OUR MISSION
Carolina Muse Literary & Arts Magazine is a multimedia arts magazine showcasing primarily young adult creators in the Carolinas. Our mission is to provide a multi-sensory, immersive platform for young adult creatives that reveals the way various art forms can work together to tell the true stories of our human experience. The work we publish is diverse by its nature. While traditional publishing gives a voice solely to two-dimensional creative work, we aim to provide a platform for all creators that is not strictly limited to certain art forms.
Carolina Muse publishes short stories & scripts, poetry, art & photography, music, dance in a digital multimedia format on a tri-annual basis. Whether you submit a document, image file, audio file, or video file, our team loves to see creators test the boundaries of their art form to bring their passions, interpretations, experiences, and messages to life. Interested in sharing your work? Our submission window is open on a rolling basis, so read through our submission guidelines, and shoot us an email if you feel inspired.
"An emotion or experience you convey with a poem offers a different interpretation from, say, a dance. However, these two art forms are alike in that every creative decision, every semicolon & every movement carries a layer of meaning. A song about loss or loneliness brings you to feel those emotions in an entirely different way from a visual art piece about the same topic. Put next to each other, these pieces work together to tell a cohesive & immersive story. Our team collaborates to hand-match each art pairing on every page to match themes & emotions as closely as we are able in order to put a variety of multimedia art forms in conversation with one another."
- Madison Foster, Editor-in-Chief
Listen to our CM Spotify playlist above to hear some of the songs we have published from local bands & musicians over the years as well as the background music from many of our dance pieces.
OUR TEAM
Madison Foster
Madison Foster has been passionate about the arts in their full scope since she was little. Growing up in Greenville, SC, she could always be found with her face in a book or a guitar strapped over her shoulder. While attending Elon University in North Carolina, she grew her writing & design skills as an English literature major with minors in communications & multimedia authoring. Post-grad, Madison’s love for publishing and the arts led her to bring Carolina Muse Literary & Arts Magazine to life. The multimedia arts magazine provides a platform for artists from all of the creative arts to share their message. In addition to her work as editor-in-chief of Carolina Muse, Madison works as a social media manager in Western North Carolina.
What she’s looking for in submissions...
When reviewing submissions across art forms, I look for pieces that feel authentic and that speak to the range of emotions & experiences that make us human. I like seeing work that utilizes symbols and other creative devices to convey a message and make viewers think deeper.
editor-in-chief
Ashley Pratt is a designer, photographer, and artist based in Statesville, NC. She is receiving her BA in Graphic Design in May of 2023 from High Point University. Ashley has been the graphic designer for Carolina Muse since May of 2022 and is planning to continue designing for many issues to come. Alongside working with Carolina Muse, Ashley is a full-time design student constantly working on projects, as well as a part-time, soon to be full-time, Marketing Director/Designer for Legacy Clean Energy, based in Charlotte (NC). Ashley loves designing and being a part of the Carolina Muse family.
Ashley Pratt
graphic designer
Rush Johnston
dance editor
Rush Johnston (they/them) is a Bronx-based multimedia choreographer, poet, performer, filmmaker, and movement researcher. Rush creates at the intersection of visual & performing art, often exploring modes of artistic expression beyond the binary. As a queer, Native, neurodiverse artist, their work often plays with perception & identity, inviting viewers to question proposed truths of self & social misunderstanding. Social justice work is a key element of Rush’s creative vision, often encompassing themes of political turmoil, queerness, and mental health. Rush is the founder & artistic director of Kaleid Dance Collective, an interdisciplinary artistic platform for creative experiments & exhibitions.
What they’re looking for in submissions...
I’m looking for submissions that take risks and expand the possibilities of what dance could be. Of course, technique holds value, but I am much more interested in the artistic liberties you take and the boundaries that you push. The most exciting work to me is work that goes beyond aesthetics and really makes you think. I am looking for dance that is relevant to the world that we live in and addresses uncomfortable topics. I am looking for dance that is informed and dance that inspires.
Jake Shores is a multidisciplinary artist from Greensboro, NC, with a background in theater, music, visual, and literary arts. He is a recent graduate from High Point University, receiving a degree in English with a focus on writing and a minor in theater. He plans to further pursue his education by studying poetry at the graduate level while continuing work on his other creative pursuits in a non-academic setting. He is inspired largely by the natural world and by his interactions with people. His work takes on the challenge of putting a name to the indescribable.
What he’s looking for in submissions...
I want to hear music that transports me when I listen to it, music that stops me in my tracks and brings me to some other time or place or makes me feel something that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t heard it.
Jacob Shores
music editor
Amanda Conover
Amanda Conover is a queer writer based in Raleigh, NC. She has a BA in English from Elon University and is currently a student in Arcadia University’s MFA in Creative Writing program, where she specializes in poetry. Amanda has been the poetry editor for Carolina Muse ever since volume I, issue II and absolutely loves everything she gets to do with the literary & arts magazine. Along with her studies and editor responsibilities, she works full time in scholarly publishing, getting to contribute to the publication of scientific articles in journals.
What she’s looking for in submissions...
I look for poems that utilize poetic devices in a way that is specific & unique. I love poems that breast the boundaries and leave you feeling enchanted after you’ve finished reading them.
poetry editor
Aidan Mel is a writer living & working in the Greater Philadelphia area. He graduated from Elon University with a BA in creative writing and religious studies and is planning to continue his education by pursuing an MFA over the next few years. His work draws on his fascination with religion & mythology, examining the intersections between the two and their implications in his own life. Currently, he is working at an independent bookstore in Philadelphia, PA while continuing his writing.
What he’s looking for in submissions...
I’m looking for pieces that challenge our notions of truth. I also love stories that use their characters to explore our relationships to ourselves, to others, and especially to both people & place.
Aidan Melinson
short story editor
OUR CREATORS
OUR NEWSLETTER
Carolina Muse's Monthly Musings, is a monthly email newsletter for creatives! It features:
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Creative arts advice for all artistic mediums
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Carolina arts events
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Creative inspiration from our team
Currently, our editor-in-chief writes the newsletter each month. However, we are looking for a newsletter writer! If you're interested in this position, find more details here.