Blackbird Journal

ALT A white graphic bordered in turquoise featuring an excerpt from The Body Politic by Elie Keller. The passage reads in italics: “Do you mean that I’m creating all of this? Is this garden my fault? or Was that fly’s soul good or bad? or Is that all that I am? A sick body and a sick soul?” At the bottom, text notes: Nonfiction / Blackbird v23n4, with a small blackbird silhouette.

ALT A black-and-white portrait of Elie Keller. She stands in front of a tree trunk, looking directly at the camera with a calm expression. Her curly hair frames her face, and she wears a patterned sweater and a necklace.

ALT Illustrated graphic with colorful upright books in green, yellow, orange, and purple on a soft textured background. Large black text reads: “Blackbird: An online journal of literature and the arts — Literary Podcast.” Below, bold text says: “OUT NOW!”

ALT Pastel background with a white text box announcing that the debut episode of the Blackbird Literary Podcast is available to stream anywhere you get podcasts. Encourages viewers to check the event flyer for a launch party happening Friday. Blackbird logo at the bottom.

ALT Bold purple and pastel background graphic with the Blackbird logo. Large colorful text reads: “Blackbird Literary Podcast Launch Party!” Event details list the location (Shop Two Three, Richmond, VA), date and time (August 15, 6–8 PM), and performances from podcast team members Anna Leonard and Miri Sluis, plus poetry readings from VCU faculty Devon Walker-Figueroa and Edgar Kunz.

ALT Colorful artwork titled El Ritual by Cesar Piedra, featuring a painted geometric design with circular patterns and bright yellow dots, draped with patterned textiles and topped with two Modelo beer bottles. Blue background with gold confetti and black text reads: “Cesar Piedra’s El Ritual Featured in the 2025 Best of the Net Anthology!”

ALT Split design on a bright blue background. On the left, a black-and-white portrait of artist Cesar Piedra with long hair, wearing a button-up shirt, looking at the camera. On the right, a large quotation in white text where Piedra discusses using fiber materials to challenge expectations of masculinity, soften his works, and create a dialogue between hard and soft textures. Below the portrait, text reads: “Cesar Piedra on Mixed-Media and Accessibility.”

ALT Blue wavy background with bold black text: “Announcement: SUBMISSIONS OPEN NOW! All Genres Welcome.” Blackbird journal logo at the bottom.

ALT Text on a pastel background: “Blackbird’s Literary Podcast Launch: Save the Date! Swipe for more info.” Blackbird journal logo at the bottom.

ALT Text box on pastel background: “The debut episode premieres August 12th, 2025. Launch party on August 15th at Shop Two Three.” Blackbird logo below.

ALT Pastel background with text: “Launch party features live performances from the Podcast team and poetry readings by new VCU faculty. Celebrate creativity, community, and new beginnings!” Blackbird logo at the bottom.

ALT Graphic with a soft blue wavy background. Text reads: “Announcement: SUBMISSIONS OPENING SOON — August 1st, 2025.” Includes the Blackbird journal logo at the bottom.

ALT The text “Blackbird 23.3” over a detail of the new issue’s cover image: "The South, where we live," by Roberto Jamora