WELCOME TO
DEFUNKT MAGAZINE
A magazine that showcases compelling, accessible, and culturally relevant work--anything the mainstream is ignoring. We seek to offer an authentic reflection of the contemporary, and most importantly, to uplift the voiceless in a fascinating and honest way-bring us your pain, your strength, your passions.
NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!
STAFF
DEAN FORD
PROSE EDITOR.
What we know of Dean Ford so far: he is a tall, heavyweight, bipolar, educated, white, homosexual from Suburbia, Texas. Our sources say he’s a Navy veteran, but it’s hard to believe. We can confirm his editing experience started with Glass Mountain before joining ‘the Defunkt’ as an assistant prose editor. He then accepted a promotion to his current station if only to secure a charming photo/bio on the webpage. We found notes on him in a Dr. Hall’s office: Slightly sweet and unapologetically sweaty… Single and ready to have a caffeine-induced manic episode. When he’s not spending every brain cell reading prose submissions or googling where to put the, comma, he’s pondering this world and writing craft while playing World of – Wait. There he is. He’s on his squeaky chair. One to two dogs in his lap. Three dimensions. Blinding.
JONATHON HINOJOSA
CHIEF OF DESIGN.
Jonathon Hinojosa is a multidisciplinary artist. He was born in Edinburg, TX, but spent most of his childhood and adolescence in Latin America. He earned his bachelor's degree in drama from Trinity University. He has had poems published in the San Antonio Express News and an anthology. Jonathon has focused on a wide range of arts through the years, but lately has been concentrating on printmaking techniques, alternative photographic processes, and some woodworking. He draws most of his inspiration from nature, emotion, and the blending of cultures he grew up in. He currently lives in San Antonio, TX with his wife and children. Photo credit @sarahbrookelyons
SAMANTHA FOWLER
ART DIRECTOR.
Samantha Fowler is a visual artist, photographer, and creative sequential storyteller from Houston, Texas. She has pursued the arts her entire life; earning an Art Associates from Galveston college, as well as a BFA in Graphic Design and a minor in Art History from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. From a young age, she sought out ways to enhance her talents, such as participating in the Galveston art walk, managing community organizations, and creating commissions for hire.
Through her work, Samantha strives to convey struggles with mental illness and stories of womanhood. Through these mediums, she seeks to build connections with others with similar experiences.
ELAINE NAONG
MANAGING EDITOR.
Elaine Caalim Naong is a poet and creative nonfiction writer from the greater Houston area. She is the PR Director for Defunkt Magazine, where she has also served as Social Media Coordinator. She has poems published in Variant Literature Journal and In Parentheses Literary Magazine, and her work in creative nonfiction is forthcoming in Pacific Review. She has a BA in English Literature from the University of Houston, where she served as PR Manager and Associate Editor for Glass Mountain and Shards.
Keagan Wheat
POETRY EDITOR.
Keagan began his love of writing as a musician, but as he moved through the UH Creative Writing Department, he became more interested in poetry. His poetry often focuses on transgender identity and how others, especially family, interact with that identity, though his more recent poetry starts thinking through how congenital heart disease impacts his identity.
AT UH, he worked on Volumes 20, 21, and 22 of Glass Mountain. He has been published by Z Publishing in Texas’s Best Emerging Poets, the Fall 2018 issue of The Tulane Review, and Shards Issue 4. .
CHRISTOPHER MIGUEL FLAKUS
FOUNDING EDITOR
Christopher Miguel Flakus is a poet and writer living in Houston, Texas. He has published work in The Huffington Post, Akashic Books: Mondays are Murder Noir Series, Indietronica, Outlaw Poetry, In Recovery Magazine, Glass Poetry, Black Heart Magazine, and elsewhere. In 2017, he was awarded the Fabian Worsham Prize for fiction. In addition, he was one of the editors responsible for The University of Houston-Downtown’s literary magazine, The Bayou Review during their special prison issue which focused on the writings of authors serving sentences in Texas prisons. He is the author of the chapbooks Bear Down Into Hell With Me (As Only a True Friend Would), and Thirst, and Other Poems through Iron Lung Press, and the chapbook Christiana, from Analog Submission Press. He grew up in Mexico City and writes in both English and Spanish. He is currently working on his first novel.
MIRANDA RAMIREZ
FOUNDING EDITOR
Miranda Ramírez is an activist/artist residing in Houston, Texas. You may find her publications in Ripples in Space, Glass Mountain, Shards, The Bayou Review, Coffin Bell, and most recently, Puro Chicanx Writers of the 21st Century. She is currently working on her first novel.
VOLUME SIX
INTERVIEWS VOL. VI
Activism & Poetry: A Conversation with Chibbi & Rooster
11.2020 via virtual interview on Zoom
Editor-in-Chief Tamara Al-Qaisi-Coleman sits down with San Antonio Poets Chibbi Orduna and Rooster Martinez for a discussion on their anthology: "Contra: Texas Poets Speak Out," published through FlowerSong Press.
