Poetry & Art for Mental Health Awareness
Beyond The Veil Press
Beyond The Veil is an invitation to peer into the mysterious unknown.
The press was founded by two SCAD graduates in March 2021 and publishes poetry & art for mental health awareness. They publish creators all over the world, especially LGBTQ & BIPOC, and seek to build a global community.
Most recently, we launched a ClubQ benefit anthology (Feb 15th), featuring queer & trans voices, with proceeds going to Victims First: Club Q Victims Fund.
10% of anthology book sales to featured mental health non-profits.
Individual authors receive a 60/40 split. Any other profits go into running the press. Our staff is all volunteers who are passionate about the poetry community. 🖤
PUB DATE FEB 15 2023 - WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE: Queer & Trans Voices - ClubQ Benefit
An anthology of poetry & art featuring queer & trans voices, expressing grief, rage, resilience, and love for the community in response to the ClubQ shooting in Colorado Springs.
Meet The Team
SARAH HERRIN | OWNER / Editor / SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING / Graphic Designer
IG: @_sarahherrin
Sarah (they/them) is a queer poet based in Colorado. They are a survivor of rape & PTSD.
Herrin has published several poetry chapbooks including One Thousand Good Answers (Sunday Mornings At The River) & The Oceanography of Her (Papeachu Press) and individual poems with Pile Press, Ouch! Collective, Querencia, blood moon POETRY, East French Press, and more.
Their background is in storytelling and creative writing (BFA/SCAD). Herrin continues education through workshops at Hugo House, Lighthouse Writers, The Poetry Lab, Community Building Art Works.
AJ WOJTALIK | Newsletter / Anthology Editor
IG: ajwojtalik.poetry
AJ (she/her) is a writer from Colorado who finds peace while exploring the sacred in the ordinary. She balances her craft with raising a remarkable teen wolf and a pack of animals, and rambling around in nature as much as possible — all of which shows up in her writing (and her zoom calls).
She has worked as an editor and consultant for a couple of small presses and loves to connect art and community, so after a series of biscuit brunches she joined the BTV team in Feb 2022.
KRIS KAILA | VIRTUAL EVENTS & WORKSHOPS
IG: @krisesque_life / @my_novelesque_life
Kris (she/her) is a queer Punjabi/Canadian poet & writer and book reviewer & blogger. She can be found taking workshops and occasionally leading them, reading and watching the same shows and movies over and over again.
After surviving several traumas, she finds writing about her mental health helps in the healing and self-compassion journey.
Kris is also the Educational Coordinator with The Poetry Lab.
TYLER HURULA | IN-PERSON EVENTS
IG: @theprettypinkpoet
Tyler (she/her) is a queer and polyamorous poet born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She is the author of poetry chapbook: Love Me Louder.
When not writing, she is likely befriending the neighborhood cats or cross-stitching. She values connection, authenticity, and vulnerability, and tries to encompass these values in her writing and everyday life.
SALEM PAIGE | WEBSITE DESIGN & UPDATES
IG: @corpseofapoet
Salem Paige (they/them) is a queer Canadian poet, artist, and designer. They spend their time watching copious amounts of reality TV, reading sci-fi anthologies, and napping the afternoon away.
Salem writes about exploring creative and queer identity, using visceral and sublime raw imagery.
Salem is also a web designer for Common House literary magazine and flo. literary magazine.
MR BITEY | MASCOT / MANAGER
Mr Bitey (aka Hero) met Mx Herrin through a pet finder website - yes, like online dating. His profile claimed he was playful, outgoing, cuddly, and liked 'run.'
He also likes to bite as was later discovered. Mr Bitey is frightened of most sudden noises and gets a puffy tail at least twice a day. He enjoys chewing on light switches, toilet handles, Christmas cactus, and that springy door stopper thing.
Mr Bitey was adopted in Seattle in 2017 (age 1) and lives in Colorado with Mx Herrin.
Members Formerly Known As
JOSIAH CALLAWAY | CO-FOUNDER / ARTIST
IG: @josiahcallaway
Mr Callaway (he/him) is the legendary designer of the Mr Bitey Logo. He also collaborated with Mx Herrin on the artwork for the illustrated poetry collection Anti/Muse and was the mastermind behind the Kickstarter Project that began the Press in March 2021. He lives and makes art in NYC.
Bookshop
PUB DATE FEB 2023
We Apologize For The Inconvenience
Queer & Trans Voices Anthology
An anthology of poetry & art featuring queer & trans voices, expressing grief, rage, resilience, and love for the community in response to the ClubQ shooting in Colorado Springs.
Featuring poetry and artwork from 50 creators around the world.
Proceeds to Victims First: Club Q Victims Fund
PUB DATE SEPT 2022
HERETIC By Kristy Webster (Bookshop)
A Story of Spiritual Liberation in Poems
Should you want to leave, / you must first break / the soft, terrible neck / of your own fear.
Queer Latina author Kristy Webster's first chapbook, Heretic in an incendiary collection of poems following the path of liberating oneself from a religious cult. Webster writes to reclaim her power, to uncover the grave of herself and climb into the moonlight, transformed into something more than human.
