Submissions are open

Publication Submissions

The inaugural edition of The Pomegranate Tent Review will be published digitally, with a limited number of printed zines available. It will feature works and commentary from the Permanent Resident Cohort and selected submissions from the broader community.

Submissions are open May 1 through June 15.

The theme of this issue is “ROSH” — meaning head in Hebrew. It can symbolize beginning, threshold, sensuality, leadership, crown and we want to see what it means to you.

We strongly suggest you familiarize yourself with our working definition of eros in spiritual life before submitting.

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD.

We want to see creatives take risks.

This is a sex-positive, disability-forward, feminist, queer, BIPOC, unapologetically Jewish space.

The earlier you submit your work, the more time and attention we can give it.

Thanks to a micro-grant from a generous member of the Jewish community, we are proud to offer a $25 prize and two free print copies to the top featured submission in each of the six categories.

There are NO fees to submit.

Six Main Categories

If you are unsure which category your submission falls in to, please take your best guess.

If you are a multi-disciplinary creative you are welcome to submit to all categories, but you are limited to 2 pieces PER category – not to exceed 10 pages in total.

1. Written Work

We invite written works that move through the body, the spirit, the erotic, and the sacred. We are especially interested in pieces that explore Jewish experience from the inside out — how your body knows Torah, how your longing makes ritual, how grief becomes liturgy, how desire becomes revelation. We welcome work that is bold, vulnerable, embodied, and deeply human.

Submissions may include:

Poetry, d’var Torah, drash/midrash, personal essays, nonfiction, activist writing, cultural commentary, experimental forms, and short stories.

Please follow these guidelines:

✧ Featured writers will receive a $25 honorarium and a printed zine. Non-featured but accepted writers will receive a free printed zine copy.

TAKE RISKS

We want to see experimental, transgressive, erotic, honest, brave commentary that is centered on the human experience as lived in Jewish bodies. Show us the magic.

✧ You may submit up to 2 written pieces, or up to 5 poems.

✧ Maximum length per piece is 2,500 words.

✧ Please include a short author bio (50–100 words) and, if desired, a content note.

✧ Work should center the physical Jewish experience — the way Judaism moves through flesh, emotion, memory, resistance, sex, food, ritual, body, prayer, and land.

✧ Erotic writing is welcome and encouraged when it is rooted in embodiment, meaning, and sacred intention — not titillation alone.

✧ We do not accept pornography or work that uses sex purely for shock, spectacle, or gratification without deeper narrative, ritual, or human meaning.

✧ No depictions of sexual content involving characters under 21 — including symbolic or metaphorical representations.

✧ Writers retain full rights to their work and grant us one-time digital and print publishing rights.

All written submissions must be submitted as an attachment. The document should be named in the convention Lastname_Category_2025. Please do not include your name in the submission document.

Times New Roman is our preferred Font

12 pt

Double spaced

No graphics in the document

No PDF’s

2. Visual Art

We welcome visual works that explore the sacred, the sensual, the embodied, and the erotic through a Jewish lens. We encourage artists to interpret the theme “Rosh” (head, beginning, threshold, leadership, thought, sensuality) through intimate, visceral, and visionary means. Submissions may include photography, digital art, illustration, painting, mixed media, collage, or other visual formats.

Please follow the guidelines below:

✧ Artists retain full rights to their work and grant us one-time print and digital publishing rights.

✧ Submit up to 3 pieces of visual art per artist.

✧ All submissions must be high-resolution and include title, medium, dimensions, and a short artist statement (max 150 words).

✧ Your work should center the embodied Jewish experience — this might include themes of longing, grief, devotion, pleasure, prayer, food, intimacy, resistance, ritual, nature, gender, memory, transformation, and more.

✧ We welcome nudity when it is respectful, intentional, and sacred — nudity should serve the story, the body, or the spirit, not objectify or exploit.

✧ Absolutely no images or depictions of individuals under the age of 21, including stylized or symbolic representations.

✧ We do not accept pornographic content — i.e. works that depict sex for the sake of shock, gratification, or spectacle without deeper narrative, ritual, or embodied meaning.