Buy your copy!
Check out their podcast here on spotify:
Check out their upcoming events!
You can find Chibbi and Rooster on Twitter:
MUSIC VOL. VI
Aaron Walker "Worn Pages"
Music Artist
Aaron Walker is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and devoted appreciator of all forms of storytelling, aural or otherwise. His focus shifted from interpreting to composing music during his time at the University of Houston, where he received a bachelor's in music theory. Aaron's output is mostly digital on account of the games he composes for, but currently in search of ways to combine and consequently push the boundaries of the digital and acoustic mediums.
From Aaron:
This piece was originally intended for viola and piano with no particular inspiration. Due to the isolation, we found ourselves in this year, I was curious as to what could be produced without any performers. The arrangement turned into a hunt for digital viola substitutes with similarly dark timbres. As I'm never one to experiment cautiously, I auditioned the melody using a sound I synthesized from and designed to imitate, the timbre of a bassoon (my favorite orchestral instrument).
It was a happy accident, but I now pleasantly anticipate colors like this blending into the sound of my future composition.
The Commodore Jangus Rumbullion "Robotic Movements in the Bedroom"
Music Artist
The Commodore Jangus Rumbullion is an interdimensional left shoe salesman and self-proclaimed expert on the subliminal implications of four teenagers and a talking dog driving a van solving mysteries on a nightly basis yet having an amnesiac affect after each experience rendering them useless for 19 minutes and also an avid conspiracy theorist as to why the real mystery wasn’t the talking dog.
From the Commodore:
This recording was made using only a wireless binary handheld telecommunications apparatus, or as it said is this dimension, the iPhone 11.
Adam Stemple "I Know Who You Are"
Music Artist
Adam Stemple is a depressed old man who's been playing music and writing novels for thirty years.
From Adam:
I wanted to write a song that didn’t glorify the kind of life I’d led, but that recognized it as a human one. That didn’t offer answers or judgment or even forgiveness, but just let people know they’re seen. That their humanity is recognized no matter what life they’ve lived. That they’re not the only ones who get up every morning and make the same damn mistakes they made the day before.
For the technical aspects, I wanted the main song to be pretty spare: three verses of open chords with the repeated “I know who you are” in place of a chorus. In the three-line bridge, the incompleteness of it, as well as leaving the word “breath” for the listener to rhyme themselves, evoked for me the foreshortened life of so many people I’ve known. They were the ones that inspired this song, after all.
FILM VOL. VI
Juan Manuel Varela "Un Mar de Cenizas"
Film Producer
Filmography:
"Un Tigre Arriba de la Mesa" ("A tiger on the table") documentary feature film ( 2018, 66')
"Un mar de cenizas" ("A sea of ashes) (32', 2020)
"Rock de la carcel" ("Jailhouse rock) (62' on currently on post-production)
Greg Willard "Into the Valley of Kings" & "Face Behind the Mask"
Filmmaker
Greg is a filmmaker and writer. His fiction, non-fiction, and visual art have been published or are forthcoming in Shenandoah, New England Review, Iowa Review, Conjunctions, and The Rupture, among others.
DONATIONS & ARCHIVES
Do you share our passion for the arts? Do you want to hear and see the works of more marginalized voices? Do you want to see Defunkt doing more cool stuff in the community? If you answered yes to any of these questions please consider donating to our cause.
WANT TO CHECKOUT SOME OLD CONTENT?
You can check out all of our previous publications here via PDF. Many of our past events and interviews are still avilable via our YouTube Channel.
Defunkt Magazine YouTubE
SUBMIT BY SECTION:
Art@defunktmag.com Film@defunktmag.com Music@defunktmag.com Poetry@defunktmag.com Prose@defunktmag.com
MEDIUMS WE ARE LOOKING TO PUBLISH & PROMOTE
Poetry & Prose
Short Film, Music, Visual & Performance Art
We are currently accepting submissions for all sections of the magazine, as well as considerations for events and requests for reviews. Requests for reviews, interviews, and event collaborations as well as any questions regarding the guidelines should be sent via email.
ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST CONTAIN THE SECTION IN THE SUBJECT LINE
ALONG WITH AN ARTIST BIO IN THE BODY.
SEPARATE EMAILS ARE REQUIRED FOR SEPARATE SECTIONS
ALL VIDEO SUBMISSIONS MUST BE VIA YOUTUBE LINK
Please note that Defunkt Magazine requires First Serial Rights on all submissions /all mediums and that all published works may be considered for our annually printed anthology.
SECTION GUIDELINES
PROSE
Fiction & Non-Fiction
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4,000 word maximum. No minimum.
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Double-spaced. 12 pt. font size. Times New Roman or similar font style.
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Simultaneous submissions are acceptable.
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Submit using a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file attached to the email.
