Issue 0: Source
Call for Submissions


For our first issue, we welcome submissions that reimagine the concept of source. When framed as a single point of origin, “source” reinforces colonial narratives of purity and linear progression.1 Instead, we reflect on the nonlinear paths that led us here. 2 Where might Upstream begin?


How can we reimagine “source” as an ongoing, interconnected process rather than a single point of origin? What are the possibilities, tensions, or limits of this reimagination?

We welcome critical and artistic works that complicate and expand the idea of “source”:



Ecological Source
Ecosystems are interactions of bodies and processes that transcend categories of energy, water, and food sources. Where do hydraulic, nutrient, carbon, and phosphorus cycles begin and end? When does free-flowing water become a flood? 3 


Spiritual Source
Where do we find practices of worship in everyday life? How does this teach us how to live and act? How might we explore other forms of collective meaning-making that embrace multiplicity, complexity, and interconnection?
 Knowledge Source
What stories, lineages, or citations shape how we know? How are inherited knowledges remixed, appropriated, and practiced? What do citations look like when sources have been silenced, forgotten, or destroyed?4 


Social Source
What political moments are we witnessing and when were the seeds sown? What spurs an individual to move and what spurs collective action? When does the gathering of people overflow into solidarity, into protest–into something else?

Future Source
 If the imperative to reimagine “source” involves disrupting colonial narratives of purity and linear progression, we must also remain accountable to the sources of violence we reproduce as future ancestors. 5  What flows downstream from where we stand – both insofar as what has already accumulated and what will accumulate as an upstream to a downstream?
Finally, we welcome other interpretations of “source.”
1  These colonial narratives are co-constituted through processes such as Indigenous dispossession, slavery, racial capitalism, and patriarchy. See Michel-Rolph Trouillot (1995), Linda Tuhiwai Smith (1999), Sylvia Wynter (2003), Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang (2012), Boaventura de Sousa Santos (2014), Aileen Moreton-Robinson (2015).

2 Ebbs and flows of momentum archived in Google Docs and Whatsapp messages. Half-baked thoughts and trailing tangents exchanged over pizza, pie, and often tea. Exchanges of the values, desires, and vocabularies each of us have amassed in our own journeys.
3 Anuradha Mathur and Dilip Da Cunha, Mississippi Floods (Yale University Press, 2001).
4 Readers will notice the footnotes scattered throughout this call. We partake in footnoting as a kind of citational practice that engages conversations that came before us and the ongoing conversations we are a part of. See Katherine McKittrick (2021) and Max Liboiron (2021).
5 Kyle Powys Whyte, “Indigenous Science (Fiction) for the Anthropocene: Ancestral Dystopias and Fantasies of Climate Change Crises,” Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space 1 (2018).


Submission Guidelines


We welcome essays, creative writing, visual art, and interdisciplinary experiments. We hope to work with contributors to develop final pieces. You are welcome to submit work that is already finished, but we ask for pitches so that we can engage in an editorial process if your work is selected. You do not need to be affiliated with an institution to submit to Upstream. Pitches are reviewed by an editorial team consisting of both Philly community members and Penn affiliates.



Pitches are accepted on a rolling basis until January 19, 2025.

  • Submit a pitch to upstream.publication@gmail.com with the subject line: UPSTREAM ISSUE 1 SUBMISSION OR submit your pitch through the form below.
  • Pitches should include a brief 1-2 sentence biography and an abstract (no more than 300 words). You may optionally attach any sketches, drafts, etc.


If selected, final submissions will be due before 11:59 PM ET March 16, 2025.

Please direct questions to upstream.publication@gmail.com.




Frequently Asked Questions



General Information


What is Upstream?
Upstream is a print publication and curatorial collective interested in tending to all our relations. Together, we work to notice, question, and map the dynamic ecologies between people, the built environment, and our nonhuman relatives. 

For our first issue, we welcome submissions that reimagine “source” as an ongoing, interconnected process rather than a single point of origin. Further guidelines for submissions are here.

We are a porous and evolving group of Philadelphia community members and Penn affiliates, excited to see who swims in our direction.



Submissions


What can I submit?

Submissions can include essays, artwork, photography, poetry, hybrid forms, and more. We are currently looking for content that has the ability to be shared through print media.


Do I have to live in Philadelphia to submit?
Regardless of current location, we hope for contributors to engage intentionally with the context of Philadelphia. We are prioritizing submissions from folks based in Philadelphia. However, we will consider submissions from elsewhere. 


Do I need to be a Penn student or affiliate to submit?
No. While a number of us are Penn-affiliated, Upstream is enthusiastically and intentionally engaged in a broader community.


Do I need to be an artist, writer, or designer to submit?
No. We welcome contributions from anyone interested in engaging with our themes.


What are the length or format requirements for written pieces?
Pieces can range in length, with short-form essays aiming to be around 500 words and long-form around 1,000-2,000 words. Poetry submissions have no minimum or maximum expectations. We’ll work with contributors to determine the appropriate length and form of final pieces.


How do I submit my work?
Submit your work via our submission page, or send an email following the guidelines listed on the submission page.


Can I submit more than one piece?
Yes, multiple submissions are allowed as long as each adheres to the guidelines.


What is the deadline for submissions?
The deadline for pitches is January 19, 2025, with final submissions due by March 16, 2025.


Can I submit a pitch instead of a completed work?
Yes, pitches are required before submitting completed works. 




Getting Involved


How can I join the Upstream team?
Fill out our interest form and/or reach out to us through instagram or email. We’ll reach out to invite you to info sessions and/or to speak directly with us. 


What roles are available for volunteers or contributors?
Roles include editorial, design, outreach, events coordination, curatorial and more. 


Do I need to attend meetings in person?
We do meet in person, but offer hybrid options to accommodate remote contributors.


What kind of commitment is involved?
While there is no single way to be involved, we hope that people in the collective will communicate capacity and commit to attending meetings. 




Events and Community Engagement


Do you host events?
Yes.  We hope to hold workshops and gatherings that bring together Philadelphia community members around shared interests in art, ecology, and relationality. Follow our instagram and sign up for our mailing list to be informed about events!


Where are your events held?
We aim to host events in accessible, community-oriented spaces, often outside of campus settings, with no fees for entry.



Publication Logistics


When will the first issue be published?
The publication date for Issue 1 will be announced soon.


Will the publication be free?
Yes, published issues will be available for free at designated locations in Philadelphia. 



Can members of the editorial team submit work?
Yes! As the publication is in its emergent phase, we imagine members of the collective will submit content. Our ambition is to broaden the submission pool over time, aiming to eventually have the majority of content come from outside contributions.



Will Upstream have a digital component?
While our primary focus is on printed matter, we plan to maintain a website for submissions, archives, and outreach.