Announcing The Rebis: Chariot

Submissions are open ✨

Hi friends,

I took a walk in my neighborhood the other day and admired everything that was in bloom. Poppies, roses, orchids, jasmine, foxglove, flannel brush, hydrangeas, wisteria, and a giant agave whose blossoming stalk has slowly been stretching upward and now reaches higher than the surrounding homes. The temperature has finally shifted, the sun has been a more consistent presence, and it remains light out well past my daughter’s bedtime. It’s certainly time for reemerging. 

So hello, hi, welcome to the next chapter of The Rebis. There are many new subscribers since I started this magazine last year. It makes my heart so happy. Substack has been a very interesting community to participate in. It feels more organic and real than other social platforms. Thank you so much for inviting us into your inbox and for supporting an indie publisher.

For those of you who are new here: The Rebis is a print publication celebrating the connection between tarot and creativity. If you’re interested in the founding story and why we’re called “The Rebis,” you can read this post. Our first anthology centers on the Wheel of Fortune and features 60 pages of essays, poetry, and artwork. There are still copies available for purchase online — or you can find us on the shelf at a few Bay Area stores: Feathered Outlaw, Pegasus Books, Green Apple Books, Dog Eared Books, and Folio Books. 

I’ve been intentionally quiet on Substack over the last few months. After publishing the first issue in Fall 2022, I decided to go off social media and take an extended break. As the only full-time staff member, this meant work on the publication paused. At first, I was self-conscious about stepping away from the publication right after our first issue, but then I rebranded my creative burnout as “creative hibernation.” I took a generative poetry workshop and a watercolor class. I made some bad art. I started to trust that the well wasn’t running dry even though my momentum for The Rebis stalled. 

But now I’m here with an exciting spring update!

Submissions are currently open for the next issue of The Rebis

Our second anthology will focus on The Chariot. We are looking for original writing, artwork, and any other form of creative expression that you dream up inspired by the seventh card of the Major Arcana. 

Work does not have to directly address “traditional” meanings of the Chariot. And while I hesitate to give any sort of prescriptive guidance on what themes to explore, I will say that I’m especially interested in stories related to identity, courage, transitions, transformation, intimacy, eroticism, and desire. I encourage contributors to look beyond the singular card and would love to see work that interrogates the Chariot and numerologically related cards (The Tower and Minor 7s), references the relationship between the Chariot and adjacent cards (The Lovers and Strength), or incorporates astrological connections in the Chariot. I love provocative ideas and deconstructionist perspectives.

Please read the submission guidelines here. The deadline to pitch/propose your work is June 1, but get in touch as soon as possible if you’re interested by emailing submissions@therebis.com. (Even if you don’t have a completed piece to share yet. I’d love to get a sense of how many people are interested in contributing!) 

All work that’s suitable for print publication is welcome: essays, fiction (short stories, flash), poetry, photography, paintings, interviews, book excerpts, etc. We’re open to experimental forms of storytelling as well. Pitch me on your idea and we can work together to bring it to life.

This is a paid opportunity and you can find all the details on our website. The Rebis is a not-for-profit publication, meaning that after operating expenses we redistribute profits to social justice organizations. To date, we’ve been able to donate a total of $2,340. 

I am feeling ready (excited, eager, energized) to dive back into editorial creative work, and can’t wait to see what we build together. Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested in contributing. New voices and underrepresented writers and artists are encouraged to get in touch.

On a personal note, the Chariot is a challenging card for me. I don’t connect with many of the popular interpretations and often feel a lot of hesitation and resistance whenever I pull the card. This tension feels like an invitation to go deeper. I’ll be exploring the Chariot myself and plan to share my thoughts as they evolve over the coming weeks — along with more details about this upcoming issue.

I am so grateful to be on this journey with you all. Thank you for your support.

Until next time,

Hannah
Editor-in-Chief, The Rebis