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What is Image Journal?
Image Journal is a quarterly literary and arts journal, founded in 1989, that publishes contemporary fiction, poetry, essays and visual art engaged with religious faith and spiritual questions. Its stated mission is to foster writing and art that “grapple with the mystery of being human,” and its vision is to contribute to mainstream literary and artistic culture rather than serve only a devotional niche.
Image Journal
What it actually contains
From the current issue, the mix is recognisably a serious arts quarterly rather than a magazine about religion:
- Fiction and poetry — including fiction in translation and poems by established poets such as Li-Young Lee and Lawrence Joseph.
- Essays and criticism — e.g. Molly McCully Brown on sustained attention, Robert M. Geraci on artist Michael Takeo Magruder, and commentary on writers like Karen Russell.
- Visual art — artist features and cover work, such as Eileen Ryan’s installation using sheep’s blood agar and holy water.
- Interviews — for example a conversation with George Saunders on afterlives and whether people can change.
The through-line is faith as a lens and a question, not as a required conclusion. Artwork and writing may be devotional, sceptical, or uneasy about belief.
Who it suits
- Readers of literary magazines who want the quality of a standard quarterly but with spiritual and religious subject matter taken seriously.
- Writers and artists working with faith themes who want a visible outlet and community.
- Clergy, teachers and study groups looking for discussable contemporary work rather than doctrinal material.
- Readers who dislike religious publishing — the tone here is exploratory, and some pieces may challenge rather than confirm belief.
If you want lighter, more frequent engagement, the free weekly newsletter, ImageUpdate, is the low-commitment entry point; the print quarterly is the main product, available via subscription.
Practical next step
Read one issue’s table of contents and a sample piece before subscribing. If the fiction and art sections interest you more than the essays, or vice versa, that tells you whether the quarterly format fits your reading habits — a journal like this rewards slow reading rather than browsing.
What types of writing and art does Image Journal publish?
Image Journal publishes contemporary literary writing and visual art that engages religious faith and spiritual questions, often in ways that are questioning, ambivalent or indirect rather than devotional or doctrinal. Its scope is broad: fiction (including fiction in translation), poetry, essays and criticism, interviews and conversations, and visual art, with artists' studio features and cover art. The journal's own issue listing gives a concrete sense of the mix: an essay by Molly McCully Brown on sustained attention, a conversation with George Saunders about afterlives, a photojournalism piece by KC McGinnis, a critical essay by Robert M Geraci on Michael Takeo Magruder and controlled prairie burns, art criticism by Marcus Clarke on worship as spectacle, an art feature by Eileen Ryan on collaborating with non-humans, translated fiction from Miral al-Tahawy, and poems by Lawrence Joseph, Li-Young Lee and Allison Seay, alongside memoir-style nonfiction such as Kyle Abbott Smith on making a life after the Marines.
What that means for readers and submitters
- Readers who want literary fiction and poetry with a faith dimension, but not necessarily religious publishing in the inspirational or church-market sense, are the core audience. The work tends to sit comfortably alongside mainstream literary magazines while taking spiritual and religious experience seriously as subject matter.
- Artists and photographers should note that visual art is treated as a first-class part of the journal, not illustration. Studio visits and process-oriented features suggest that work exploring material, ritual, ecology or technology is welcome.
- Writers working in translation, criticism, personal essay and interview formats have visible precedent here, so a strong critical essay or a translated story is as plausible a fit as a poem.
- Trade-off: the journal's openness to doubt and complexity means it is a poor fit for work whose main aim is doctrinal exposition, apologetics or explicit devotional encouragement. If that is your goal, a denominational or religious-trade publisher will serve you better.
A useful next step
If you are deciding whether to read or submit, look at one recent issue's table of contents and read two pieces in your own genre — for example, one poem and one essay — to test whether the register matches your work. The journal's free weekly newsletter, ImageUpdate, is a low-commitment way to sample the range of arts-and-faith writing before subscribing. Subscription details are at Image Journal.
How can I subscribe to Image Journal and what does a subscription include?
You can subscribe through the journal's own subscription page: Image Journal. The site lists a "Subscribe" link at imagejournal.org/subscribe, and the homepage promotes "Get Image delivered" alongside it. Beyond the print or digital issues themselves, a subscription is the entry point to a quarterly that has published fiction, poetry, essays, visual art and interviews since 1989.
What a subscription includes
Based on the current issue shown on the homepage, a typical issue bundles:
- Fiction and poetry — e.g. a story by Thea Swanson, poems by Lawrence Joseph, Li-Young Lee and Allison Seay
- Essays and culture writing — e.g. Lia Purpura on an object arriving, Amy Bornman on Karen Russell's The Antidote
- Visual art features — e.g. Eileen Ryan's studio work, KC McGinnis on photojournalism, Robert M Geraci on Michael Takeo Magruder
- Interviews and conversations — e.g. a conversation with George Saunders on afterlives
- Translated writing — e.g. fiction in translation from Miral al-Tahawy
Subscribers also get the weekly ImageUpdate newsletter, described on the site as free and featuring "the best from Image and the world of arts & faith." That newsletter is a low-commitment way to sample the editorial voice before paying.
