OPEN : Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L) & Associated Imprints
2025 Pushcart Prize Nominations
As the Senior Associate Editor of OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L) and a member of the Acquisitions Committee for the O:JA&L Free Presses, I have written to the Pushcart Prize Committee to nominate the following exceptional works, published in OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L) or under one of its proprietary imprints, for individual Pushcart Prizes. During this year, I have had the privilege of reading countless submissions, and the pieces submitted here have stayed with me long after the date of release to the public.
Each piece is a powerful representative example of its genre, (poem, flash story, short story, essay) that explores complex features of human existence and offers a unique perspective on human experience and motivation.
These novel and nuanced pieces elicit both emotional and intellectual responses in the audience. The works challenge readers to reconsider their own assumptions about how to interpret the world around them.
Congratulations to our nominees, and to our readers, please enjoy the works offered below by these nominees. I am confident that these works are of enduring quality and that each is highly deserving of a Pushcart Prize.
Jeff Streeby
Senior Associate Editor at OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L)
O:JA&L 2025 Pushcart nominees:
Poetry:
Sean Wang “Ring Work”
Mykyta Ryzhykh “leviathan”
Tuhin Bhowal “The Canyon at Gorge”
Poetry: All forms & styles||Tuhin Bhowal|”The Canyon at Gorge”
Flash discourse:
Colin Dardis “Letter to a Fellow Poet” (chapbook excerpt see pp. 11-12)
Short story:
Darrin Doyle “The Boys Who Danced”
Prose Discourse: Fiction|Short Story||Darrin Doyle|”The Boys Who Danced”
Experimental Discourse (Nonfiction as Essay):
Jill Darling: “Shiver Parallel, or A Shadow”
These projects were made possible, in part, through support from
Grayling and Wraith, a growth marketing company.
OJAL Art Incorporated, publishing since 2017 as OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L) and its imprints Buttonhook Press, HOT BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Issues, and HIGH BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Art, supports writers and artists worldwide.
O:JA&L’S BUTTONHOOK PRESS MASTERS SERIES
Click on the titles below to explore or download the free PDF chapbooks in the O:JA&L Masters Series.
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Brian Clements on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Mark Budman on Flash Discourse
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Ray Gonzalez on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Michael Martone on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Roberta Allen on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Peter Conners on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Maxine Chernoff on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Pedro Ponce on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Tom Hazuka on Flash Fiction
With an interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
MORE TITLES IN PRESS
