FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

incite

< FA Q > Last Updated: February 2020 x x x x x x x x x x

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This FAQ should answer all your questions, even the ones you didn’t know you had.

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Skip to General Writing Art Finances Contact

ferquently asked questions

Incite Magazine is McMaster University’s creative writing and arts publication. It features personal essays, fiction, poetry, commentary, interviews, photography, paintings, digital art and more. We aim to unite a community of creatives by promoting self-expression, collaboration and dialogue within our campus and the city of Hamilton. Every aspect of Incite’s writing, graphics, layout, video and event production is carried out by our student volunteers.

GENERAL where can i pick up incite?

on the map.

Incite holds a launch party for each issue we publish where you can pick up your free copy. Event information (location, etc.) will be released via email and social media. After our launch party, copies of Incite Magazine can be found on stands across campus. Find them with this map. If you’re having trouble getting a copy, just ask us and we can get you one.

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can i change my idea?

yes.

But please be sure to let your content editor or art manager know ASAP!

can i submit multiple pieces?

no thanks.

Due to restrictions on our volume size, we ask that each contributor submit a maximum of 1 piece of writing and 1 piece of art per issue.

Ocasionally, eceptions are made for art.

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how often does incite publish?

2(and a half).

Incite publishes in print two times a year — once in the fall term and once in the winter term (previous to vol 22 we published three times per year).

For the first time this year, we are publishing an online-only staff issue in February between our two print issues.

does incite publish everything?

almost.

Generally, if you are a member of the McMaster community and sign up and submit your drafts on time, your work will be published.

Your piece does not need to be of a certain “calibre” in order to be accepted; we will work with you one-on-one to help you make your piece the best it can be.

Incite reserves the right not to publish content which is potentially harmful to our readers (hate speech), we will not publish any kind of advertisement and we look for our pieces to have some kind of creative intent or artistic merit (not a page of your physics homework). incite

can i publish anonymously?

sure.

You can publish under a psudonym or with no credit at all. Just let us know by the time you send in your final draft.

is incite online?

you bet.

Yes, every issue of Incite Magazine is available online here.

<W R I T I N G > how do i submit my writing to incite?

When you sign up, please provide your name, your email address, a brief description of the piece you want to write and an approximate word count. The description can be as short as a few words or as long as a paragraph. You do not need to have your piece already written in order to sign up. All you need is an idea. e.g. a short story (around a page long) about the near distant future when Jeff Bezos has invented time travel and introduced pre-emptive shipping. I get a mysterious package in the mail from my future self.

Once you sign up, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be matched with a content editor, who will get in touch with you soon after the submission deadline with more information about the editing process. Your content editor will be working with you one-on-one to help you develop your ideas and refine your piece for final publishing. The general timeline is that a couple days after your editor contacts you, you will be asked to send them a pitch, or a longer and more in-depth description of your idea. The pitch is optional but is generally very useful to you and your editor as a jumping off point for discussing your piece. About 1-1.5 weeks later will be the deadline for you to send your first draft to your editor. They will send you their first edits 4-5 days later, and you will be expected to send them your final draft about 5 days after that. Exact due dates will be provided to you by your editor in their initial email.

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ferquently asked questions

Once the theme for an issue of Incite is announced, the issue is officially open for submissions and you can sign up to contribute in one of two ways. You can sign up in-person at our brainstorming meeting, which typically takes place 1-2 weeks after the theme is announced. You can also sign up electronically by emailing us before the given submission deadline, typically 1-2 days after the brainstorming meeting.

<W R I T I N G > can there be swear words in my piece?

how closely do I need to stick to the theme?

loosely.

what if i have multiple ideas for a piece?

heck ya.

we can help.

Speak your truth.

As long as your idea connects with the theme in some way, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay with us. The theme is meant to inspire rather than restrict you, so take your creative liberties.

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does incite provide content warnings?

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definitely.

Incite requires content warnings for content dealing with suicide, self-harm or abuse. Other content warnings may be applied as decided on a case-by-case basis.

