︎

Submissions Policy


Founded in 2020, Three Fold is Detroit’s only journal presenting in-depth critical perspectives and exploratory points of view on arts, culture, and society, in addition to showcasing original works in various media, including visual art, literature, film, and music. The publication is one facet of Trinosophes Projects, a 501(c)3 non-profit multidisciplinary arts organization located in Detroit’s historic Eastern Market.

We solicit and commission work from artists, writers, and activists in our region and around the world because we believe that community is a mindset, not limited by the parameters of a geographic location. Stimulating an international conversation about issues and ideas germane to Detroiters strengthens our ties with colleagues beyond our borders and nurtures an understanding of our place and purpose in the world.

Submission Guidelines

Three Fold is excited to open up our editorial and artistic contributions to emerging and established writers, authors, and artists of all disciplines (except for our poetry section, which is by invitation-only). The guidelines for submission to our quarterly journal are as follows:

Because we are organized by a small staff, we are unable to respond to inquiries and submissions unless we are interested. One of our editors will reach out within four weeks if we would like to pursue publishing your work or have any questions regarding the submission.

We are happy to review finished works as well as works in-progress, at any point throughout the year. Proposals for projects that have not yet been started are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Three Fold presents issues four times per year:

Winter Issue: End of January
Spring Issue: End of March
Summer Issue: End of June
Fall Issue: End of September 

If you’d like to be included in the forthcoming issue, please keep in mind that the deadline for submission is a month prior to the release date.

There are no boundaries around subject matter or content. Our journal showcases a multiplicity of voices. No work is too experimental or daring.

Electronic submissions should be sent to threefolddetroit@gmail.com. Please include the word “submission” in your subject line. In the body of your email, include your name, email address, and a link to your website if you like. A brief summary of what is being sent is helpful.

Writers should submit work as an email attachment, formatted as a Microsoft Word document or pdf file. Artistic submissions may be sent as jpeg, png, MP3, or MP4. Do not send anything to us via Google drive or hyperlink. Large files should be reduced and will be requested at a higher resolution if/when necessary.

If your piece is accepted, all editorial work, including copyediting and proofreading, will require facility with the “track changes” function. Always, our changes are suggestions that we believe are in service of the piece and may be declined by the author. Please be advised that Three Fold reserves the right at any point and for any reason to change our minds about publishing a work. Reasons may vary but could include, for instance, missed deadlines or disagreements about the editorial direction of a work. Unfortunately, we are unable in those instances to provide a kill fee.

We no longer accept texts or artworks previously published online in English.

The length of written works is open-ended. Generally speaking,  we’ve found that text with a count between 1,000 and 3,500 words is digestible in one sitting for a reader; anything longer than that may be read in part and returned to later. It can be useful then to include subheads or sections.

Renumeration
Our payment schedule varies for many reasons. Most importantly, we are a newly-formed non-profit publication that is free and for the community. Athough we are growing, our budget is currently very low. Three Fold editors, like editors of many extraordinary legacy journals, work on a volunteer basis. To be candid, some authors and artists have even declined payment with that in mind. Secondly, we have found that expectations with regard to compensation differ vastly depending upon the field in which a contributor works. In general, here is our approach: Three Fold provides an honorarium of $100-$150 for previously existing unpublished essays and artworks. We offer more substantial fees for newly commissioned projects and heftier texts, including Three Fold dossiers, which are contributions that feature several sections, often with multiple forms of content.

This submission policy is in-progress and may evolve over time as we learn what works, so please check back for updates.



Founded in 2020, Three Fold is an independent quarterly based in Detroit that presents exploratory points of view on arts, culture, and society in addition to original works in various media, including visual art, literature, film and the performing arts. We solicit and commission contributions from artists, writers, and activists around the world. Three Fold is a publication of Trinosophes Projects, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Three Fold recognizes, supports, and advocates for the sovereignty of Michigan's twelve federally-recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. We operate on occupied territories called Waawiiyaataanong, named by the Anishinaabeg and including the Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), and Bodewatomi (Potawatomi) peoples. We hold to commit to Indigenous communities in Waawiiyaataanong, their elders, both past and present, and future generations.