In June 1914, Wyndham Lewis published the first of the two-issue BLAST, a literary and arts magazine dedicated to a new artistic and cultural movement dubbed Vorticism. Though short lived, the journal tried to reinvigorate the avant-garde in England and is largely recognized as a seminal work in pre-WWI modernism.

BLAST/ED is an effort to recapture the enthusiasm, creativity, and sense of community represented in Lewis’ collections. It serves as an energetic and eclectic response to the frustrations and anxiety surrounding the recent U. S. presidential elections and our new president’s first 100 days in office, as well as the troubling rise of voices from the alt-right.

Critics, scholars, and journalists alike have recently named the current state of American culture and politics as “the second Gilded Age.” Like the avant-garde and vanguard arts, this project asks contributors to expose, interrogate, and invent the means through which we might prepare for a second Progressive Era, one that emphasizes artistic diversity, experimentation, personal experience, and unity and one that combats the current status quo in the age of President Trump.

BLAST/ED proposes a new method of traversing through politics, geographical and cultural space, and creative/critical projects and hopes to serve as one spark in the future flame of democracy, artistic innovation, creative equality, views from the left. It’s title not only references Lewis’ publications but also channels the world’s state of shock (by creating shockwaves of its own) and educate each other on what’s happening, how we’re feeling, and how we might best proceed as individuals and as a collective to voice alternative perspectives, to curb dangerous policies, and to inspect activities in the Fourth and Fifth Estates.

Contributions will interrogate proposed policy changes; the forces, successes, and failures of national media outlets, propaganda, and educational practices; civic engagement and community organization and their activities; and the nature of crowd behavior and nationalism within specific locations. It will promote tactics invented in the avant-garde to understand, criticize, and intervene in political and cultural activities and to create bridges between individuals, communities, and discourses. Contributions may address topics related to race relations, ethnic diversity and equality, women’s rights and gender equality, environmental issues, economic policies and trade agreements, labor / worker rights, education, and the role of the media. We are especially interested in works that promote new ideals and best practices of citizen/community activism and advocacy and that capture the shocks of electracy.

The project accepts poetry, manifestoes, flash fiction, humor and satire, editorial essays, experimental writing, and illustrations (original artwork, sketches, photographs, graphs, graphic design, and memes—please note that these images will appear in black and white in the printed edition). Submissions should be limited to 5 submissions or 10 pages per contributor. Longer essays, stories, and designs will also be accepted but please query first.

Submissions should be sent to the Editor, K. A. Wisniewski, at blasted.publication@gmail.com. Written work should be submitted as .docx files and images as .jpeg (high res). Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis from January 20, 2017 to June 1, 2017.