suffrage
We are accepting prose, poetry, art, photography and multi-media creations on the theme
whimsy
We are currently accepting submissions for our Spring 2026 Zine, Chase the Forest.
As an independent publisher, we love working with and supporting creatives. We’re excited to be producing quarterly zines, highlighting the incredible work of the community and helping to promote upcoming and established creatives alike.
If you would like to submit short prose, poetry, art, photography or multi-media creations, please read the submission criteria carefully and fill in the form below.
We have set aside a limited number of pages for advertising space for indie authors and literary businesses. If you would like to be considered for a FREE advertising space in one of our zines, please email aprilshowerspublishing@gmail.com.
scroll down to read our requirements and submit your work to the zine
Why submit to a zine?
chase the forest - spring 2026
Get involved with a community of other creatives, writers and artists.
See your work in print.
Build up your confidence to self-publish or produce your work in another way.
Get feedback on your work from us and the community.
how it works
chase the forest - spring 2026
Submit your work by the 15th march 2026.
If chosen, you will receive confirmation after 15th march 2026.
If not chosen, you will receive feedback via email after 15th march 2026.
We ask that submissions are your own original work.
submissions must not have been previously published.
submissions must not have been created, assisted or altered by generative AI. We take a zero tolerance approach to this matter.
accepted submissions will be published in the chase the forest zine, which will be published and available for purchase on our website in mid 2026.
our zines are not for profit - they will be sold at production cost plus postage cost plus admin fees.
every unsuccessful submission will receive short feedback from our in-house editors. feedback may not be available for art and photography submissions.
submission guideleines
chase the forest - spring 2026
prose
No more than 500 words
submitted as a word document in 12 point font
poetry
No more than 30 lines
submitted as a word document in 12 point font
art
a scan of physical art or a piece of digital art
sent as a high-quality PNG file to fit 1 a5 page
photography
a scan of a physical photograph or a digital photograph
sent as a high-quality PNG file to fit 1 a5 page
submission limit
Max of 3 submissions per person. They do not need to be the same medium.