Collaborative world-building through powerful plants
The Poison Garden is a biannual anthology that releases new volumes in March and September. Two issues are presently available for purchase online and in retail stores, and two more will be joining the project in 2026.
Personal journeys are incredible, but there is magic that happens when we allow these plants to build community through different voices. Collaborating is where myths are born, where we can overlap our stories to deepen our own relationships with the plants and each other.
These are the plants once held as sacred by humans and immortalized in art and story, but now the attention given to them is negative or fearful.
It is time to remediate their reputation and strengthen the community of people who appreciate the depth that poison plants offer.
The Poison Garden pays artists, writers, and editors
Our contributors are instrumental in developing the direction of each issue.
In return, contributors are paid for their work. Writers receive 0.125 cents per word for their essays. Artists receive $100 for licensing a piece or up to $300 for a commission. We also have editors available to work closely with each contributor.
With the rise of AI in media, we are dedicated to financially supporting humans so they can continue to work in their creative fields. (We also don't accept work that uses AI!)
Our ethics
We genuinely care about our impact on the world, and our publishing principles reflect it.
We prioritize diverse voices. We don't tolerate plagiarism, discrimination, or white-washed narratives. We opt out of selling through Amazon and big box stores in favor of supporting small retailers and locally owned shops.
Each issue is printed in the USA by an employee-owned carbon neutral company. Our shipping materials are recyclable.
How to get involved
The next call for entries will be in 2027. We will announce it here and via our newsletter once the timeframe is open.
We will be happy to review any unpublished work or pitches during the call for entries period. Prior experience with publishing is not required; we're here to help. While we print in English, we work with contributors from all over the world and encourage you to apply even if you are not fluent. We are interested in any media that can be translated into print.
For legal reasons, we cannot publish any material encouraging the ingestion of these plants.
There are no submission fees. You can submit as many pitches as you'd like during the timeframe.
If you are interested in editing or retailing for the Poison Garden, we encourage you to reach out through our contact form and introduce yourself.