ITCH is a creative submissions magazine, which features a variety of writing as well as visual and multimedia work.

Submissions are loosely categorised as MetaText (non-fiction, essays, polemic, book reviews and more), SubText (narrative, short stories, plays and more), PreText (poetry, experimental writing, sound art and more) and NonText (graphics, drawings, photography, film, animation and more). Submissions are open to anyone. ITCH aims to create a space for creative expression and exchange; it is an experimental media project for you, and by you. Welcome, and enjoy.

Feedback to the editor is most welcome.

The theme for our next issue has been announced:

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Writers of any persuasion and artists working in any medium are invited to interpret, explore, describe or ignore the dollar sign (a symbol so implicity plural that it solicited tripling as our theme). Full details on how to submit here. Submissions open unitl 8 February 2009.

The * issue of ITCH Online is live. I hope you enjoy it. Check back again as new articles may be added in the next few days.

Thank you to everyone who submitted work for the * issue. The deadline has come and gone and all submissions are currently under consideration. Authors/artists will be informed shortly of the outcome.

That said, if you would like to make a case for a late submission (especially of TEXT pieces), please contact the editor.  Otherwise, keep your eyes on our InterText section, where we will be announcing our next theme in due course.

ITCH magazine, along with its sibling Bell-Roberts publications Art South Africa and Snapped, has become an offical South African media partner of the Colophon 2009 We Love Magazines Symposium. The symposium celebrates excellence and innovation in the independent magazine industry, and will take place in Luxembourg in March 2009.

Submissions are currently open for our  *  issue, and a wide range of interesting pieces have been filling the editorial inbox. But at present, visual submissions outnumber words by about five to one. Where is the writing? Wordsmiths: pick up your pens, delve into your archives, speak to, or at, or against, or through the humble asterisk. Don't let text be footnoted by the graphic...

The deadline for submissions is September 7. Full details here.

ITCH would like to welcome its new book reviewers to the creative expressions fold. We look forward to publishing their literary views and book reviews here, for your reading pleasure. In their own words:

Karina Magdalena Szczurek is a writer and literary critic. She lives in Cape Town with her husband, author André Brink, and their three cats: Mozart, Salieri and Glinka. 

Lisa Witepski is a total book fiend. From beach schlock to biographies and the kind of novels that change your outlook on the world, if it has words, she'll read it. 

Publishers, to have your book reviewed please contact the editor to arrange it. We still welcome one-off book reviews as regular submissions.

Tucked away in the corners of this first issue are two features that contain multimedia elements, taking our text / image campaign to a new level of movement / sound. Team Tar Baby's short film stretches text to include script, performance, dialogue and sub-titles.  Tamlyn Martin's image / poetry artwork adds an additional layer to its iteration: an audio recital. Pop in your headphones, look for the tell-tale "play" button, click it, and enjoy.

Can't do THAT in a paper magazine... ;)

The UK Poetry Society's National Poetry Competition 2008 is now open for entries. Although called the National Poetry Competition, it is open to anyone internationally. Now in its 31st year, the sought-after poetry prize attracts entries from around the world and offers to anyone who enters the opportunity to discover their own potential as a writer. All entries are read by leading poet-judges. The prize is £5000 - past winners include Michael Hulse, Carol Ann Duffy, Jo Shapcott, Ruth Padel, Ian Duhig and the current winner Sinéad Morrissey.

More information here.

Applications are invited for a book reviewer, based in South Africa, to receive and review new titles from South African publishers. If you have a love of writing and literature, experience in critical review, and are interested in having your literary opinions published on ITCH online, please contact the editor with a 200-word motivation and a 500-word sample of a book review you've written.

Outlandish, left-field, non-traditional, fresh literary perspectives are actively encouraged. We can't pay, but you will get to keep the complimentary sample copies of new books (what more could a book-worm wish for?). Book reviews will go into the MetaText section of the site. 

Incidentally, book reviews from other readers are welcome too. Just send it in as a regular submission, check the guidelines here.