What is The Wheelhouse Arts Collective, anyway?

The Wheelhouse Arts Collective is what it sounds like: a collection of wayward artists, many of whom are progressive activists, labor unionists, and dilettantes, stuck inside the cramped confines of a seafaring vessel's main cabin. Luckily, we have a steering wheel, some windows, and a compass. We know where we're going: towards land, specifically a land where art is defetishized (not appreciated but wrestled with) and politics is a civic duty, where the New Yorker is not the arbiter of literary history (and no, it's not necessarily Canada). We come from New York, Philadelphia, the Midwest, and abroad. We cling together in cyberspace and are bounded by the covers of our books. Our collective is as tenuous as we are.

Why start another magazine? Didn't people stop reading in the 90's?

Because we can. Artists and academics spend a lot of their time alone and unemployed. What else were we to do? And yes, generally speaking, people stopped reading in the 90's.

If I am published in Wheelhouse, does that make me part of The Wheelhouse Arts Collective?

Yes, and no. Your membership is self-inflicted. Your active membership depends on how active you want to be in promoting the rest of us. It's up to you--kinda like being in a union, except we can't promise to protect you from your employer and our negotiating skills regarding such matters are very bad. Very bad indeed.

I want to submit something. Does my work have to be political?

What kind of question is that? It makes no sense. Most importantly, we don't assume monopoly on the definition of "political." We encourage work that is outside the American mainstream and we encourage a collective, collaborative spirit. But much of the work inside our pages wouldn't be deemed overtly "political" by most. That is, we shy away from any art that can be easily digested and discerned as such. Secondly, in the general sense, artistic acts, being acts of expression, house the seeds of politics anyway. So, welcome to the real world--just submit your work.

How do you decide what to publish?

We work a bit differently than a lot of magazines in that our selection process is collectively anarchist. If you submit a short story, for instance, the first to read it will be one of the prose/poetry editors (David Michael Wolach, for instance) or if you submit a piece of visual art, the first to view it will be one of the art directors (for instance, Eden Schulz). The editors make the first decision on whether to recommend your work for publication. He or she will then pass it around to past Wheelhouse contributors to get their input before making a final decision. That said, we also encourage hybrid and mixed-media work, so take our categories as a rough guide, not a dogmatic stance on the definition of artistic media.

What's the difference between Wheelhouse Online and Wheelhouse Magazine?

A selection of our online contributors will be published in our yearly print volume. Wheelhouse Online is updated 4 times per year and therefore the work contained therein is degradable. Our print publication is also, admittedly, degradable (due to the forces of nature), but to a much lesser extent. The acceptance rates are different as well. Wheelhouse Online publishes approximately 10% of what it receives (a very inclusive number by today's standards), and focuses on new or underrepresented writers whereas Wheelhouse Magazine, the print volume, due to printing costs, publishes approximately 2-5% of its submissions.

What is your copyright policy?

See submission guidelines for detailed information. We retain North American copyright for all work published, online and in print. Wheelhouse reserves the right to publish online work in our print magazine (we will contact you if you are selected). Once work is published, copyright reverts back to the author. We encourage simutaneous submissions. We also encourage you to link to our pages, no permission necessary.

I have an upcoming event (art exhibit, reading, etc.). How can Wheelhouse help?

We try hard to advertize all events that we consider worthwhile and promote our contributors in every way possible. Email us with info. We warn you, though: we tend to advertise work by contributors to our magazine and/or events that are politically left--and given our small staff, we advertise only a small handful of the wonderful events people pass our way. Nonetheless, our newsletter Red Sails is a great vehicle to get the word out. Our "News" section at Wheelhouse Online is reserved for contributors and is also a way for us to give people a reminder about your contribution to the world.

I just got this weird email from Wheelhouse Magazine. What's the deal?

It's not spam. It's Wheelhouse. That is our slogan regarding our solicitation visits. One way (pretty much the only way) Wheelhouse makes exceptions regarding its policy of publishing new or upcoming artists is by getting in touch with you. Don't worry that you'll never be able to shake us. If you get an email from us it's because we appreciate your contribution to the world, find your work exciting and want to collaborate with you. If that idea makes you queasy or you just find us repugnant, tell us and we'll go away.

I have a very complicated question. Now what?

Email us. Or write us. We might not respond, but that's generally how things go, right? PS: if you try to get in touch with Wheelhouse and don't receive a reply within three months, you can try again. After that, don't assume that something horrible has happened and you must repeatedly dial our number. Rather, we probably aren't interested in getting back to you. Sorry.