Share your corner of the Pacific Northwest.

Whether you've lived here your whole life or only recently arrived, Settling into PNW Roots is a community zine celebrating the people, places, and quiet moments that make the Pacific Northwest feel like home.

What I’m Looking For

The theme is intentionally broad: life, belonging, and community in the Pacific Northwest.

I'm especially excited by work that notices the ordinary beauty around us.

Some ideas include:

  • Personal essays or reflections

  • Poetry

  • Photography

  • Paintings or illustrations

  • Sketchbook pages

  • Nature journaling

  • Recipes connected to place or family

  • Letters

  • Maps or neighborhood walks

  • Local history

  • Gardening

  • Wildlife encounters

  • Seasonal traditions

  • Field notes

  • Mixed media

  • Anything else that captures your relationship with the Pacific Northwest

Professional experience isn't necessary. Curiosity is.

Need Inspiration?

Think about...

  • your favorite ferry ride

  • the first place that made Washington, Oregon, or British Columbia feel like home

  • rainy mornings

  • moss-covered sidewalks

  • blackberry picking

  • tide pools

  • neighborhood coffee shops

  • mountain views

  • campfires

  • local parks

  • farmers markets

  • community gatherings

  • family traditions

  • the smell of cedar after rain

  • the quiet joy of noticing something beautiful on an ordinary day

Submission Guidelines

  • Original work only.

  • Multiple submissions are welcome.

  • Previously unpublished work is preferred, though not required.

  • Digital files are preferred (PDF, DOCX, JPG, PNG).

  • Please include a short description or artist statement with your submission.

  • Selected contributors will be credited unless they request anonymity.

A Small Note

Settling into PNW Roots is an independently created and self-funded project. Every copy is designed, printed, folded, assembled, and bound by hand.

Because of my limited printing capacity and production budget, I won't be able to include every submission in the printed edition. Every piece, however, will be read with care and gratitude.

This project has always been as much about building community as it is about publishing a zine. Even if your work isn't selected this time, I'm sincerely thankful you chose to share a piece of your world with me.

Rights & Permissions

By submitting your work, you confirm that it is your original creation and that you grant permission for it to be reproduced in Settling into PNW Roots: Volume II if selected. You retain ownership of your work.

If your submission is selected, I'll contact you before publication with any questions and to confirm how you'd like to be credited.

Submission