Coreopsis Journal of Myth & Theatre
Journal of the Mythic Arts
Call for Papers: Spring 2026: Tales of the Cosmos. Songs of the Stars.
Accepting submissions for Volume 14, Number 1
To ancient Chinese fancy, the Milky Way was a luminous river, – the River of Heaven, – the Silver Stream. Lafcadio Hearn, “The Romance of the Milky Way”, 1905, The Atlantic.
Credit: “Young Stellar Object”
NASA/ESA/The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
Call: Tales of the Cosmos. Songs of the Stars.
This issue is dedicated to the folklore and mythology of the cosmos. From planetary and constellation-naming conventions to the progression of the Equinoxes and the tilt of Earth’s axis, as long as there have been humans looking at the sky, there have been stories about the lights we find there. In ancient cultures, the dead walked the “starry path” of the Milky Way. Arianrhod of Welsh legend held her “spiral castle” in the heart of the Corona Borealis. The North Star and the Southern Cross have aided navigators to explore the world for centuries. The Seven Sisters, Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Electra, Maia, Merope, and Taygete, were the daughters of Atlas who were placed in the heavens to protect them from Orion the Hunter.
Wishing upon a star, shooting stars, falling stars, astrology, magic and alchemy, and we are all stardust; the stars shift and change meaning with time and culture.
We once understood time by the appearance of certain stars. Ursa Major heralds the spring in the northern hemisphere and the Summer Triangle, Deneb,Vega and Altair, appear when summer has arrived.
In literature, film and popular culture, we fancy that we have a special star of our own or that we can travel through them, seeking new worlds and even living among the star systems on ships and in habitats. Or we imagine being visited by explorers from afar.
This coming spring 2026, we are seeking papers, essays and book reviews that explore the lore of the cosmos from across cultures and times. This journal accepts papers from many disciplines and is welcoming of all faiths and philosophies. We publish 3-5 papers per issue that have been peer-reviewed according to academic standards. Final submissions should be 3,000 to 10,000 words. If you have a finished paper ready for submission, send it directly to “editors” coreopsisjournalofmyththeatre@gmail.com and place “Submission: Songs of the Stars” in the subject line.
Please prepare your paper for blind peer review. Artists and scholars are welcomed in the pages of Coreopsis Journal. Please note: Essays from artists do not have to be prepared for review. As Coreopsis Journal is a web-based publication, we can accommodate samples of both audio and video performances.
It is recommended that all writers and artists wishing to submit to Coreopsis Journal familiarize themselves with the guidelines before submission. Our submission guidelines are here: http://societyforritualarts.com/coreopsis/submissions.
Photography and Illustration https://societyforritualarts.com/coreopsis/arts-multimedia/
Coreopsis is a highly visual publication and we love to pack each issue with tons of big, bold images.
Please clearly label whether your paper or essay is submitted for peer review, as an editorial, or as a music or book review. Papers submitted for peer review from scholars must be in APA style and prepared for blind review following these guidelines: http://societyforritualarts.com/coreopsis/papers-for-peer-review-2/. Visual art submission guidelines: http://societyforritualarts.com/coreopsis/arts-multimedia/
Coreopsis Journal is published twice yearly by The Society for Ritual Arts. Never for profit.
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This journal and her editors, referees, readers, staff, and Advisory Board members work, to the best of our abilities, under the guidelines for scholarly publications as set forth by The Committee for Publication Ethics Code of Conduct for Journal Editors. Download the PDF “Code of Conduct for Journal Editors” to learn more: https://publicationethics.org/