PUB DATE JUNE 2022
TEA WITH MY MONSTER (Bookshop)
Our 2nd mental health awareness anthology
Tea With My Monster contains poetry, art, and prose. It is a whopping 162 pages, featuring 64 poets & artists from across the globe. This collection speaks on themes of mental health awareness including struggling, coping, and healing. By sharing our stories, we learn that we are never alone.
10% profits to OutRight International
PUB DATE NOV 2021
THERE IS A MONSTER INSIDE THAT I AM LEARNING TO LOVE
Our 1st mental health awareness anthology
Our first anthology, There Is A Monster Inside That I Am Learning To Love, weighs in at 80 pages and features 35 poets & artists from around the world. It focuses on mental health through the lens of monsters.
10% profits to Mental Health America
PUB DATE NOV 2022
Our 3rd mental health awareness anthology
In How to Heal a Bloodline, we discover the voices of cycle breakers boldly naming their wounds and facing their demons. - Kristy Webster, Heretic: a spiritual liberation in poems
Featuring poetry and artwork from 50 creators around the world. The theme centers around hope and healing during the Covid pandemic years.
10% profits to Mind Out: LGBTIQ+ Health Australia
PUB DATE SEPT 2022
Digital Download
This digital coloring book features 10 illustrations from our poetry chapbook Anti/Muse by Josiah Callaway. Each artwork prints at 11x8.5 (landscape) and has space for your own poem, journaling, or sketching. Instant PDF file download so you can print and color right away.
PUB DATE SPRING 2022
ANTI/MUSE by Sarah Herrin & Josiah Callaway
An illustrated poetry chapbook
Sarah Herrin's poetry book includes artwork by Josiah Callaway. These 30 poems will take you on a journey from the depths of heartbreak and betrayal to the reclaiming of self and purpose. Originally only available in hardback through Kickstarter, we have produced a revised paperback version.
Merch!
MR BITEY ENAMEL PIN
DISCOUNTED MISPRINTS
Art PRINTS
STICKERS
and MORE in our etsy shop.
etsy.com/shop/btvpress.
Submit Your Work
Anthology 5 Submissions OPEN!
Chapbook Submissions closed until 2024.
CHAPBOOK SUBMISSIONS
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR: manuscripts around 30 poems (plus or minus a few is okay) that center around the topic of mental health awareness. We want to hold space for your vulnerability, rage, resilience, courage, grief, love, mental health struggles, and healing. We prize elements of craft and poems that have been carefully revised. (Sorry - we're not a fan of rhyming.) We want to love and promote your book as if it were our own.
PAYMENT: $10 reading fee.
COMPENSATION: Our chapbook authors receive 60% of profits, the Press receives 40%. (Individual chapbooks do not donate to a non-profit.) Author will also receive 10 free copies of their book.
DEADLINE: FEB 28, 2023. Winner(s) will be notified in March.
if selected, We will:
- design your manuscript to match our brand
- help source cover art if needed
- promote your book on social media & our website
- take it to events with us
- give you 10 free copies (more can be ordered at cost)
- have at least one launch party, either virtually or locally.
Please include in your email:
- Word doc/docx. size 10 or 12 font; Times or similar legible font.
- start each poem on its own page. (multiple page poems are fine.)
- an author bio
- table of contents
- acknowledgements page if needed.
- trigger warning if needed.
please paypal $10 reading fee (@btvpress). Email manuscript to: btvpress.submissions@gmail.com with subject line "Chapbook Submission".
As a queer-owned press, we want to help support marginalized voices. LGBTQ+ and BIPOC identified are encouraged to submit. If the reading fee is a barrier to you, please let us know. 🙏💜
Any questions, please email, or for a faster response, DM us on Instagram: @beyondtheveilpress. To get a specific idea of what kind of work we like, check out our previous chapbooks or Instagram.
We can't wait to read your work! Thank you!
SUBMISSIONS OPEN MARCH 1 - 31st
ANTHOLOGY 5 THEME: IDENTITY
ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS
How does mental health affect your identity? What other unseen aspects change or anchor your identity? How do others see you vs. how do you see yourself?
All work remains your own.
Simultaneous submissions are okay.
No previously published work (unless it has been significantly reworked) - we want your shiny new stuff.
NEW: If we have published your work twice in the past, please
leave space for others to share their voices. Please consider
submitting your work as a chapbook instead!
SUBMIT: Email btvpress.submissions@gmail.com at least 3 to 5 poems and/or pieces of art that represent your experience with mental health in relation to this theme. Please do not submit only ONE poem or piece of art - we want a fair representation of your work. You may submit both poetry and art.
PLEASE INCLUDE:
- YOUR NAME in the file name. (ex. mrbitey_poetry.pdf)
- All poetry in a single Word doc or docx. Send artwork separately as a .jpg.
- a 50-word THIRD person bio to be printed in the back of the book.
PAYMENT: We use a Pay What You Can scale. Your payment helps support the press and makes a difference
in mental health awareness.
