Refrain is a magazine focusing on art that exists on the fringes of our culture. We work directly with writers to develop unique column concepts, and facilitate the production of this content directly on the Refrain website. We currently feature in music, film, mixed-media, and poetry/prose.

We accept column submissions in the format of 4 week, 8 week, 16 week, and 1 year formats.

Why We Chose Refrain

Refrain is interesting because it can mean two separate things. Inside of poetry and writing, a refrain is a poetic device that usually repeats a phrase to emphasize it. In terms of actions, to refrain is to stop yourself from doing something you might have regularly done.

Through this word, we wanted to reflect some key aspects of Refrain and it’s magazine platform. One important aspect of this word that reflects both meaning, is in the context of listening. To refrain, is to take a step back and let other energies take this space. For us, this is an essential part to dismantling capitalism and we understand how important the practice of listening is to shared histories.