✧ Please do not submit AI-generated art

✧ All selected artists will receive a $25 honorarium and a printed zine copy. Non-featured accepted artists will receive a free printed zine as well.

3. Audio & Video Work

We welcome submissions that use sound, movement, or performance to express sacred embodiment, Jewish eros, and the physicality of spiritual life. This includes spoken word, music, chant, ritual performance, dance, storytelling, prayer, incantation, film, or experimental formats. We are especially interested in pieces that invite the listener/viewer into your body, your voice, your ancestral current, your ritual rhythm.

Submissions may include:

✧ Audio recordings (chant, niggun, music, poetry, ritual sound, storytelling)

✧ Video recordings (dance, performance, ritual action, embodied midrash, creative film)

✧ Experimental pieces that explore the threshold between sound, body, and spirit

✧ Submissions must be under 8 minutes in length and hosted on a shareable link (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, or Dropbox/Drive with open permissions)

Please follow these guidelines:

✧ All contributors retain full rights and grant us one-time publishing rights (with clear link-back and crediting).

✧ Submit up to 2 audio or video pieces per artist.

✧ Include a brief artist statement (max 150 words) describing the piece, your intention, and how it connects to Jewish embodiment, eros, ritual, or spiritual practice.

✧ All work should center the sacred erotic, meaning: the deeply human, embodied, and spiritual dimensions of longing, ritual, voice, grief, desire, joy, and transformation.

✧ We welcome nudity, sensuality, and eroticism, as long as they are intentional, respectful, and rooted in spiritual or emotional meaning.

✧ No pornographic content, voyeuristic imagery, or depictions of sex as spectacle or shock without sacred narrative context.

✧ No images or recordings involving individuals under the age of 21, even in archival or artistic works.

✧ No AI-generated or deepfake video content.

✧ Featured artists will receive a $25 honorarium and a printed zine copy, with embedded links to your work online. Non-featured accepted artists will receive a free zine as well.

4. Recipes, Food, Cooking

We believe food is Torah. A family recipe can hold as much memory and longing as a psalm. A pitcher passed down through generations can be as holy as a mezuzah. A simmering stew, a ritual spice, a grandmother’s worn teacup — these are sacred texts of the body.

We welcome submissions that explore the erotic, ritual, ancestral, and sensory nature of Jewish food. This includes traditional recipes, invented rituals, herbalism, and embodied nourishment. We are especially excited to feature work that carries lineage, healing, or longing through food.

You may submit:

✧ Recipes (written or handwritten, passed down or personal)

✧ Short food essays or food memories (max 1,500 words)

✧ Herbal knowledge and ritual uses of plants

✧ Photographs of food, handwritten recipe cards, family members eating or cooking, ritual objects (e.g. spice boxes, heirloom tableware)

✧ Reflections on Shabbat meals, Seders, harvests, or fast-breaking

✧ Art that centers food as sacred or sensual

Guidelines:

✧ All contributors retain full rights to their work and grant us one-time digital and print publishing rights.

✧ Up to 3 total submissions (can be any combination of text and image).

✧ Include a brief note or story about each item: its origin, its role in your life, or how it connects to Jewish embodiment, ritual, healing, or eros.

✧ We welcome work that is sensual, memory-laden, joyful, or grief-soaked — but it should be rooted in meaning, not voyeurism.

✧ No identifiable images of anyone under 21, even in vintage photography, unless the focus is on intergenerational tradition and the content is clearly non-erotic.

✧ Featured contributors receive a $25 honorarium and a printed zine copy. Non-featured accepted contributors will receive a free zine as well.

5. Rituals, Meditations, and Spells

We welcome submissions that invite others into sacred, embodied, and eroticized Jewish practice. Whether ancient or new, ancestral or experimental, we seek practices that honor the wisdom of the body, the erotic pulse of prayer, and the living flame of Jewish magic.