Pay What You Can Tier 1 - $3
Pay What You Can Tier 2 - $5
Pay What You Can Tier 3 - $10
Optional: Add $15 ($25 for international) to preorder the final copy and be sure to include your address — includes shipping.
Our staff works on a volunteer basis, so we cannot offer cash payment.
Contributors receive a free digital copy and the opportunity to purchase one print copy at a discounted price.
In addition, 10% of all anthology sales are donated to a featured mental health non-profit.
Events & Workshops
MARCH 2023
APRIL 2023
PAST EVENTS:
MONTHLY VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS
Creative Services
We Offer
Need a fellow poet and artist to help you out with manuscripting or design? We got you!
MANUSCRIPT
DRAFTING
#1 MANUSCRIPT DRAFTING
Do you have piles of poems lying around and feel overwhelmed by the task of putting them into a manuscript? This service will give you a polished final draft that can be self-published or submitted to publishers.
Sarah Herrin (they/them) is our Owner/Graphic Designer/Editor and holds a BFA in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art & Design. Working in tandem, Sarah will help you organize and define the narrative of your collection, carefully proof-reading and rearranging until the pages fit cohesively.
They have put together 4 anthology manuscripts (~80 pages), have self-published 1 book length (~100 poems) and 1 digital zine, as well as drafted manuscripts for several chapbooks. Storytelling is their passion and they truly (perhaps obsessively) enjoy the challenge of putting each collection together. (They also enjoy organizing the fridge aka Fridge Tetris).
Includes:
- arranging poems into a sequential order that makes sense for the over-arching theme and narrative of the collection.
- 1st draft and 2nd draft, during which you may give feedback on how the manuscript is coming together.
- a polished final draft in Word docx and PDF files ready to send out to publishers.
Does Not Include:
- editing or feedback on individual poems.
Requirements:
- a selection of poems (more or less) that you feel are ready to submit to publishers. Ideally, you have revised again and again until you feel each word and every line break is as good as it’s gonna get.
- an idea of the overall concept you want the manuscript to have. Can it be connected with a common thread?
Rates:
Micro-Chapbook (~10 poems) - $75
Poetry Chapbook (~30 poems) - $150
Book Length Poetry Collection (~80 poems) - $250
HOW TO MAKE AN INQUIRY
Email Sarah Herrin with the Subject Line: Creative Services Inquiry and please include the following:
- the service(s) you are requesting.
- tell us about your project; What is the main theme? What is the message you want to convey to your readers?
- any questions you may have about the process.
COVER DESIGN
#2 FRONT & BACK COVER DESIGN
If there's one thing Sarah loves more than manuscripting, it's cover design. With a background in visual storytelling, fine art, and graphic design, Sarah will work with you from concept to final draft to create the perfect cover for your collection.
Includes:
- defining the concept; font choice, color scheme, image layout.
- 1st draft and 2nd draft, during which you can provide feedback and identify any changes you wish to make.
- final PDF and .jpg files ready for print.
- two digital mock-ups of how your book will look in real life.
Rates:
- for print & ebook: $60
- for print OR ebook only: $45
Requirements:
- know what size you want to print your book (and standard ebook size)
- have at least vague idea of the theme and main colors you want to use.
Need something that isn't included? Let's discuss!
Timelines and deadline will be agreed upon before signing a contract.
All files created will remain copyright Beyond The Veil Press and will be acknowledged in teeny print on the copyright page (which is included in the manuscript service).
Your work remains your own. Always.
We look forward to working with you!
Mental Health Resources
If you know of a mental health resource we should have on our list, please contact us. Thank you!
[WEBSITES]
GENERAL MENTAL HEALTH
Wanna Talk About It - Sexual Violence & Relationship Abuse; Mental Health & Well-Being; Self-Harm & Suicide
Anxiety & Depression Society of America
Mental Health Is Health – Immediate articles and help.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Active Minds – Mental health awareness and education.
Mental Health Colorado - an advocacy organization.
LGBTQ SPECIALISTS
Queer*Asterisk – Queer-informed counseling services, educational trainings, and community programming.
OutBoulder - supporting LGBTQ+ communities in Boulder & beyond.
The Trevor Project – Crisis intervention and suicide prevention for youth.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
AddictionResource.net (LGBT-Friendly)
Co-Occurring Disorders and Substance Abuse
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Helping Survivors of Sexual Assault and Abuse
RAINN - The nation's largest anti-sexual violence org.
Rape Hurts Foundation - Excellent Help, I Can’t Do This page worth reading.
[BOOKS]
The Body Keeps The Score – Bessel van der Kolk
Healing Trauma – Peter Levine
Journey From Abandonment to Healing – Susan Anderson
Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma, and Consensual Nonmonogamy – Jessica Fern
[PODCASTS]
Where Is My Mind? – Niall Breslin
The Savvy Psychologist: Quick & Dirty Tips – Jade Wu
The Hilarious World of Depression – John Moe
The Happiness Lab – Dr. Laurie Santos
2021-2023 Beyond the Veil Press