Autumn 2026

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Editors

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Fiction Contributors

Úna Ní Nualláin	Three Days
E.R. Smith	Mood Ring

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Visual Art Contributors

Florence Joannes

Dunes

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Nonfiction Contributors

Svitlana Libet	Intermission
Mr. J.V. Presogna	No Movie Is Better Than A Bad Movie

Drama Contributors

Christopher Carter Sanderson

William and Bill and Hedda a Tragedy

This year, Spellbinder celebrates its sixth anniversary. We are beyond grateful for the foundation built before us, and for the trust placed in us to carry it forward. When we became Co-Editors-in-Chief last October, we set out to shape its future through a shared vision; one of expansion, passion, expression, and integrity. Our values are reflected in the way each new Issue follows the last: one thought picks up where another leaves off, one perspective sharpens the next, and an idea evolves until it feels more complete. We have become more certain of what we want Spellbinder to be, without the need to define it too narrowly. Above all, it’s a space that invites ideas and encourages change.

The most rewarding part is watching Spellbinder develop through its contributors, editors, ideas and conversations. This year, we saw a 61% increase in followers and received thousands of submissions, showing a 2.22% increase from last year and bringing our acceptance rate to 3.5% and shortlist rate to 1.92%. With that came a clearer sense of editorial perspective: to look for pieces that unsettle our perception of reality. Our contributors joined us from 17 different nationalities, bringing global perspectives, experiences, and values to our pages. Our Substack categories, Editor’s Picks, Tips & Resources, and Aperture, extend this spirit beyond the Issues, reflecting not only where we stand and where we are heading, but what Spellbinder represents.

The Autumn Issue brings poetry that interrogates language, identity, violence and grief, challenging the boundaries between the personal and the political. Our first Fiction piece represents the worn confessions of women made to repent for sins they’re blamed for begetting, while the second embodies the idea of how our memories are connected to even the most mundane of things. Nonfiction examines how perception, memory and circumstance alter what we understand as real. Drama features a piece which confronts the unjust complexities of being a homeless artist.  Finally, a special feature explores how recognition breeds sentimentality, tracing the spaces between longing and self-preservation.

We are forever thankful to our contributors who trust us with such powerful work. In a time when Fahrenheit 451 feels increasingly reflective of the present and Orwell’s warnings feel uncannily relevant, great art remains alive because it continues to find new meanings in the world around it. This is what we hope Spellbinder continues to be: a place for contradiction, inquiry and curiosity.

Co-Editors-In-Chief

Effy Kousteni & Tatianna Victoria

Fiction Shortlist

Danielle Salerno	One-Sided Conversations with the Version of You That Lives in my Head
Paul Edmondson	The Room Nobody Lived In

CNF Shortlist

Donivan Berube

Trampolín de la Muerte: Bikepacking Colombia’s Trampoline of Death

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