If we feel your piece will require a content warning, your content editor will bring it up and discuss it with you early in the editing process.

is there a word limit?

not really.

As a contributor, you will propose a word limit to a content editor and it will be approved so long as it is reasonable (not an 8-chapter novel or single-letter poem).

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If you are having trouble deciding between ideas, let us know your ideas when you sign up and your editor can help you pick one.

can i submit writing that has already been published?

absolutely.

Just make sure itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay with the other publication (e.g. another magazine, your personal blog).

what if my piece is already written?

no problem.

It will still need to go through the full editing process, from pitch to edits to final draft.

<W R I T I N G > incite

how do i submit my art to incite?

Incite Magazine obtains its artwork in three different ways — art production, art curation and art submission.

Art production occurs on an issue-by-issue basis, whereby a specific piece of art is created by students based on the theme of that issue. Students typically attend our brainstorming meeting to gain inspiration for their piece, after which they follow a set timeline in accordance with the production cycle. If you didn’t make it to our brainstorming session, but still wish to contribute art to the next issue, send us an email with your idea and we will pair you with an art manager who will explain the contribution process in more detail, and be in touch with you along the way.

Art curation is done by Incite’s art managers, who curate pieces from a pool of student portfolios. If you would like to submit your portfolio for consideration, please share your information by email. Any type of digital portfolio is welcome (Instagram feed, deviantart, google drive folder, website, etc.).

Art submission occurs when students submit artwork they previously created via email. Artwork should only be submitted if it aligns with the given theme for the issue. Incite’s art managers will then contact students if their piece is selected for publication.

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Are there any technical specifications I need to follow?

What’s the timeline for art production?

Following the brainstorming meeting, students are typically given 3 days to submit a brief description and rough draft of their idea to our email. After this, students are assigned to an art manager, who will guide them through the remainder of the production process. Final copies of artwork are typically due 10 days after submission of the rough draft. More detailed due dates are available at each brainstorming meeting and sent out to our mailing list via email.

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All artwork should be sent in at the highest quality possible (dimensions as large as possible, in the 2000–3000px+++ range, are preferred). All digital art files should be 300 dpi or higher.

Your art manager can advise you on how to obtain a high quality image of your art.

FINANCES how is incite funded?

students.

Incite is funded by an approximate $1.02 levy collected from each McMaster student as part of their tuition, amounting to around $18k per year depending on student opt-out percentage and enrolment. Prior to the Student Choice Initiative (SCI), we received about 25k per year. We request and receive our funding on an annual basis via the Student Representative Assembly (SRA). Prior to the 2019-20 year, Incite received its funding as a non-MSU club, but has since been ratified by the McMaster Students Union (MSU).

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FINANCES how exactly do you spend your money?

take a look. $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

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We disclose our total budget for students to see each year.

Follow these links to find our breakdown.

Inciteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finances for 2019-20 can be found here Inciteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finances for 2018-19 can be found here

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who are we?

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Neda Pirouzmand editor-in-chief content

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content editors Sara Emira Grace Kang Srikripa Krishna Prasad Katie Lee Lubna Najm Sowmithree Ragothaman Ariella Ruby Adam Sapa

Matty Flader editor-in-chief creative

Manveer Kalirai

art managers

layout director

Sabrina Jivani Sandy Luu larissa Shular Sarah Stewart Rebecca Zhong

Elena Wells

communications director

Tenzin Gyaltsen

layout editors Lily Green Saadia Shahid

treasurer

events planner Shayna Sujanani

email: incitemagazine@gmail.com mac email: incite@mcmaster.ca facebook: facebook.com/incitemagazine instagram: instagram.com/incitemagazine twitter: twitter.com/incitemagazine issuu: issuu.com/incite-magazine

how can i join the staff team?

Inciteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff is typically made up of five teams: the Editorial Board (i.e. the executives), Content, Art, Layout and Communications. Applications for our Editorial Board are released around April or May. Applications for the rest of our staff are released around June or July. All applications will be released electronically via our mailing list and our social media.

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ferquently asked questions

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