Issue 8 — Soft Launch

In quiet recognition of International Women’s Day 2026 and its call to Give to Gain, our forthcoming issue turns toward reciprocity: what we offer, what we relinquish, and what becomes possible through acts of care, labor, and transmission.

We invite writing attentive to the economies of language and relation — the costs and generosities embedded in translation, lineage, mentorship, migration, and memory. We are drawn to work that understands gain not as accumulation, but as transformation: what deepens when something is given; what remains when something is risked.

Rather than fixed themes, we offer an atmosphere:
writing that listens closely;
writing that honors invisible labor;
writing that recognizes translation as an ethical exchange.

Submission Guidelines

For Issue 8, we are interested in work that understands exchange as formative rather than transactional. Writing that acknowledges the invisible labor of women — as translators, writers, editors, mentors — and the forms of knowledge sustained through care. Work that considers what is inherited, what is reshaped, and what must be surrendered so that something else may live.

We are looking for:

• Literary Translation (Korean to English)
• Critical Essays & Reflections (1,500–3,000 words)
• Interviews & Conversations
• Emerging Voices

Refer to Ongoing Call for Submissions for details.

Submissions are open until April 15, 2026 — 11:59 PM (Pacific Time).
New York — April 16, 2:59 AM
London — April 16, 7:59 AM
Berlin — April 16, 8:59 AM
Seoul — April 16, 3:59 PM

Submissions will only be accepted via the form below.

Ongoing Call for Submissions

Literary Translation (Korean to English)

We welcome full translations or excerpts (with permission). We are particularly interested in work that reflects on the ethics and textures of translation — what must be surrendered, reimagined, or carried forward when a text moves across languages.

Critical Essays & Reflections (1,500–3,000 words)

Essays that engage contemporary Korean literature through close reading, translation practice, thematic inquiry, or broader cultural contexts. We value writing that demonstrates intellectual generosity alongside analytical precision.

Interviews & Conversations

Thoughtful dialogues with writers, translators, editors, or scholars whose work contributes to the circulation and transformation of Korean literature globally — especially conversations that illuminate collaboration, mentorship, and shared labor.

Emerging Voices

We actively encourage submissions from early-career translators and critics. Selected pieces will be curated and edited in dialogue with the Nabillera editorial team, in keeping with our commitment to sustainable and reciprocal editorial practice.

What We Value

– Translation as a form of thinking
– Generosity without simplification
– Emotional nuance grounded in specificity
– Cross-cultural dialogue as mutual exchange
– Emerging voices with distinct critical perspectives

What We Do Not Accept

– Submissions not written or translated into English
– Previously published work (without prior agreement)
– Academic articles intended for peer-reviewed journals

Submission Guidelines

Submissions will only be accepted via the form below.
Please allow approximately 4–6 weeks response time, as we are a 100% volunteer-run platform.

For any other inquiries, get in touch with us here.