Submissions may include:

✧ Written rituals, liturgy, kavanot, or guided meditations

✧ Spells, herbal charms, amulets, or sigils grounded in Jewish tradition and practice

✧ Audio or video chants, invocations, or breath-based practices (max 8 minutes, shared via link)

✧ Visual or textual ritual objects with description (e.g. talismans, illustrated blessings, ritual tools)

Guidelines:

✧ All contributors retain full rights to their work and grant us one-time print and digital publishing rights.

✧ Submit up to 3 total works in any format.

✧ Please include a brief creator’s note or instruction (100–200 words) for each piece, including how and when the ritual is meant to be used, and any necessary materials or accessibility notes.

✧ Work should center the lived, bodily, and erotic experience of Judaism — including themes like grief, love, longing, anger, sex, healing, embodiment, liberation, and connection.

✧ Erotic and sensual elements are encouraged, but must be rooted in intention, integrity, and sacred purpose.

✧ No pornographic content or ritualizing of sex solely for spectacle or shock.

✧ No references or depictions of individuals under 21, even symbolically, in erotic or bodily contexts.

✧ Written work should be under 2,000 words. Audio/video should be under 8 minutes.

✧ Featured contributors receive a $25 honorarium and a printed zine copy. Non-featured accepted contributors will receive a free zine as well.

6. Textiles, Objects & Material Ritual Submission Guidelines

We invite submissions that explore how holiness lives in fiber, thread, metal, and heirloom — sacredness in the objects we hold, wear, and pass down.

You may submit:

Ritual cloths, wearable art, jewelry, amulets, sacred tools, heirloom objects

Photographs of material items with accompanying story or essay

DIY guides or process reflections

Guidelines:

Submit up to 3 objects or sets

Include high-quality photos and a description (100–200 words each)

Must reflect spiritual meaning

No depictions of people under 21, even symbolically

No AI-generated or mass-produced object photos

Selected contributors receive a $25 honorarium and a printed zine

📨 How to Submit

Please send your submission to:

📧 pomegranatetent@gmail.com

Subject Line: ROSH – Submission Packet YOURNAME

Include the following in your email:

✧ A short artist/writer bio (50–100 words)

✧ A photo of yourself (optional, but encouraged for promotional use)

✧ Any relevant links to your work, website, or social media platforms

✧ Attach your submission(s) following the relevant category guidelines

Featured contributors will be notified after the submission period closes.

All other contributors will receive updates as decisions are made.

📜 Ethical Guidelines

We are committed to holding sacred, erotic, and creative space with care.

We commit to:

✧ Including content warnings where appropriate

✧ Honoring consent in all erotic and relational depictions

✧ Prioritizing dignity in all portrayals of bodies, gender, sexuality, and power

✧ Maintaining confidentiality of all submissions until publication

✧ Avoiding the exploitation of trauma for spectacle or voyeurism

✧ Respecting pluralism in Jewish belief, practice, and expression

We expect contributors to:

✧ Disclose if real individuals are referenced in your piece, and confirm consent has been obtained

✧ Approach sacred texts and practices with care, even in irreverent or subversive work

✧ Engage with the collective space in good faith, honoring fellow contributors and the work

⚖️ Legal Disclaimer & Contributor Rights

By submitting your work to the Pomegranate Tent Collective, you acknowledge and agree to the following terms:

Consent & Originality

By submitting, you confirm that this work is your original creation, that you hold the rights to submit it, and that you grant us the rights listed above.

Copyright & Ownership

You retain full copyright and ownership of your work.

Publication Rights

You grant the Pomegranate Tent Collective first publication rights and the non-exclusive right to archive your work on our website, in our digital issue, and in any future print or digital anthologies unless otherwise agreed upon in writing.

Exclusivity

We request first publication exclusivity for 3 months from the date of publication. After that, you’re welcome to republish your work elsewhere — we just ask that you credit its original publication with us.

Re-Featuring & Promotion

We may re-feature or promote your work on our platforms at a later date, always with full credit to you as the creator.

Edits

We may make minor editorial changes for clarity, formatting, or

house style. Any significant edits will be discussed with you before publication.