Non.Plus Lit

Nonplus: verb

Surprise and confuse (someone) so much that they are unsure how to react.

From the Latin, Non Plus translates into “No More.” The phrase was traditionally used to describe when someone in an argument had been taken as far as they could go, leaving one party with nothing left to say. 

In the introduction to The Best American Poetry 1997, James Tate writes “the act of writing poetry is the search for the unknown.” We want poems that enter that search fearlessly, or full of fear, or without recognition, and pull us along until we end up where we never could have imagined— realizing there was never another possible destination. 

We’re fans of the surreal, the bizarre, the funny-tragic, the surprisingly heartbreaking, the where-the-hell-did-this-come-from and I-never-knew-I-needed-this, type of poems. Any topic, any form, any voice: we just want you to take us somewhere we’ve never been, to leave us nonplussed with nothing left to say.

As a magazine, and as a group of people, Non.Plus Lit is opposed to all forms of oppression. We support Black Lives Matter, and all facets of Black liberation: the abolition of police and the prison industrial complex, resources for those who are incarcerated, and rejection of racism within our literary community. We will not accept any work that is racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, or contributes to the oppression of any marginalized group in any way. If this is part of your poetry, or your ideology, this is not your magazine.  We strongly encourage young poets and members of underrepresented groups such as LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, and disabled poets to apply.

Our Inspirations

Some young poets who inspire us: Diana Khoi Nguyen, Ruth Madievsky, Hieu Minh Nguyen, Hanif Abdurraqib, Ben Mirov, Hannah Gamble. 

Slightly older poets: James Tate, John Ashbery, Bob Kaufman, Jayne Cortez, Bernadette Mayer. 

We also strongly value international poetry, some examples being Federico García Lorca, Tomaž Šalamun, and Miyó Vestrini. 

So…

We’re not just asking for experimental poetry, we’re asking for poetry that moves us. We look forward to reading your submissions!