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Specify in the email’s subject line the title of story and genre i.e. fiction or nonfiction.
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Wait for a response before resubmitting. One submission per author.
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We do not accept unsolicited re-submissions of work that we have rejected even if it has been revised.
Check out this interview with our prose editor for tips on what we’re looking for in a story
ART
Visual, Performance, & Music
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Please utilize JPEG/PNG with a minimum resolution of 300 PSI via attachment.
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Bios should be no more than 300 words and written in third-person. They must be in the submission email body.
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5 piece maximum per entry.
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Different mediums should be submitted separately: i.e. visual submissions should not be submitted alongside a musical or video submission--but in their own email.
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The non-poetic performance or short film videos should be 10 minutes or less.
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Music submissions accepted via Soundcloud, Spotify, or via an attached MP3 or MP4 file.
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Please send a max 170-word description/commentary on the inspiration for your Music, Visual Art, video piece!
POETRY
Written or Performance Videos
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3-6 poems not exceeding 10 pages
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12pt Times New Roman font
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We are interested in all types of poetry, so please send whatever you feel is your best.
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Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us immediately when a piece from your submission is accepted elsewhere.
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Please include a third-person biography or artist’s statement that is a maximum of 150 words.
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We do not accept multiple submissions within one section, but you may submit to different sections.
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Please utilize Word or PDF via attachment.
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No minimum.
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Performance videos should be 10 minutes or less.
FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE ABOVE GUIDELINES WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE REJECTION
ROLLING SUBMISSION
However, to be considered for publication in Volume Seven you must submit by:
MIDNIGHT on JANUARY 31, 2021
OFFERING ONE ON ONE CONSULTATIONS IN
Poetry & Prose
We know that sometimes all you need is someone to read it and tell you what's missing and we're here to help! Defunkt is proud to offer our site as a platform for you to connect with a professional in your medium. We want this to be a very thorough and intimate experience for everyone so there are a few ground rules for manuscript evaluations:
PROSE
20 page limit, Double-Spaced, 12 pt. font, if an excerpt, please include an outline of the work and a letter of intention.
POETRY
5 poem limit per Consulting Session, not to exceed 10 pages.
ALL CONSULTANTS MAY CHOOSE TO REVIEW LONGER WORKS AT THEIR DISCRETION. PLEASE EMAIL DEFUNKTMAG.EDITORS@GMAIL.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO CHECK AVAILABILITY. STANDARD SESSION RATE IS $55 PER MANUSCRIPT.
Things to include in this email: Author/Consultant you want to work with if specific, manuscript details: genre & page count, also please let us know if there is a timetable you are trying to maintain.
CONSULTANTS
Offering Consultations for:
Poetry, Micro Memoir, Flash Non Fiction and the Personal Essay.
CAIT WEISS ORCUTT’s work has appeared in Boston Review, Chautauqua, FIELD, The Academy of American Poets and more. Her poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best New Poets and Best of the Net, and her manuscript VALLEYSPEAK (Zone 3, 2017) won Zone 3 Press’ First Book Award, judged by Douglas Kearney, and an Independent Publisher's Book Award for Poetry. Her CNF has appeared in The Pinch, Bust Magazine, and The Fem. Cait has an MFA from The Ohio State and is currently getting her Ph.D. in Poetry from the University of Houston while working on a Creative Non Fiction side project. She teaches creative writing at UH, Grackle and Grackle, Inprint, WITS, the Salvation Army, the Menil Collection, and the Jewish Community Center. She is the recipient of an Inprint C. Glenn Cambor/MD Anderson Foundation Fellowship.
Offering Consultations for:
Any genre of creative writing.
Justin Jannise studied creative writing at Yale and the Iowa Writers' Workshop and is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Houston. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Copper Nickel, New Ohio Review, Columbia Journal, Yale Review, The Awl and Zócalo Public Square. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Gulf Coast and the recipient of an Inprint Marion Barthelme Prize.
Offering Consultations for:
Fiction, Flash Fiction, Mixed Genre, Nonfiction, Poetry, & Graphic Narrative.
Brendan Stephens is a writer and musician from Maryland. His work has appeared in Epoch, Southeast Review, Notre Dame Review, Carolina Quarterly, SmokeLong Quarterly, and elsewhere. He has won an Inprint Donald Barthelme Prize and Backbone Mountain Review Prize and was second place in the Into the Void Fiction Prize. He has received an MFA from the University of Central Florida and an MAT from Frostburg State University. Currently, he is in the PhD program at the University of Houston where he is the assistant online fiction editor for Gulf Coast.
Offering Consultations for:
Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction, and Nonfiction.
Obi Umeozor received his B.A. in English from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria and taught English Literature before moving to the States in 2015, where he obtained an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida State University. His work has appeared and is forthcoming in the New Orleans Review, Shift, adda and others. He has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and is currently a PhD (Fiction) candidate at the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program.