How to decide
If you read mainly for one genre, check whether the current issue's mix matches your taste — this journal deliberately blends forms rather than separating them, which suits readers who want art, faith and literature in conversation, and frustrates readers who want a single narrow focus. If you are unsure, start with the free newsletter; if the excerpts and contributor names there consistently interest you, the quarterly is likely worth it. For exact formats, delivery options and current rates, use the subscribe page directly rather than relying on secondhand summaries.
What is ImageUpdate and how do I sign up for the free weekly newsletter?
ImageUpdate is Image Journal's free weekly newsletter. It curates a selection of writing and art from the quarterly and from the broader arts-and-faith world, so it works as a low-commitment way to sample the magazine before subscribing. Expect pointers to essays, fiction, poetry, visual art and interviews rather than a full issue delivered to your inbox.
How to sign up
- Go to Image Journal.
- Look for the newsletter signup field, usually near the top or bottom of the page, or follow the ImageUpdate mention in the site's own banner text.
- Enter your email address and confirm; the signup is free and separate from a paid subscription to the quarterly.
What to expect
- Frequency: weekly, as the name suggests.
- Content mix: highlights from current and past issues, plus arts-and-faith news and events.
- Tone: editorially curated, matching the journal's focus on work that engages religious faith and spiritual questions.
- Cost: free. If you later want the full quarterly, that requires a paid subscription through the journal's subscribe page.
A practical next step
If you are unsure whether the journal's sensibility fits you, subscribe to ImageUpdate first and read it for a month. If the featured pieces consistently interest you, move to a paid subscription; if only occasional items appeal, the newsletter alone may be enough. Readers who want the complete fiction, poetry and visual-art features will need the quarterly, since the newsletter is a selection rather than a substitute.
How can I submit my writing or artwork to Image Journal?
Submitting to Image Journal means sending your work to a quarterly that has, since 1989, published writing and art engaged with religious faith and spiritual questions. The journal's stated mission is to foster contemporary work that grapples with the mystery of being human, so submissions are judged less on doctrinal correctness than on artistic quality and genuine engagement with belief, doubt or transcendence.
What the journal publishes
From the current issue's contents, the range is broad: literary fiction (including fiction in translation), poetry, personal and critical essays, interviews, and visual art reproduced in the magazine. That tells you roughly where your work would sit. A short story, a group of poems, an essay or a portfolio of images are all plausible submissions; a sermon, a devotional reflection or a press release for a church event is not what this venue is for.
Before you send anything
- Read at least one recent issue. The journal publishes excerpts and selections online, and a subscription gives you the full context of tone, length and subject matter. This is the single most useful preparation.
- Match your work to a section. Fiction, poetry, essays and visual art are distinct categories with different expectations for length and presentation.
- Expect a slow, selective process. A quarterly with a small editorial team reads in reading periods rather than year-round, and acceptance rates at established literary magazines are low.
- Send your best work, not your most explicitly religious work. The journal's framing suggests it is looking for art that earns its spiritual weight rather than announcing it.
Practical next step
Go to the journal's own site and find its submission guidelines page, which will state the current reading window, category-specific requirements and where to send. Start at Image Journal and look for "Submissions" in the site navigation. If you want to understand the aesthetic before submitting, the free weekly newsletter mentioned on the homepage is a low-commitment way to sample essays, poems and art from the journal and the wider arts-and-faith world; subscription details are also listed there.
A useful decision criterion
Ask yourself whether a reader with no religious background would still find your piece artistically compelling. If the answer is yes, this is likely a good fit. If the piece only works for readers who already share your beliefs, a denominational magazine or a church press will serve you better.
What events or community gatherings does Image Journal host for readers and artists?
Image Journal presents itself as more than a quarterly magazine: it describes itself as a community that gathers readers, writers, artists and art-appreciators both in person and online. The clearest ongoing gathering it names on its home page is ImageUpdate, a free weekly newsletter that shares work from Image and the wider arts-and-faith world. That is a reading-and-reflection channel rather than a live event, but it is the main recurring way the journal keeps its audience connected between issues.
For readers trying to judge whether Image is a good fit, the practical test is the kind of work it convenes around: fiction, poetry, essays, visual art and conversations that take religious faith and spiritual questions seriously without treating them as settled or pious. The current issue described on the page includes a conversation with George Saunders, poetry by Li-Young Lee and others, art criticism, and fiction in translation — an indication of the range of voices Image brings into one room, even if that room is mostly the page and the inbox.
If you want to take part rather than just read, start by subscribing to the free newsletter and then check the journal's own site for current calls, submissions and any in-person or online programming it is running. The home page points readers to Image Journal for subscriptions and issue details; because event schedules change, confirm dates and formats there rather than relying on a general description.
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