TINT Q&A // Amro Alkado has never been a thrill seeker in the traditional sense, and that is probably due to his unstable start in life, but some of the most adventurous moments in his life came from enforced change. Learn more about the author of “The Malwiya” at tintjournal.com/about/writer...

Joining our tinted community is as simple as signing up for our newsletter 💌 Keep up with Tint Journal's latest news and more at tintjournal.com/about/newsle...

TINT NONFICTION // Bora Hah is a novelist, essayist, and screenwriter. Her work, focusing on painting portraits of Koreans, was a finalist for the Kim Yong Literature Award, and a runner-up for the Viet Thanh Nguyen Writing Contest. Read her poem at tintjournal.com/flash-nonfic.... Art by Vanesa

Our editorial team is now busy reading the many different takes on our Fall '26 issue on "nurture". Thank you for submitting your work to Tint Journal ✒️ This time, we received a total of 307 written submissions that adhered to our guidelines. We look forward to curating Issue 16!

SUBMIT YOUR WORK ‼️ NOW ‼️ for a chance to be featured in our 16th issue on "nurture"! Submissions officially close on May 31, 2026, at midnight (CEST) ⏰️ Set your alarm clocks, read the open call description at tintjournal.com, review your work, and send it via email at [email protected].

TINT Q&A // Daniel Garcia Rosales's favorite book as a child was Paulo Coelho’s "The Alchemist". It had enough philosophy to make him want to read literary fiction, and enough fantasy for genre. Learn more about the author of "A Bridge Between" (Tint Spring '26) at tintjournal.com/essay/a-brid....

TINT POETRY // Penny Wei is from Shanghai and Massachusetts. She has been recognized by Longfellow House, The Word Works and more. Read her poem "Daughter of Bays and Hills" at tintjournal.com/poetry/daugh.... Art: "Scream" by Doris Ash

As the deadline approaches (May 31), we ask our new followers or writers who have yet to submit to consider what our editors are looking for in submissions! Find more details of their responses on Instagram @tintjournal. Interested in submitting to "nurture"? Visit tintjournal.com/submit!

🚨 Our open call on "nurture" is only open for 7 more days! Swift through your drawers, polish that story or poem that meets the theme, and send it our way. Share your short stories, creative nonfiction essays, flash and poetry, written in ESL, as well as your artworks until May 31, 2026!

AUTHOR Q&A // The author of "The Sleeping Fox" (Tint Spring '26) loves being able to create things that encapsulate moments of her life with such vivid colours and words. Learn more about Francesca Chiari at tintjournal.com/about/writer....

ONE WEEK LEFT until our upcoming edition of our reading series Tinted Tales, live in Graz on May 28, 2026, at Café Erde (Andreas-Hofer-Platz 3, 8010 Graz), starting at 7 pm! Have you saved the date?

TINT FICTION // Jayden Bird is a writer of fiction and poetry from Germany, where they share their home with an opinionated feline overlord and keep finding cat hair in their coffee. Read their short story "Promise Me Always" at tintjournal.com/short-story/.... Art: Untitled by Jack Bordnick

2 MORE WEEKS until our submissions close! We invite non-native English writers of all geographical and cultural backgrounds to challenge typical views of nurture, and open our eyes to the many forms that shape our societies and inter-species habitats. Art: Vanesa Erjavec

TINT Q&A // Athena Melliar explains that Gnossiennes for Satie is the quest for knowledge through art, in particular music, and alludes to ancient Greek traditions. Learn more about the author of "X-humation" (Tint Spring '26) at tintjournal.com/about/writer....

Curious about what our editors want to read in this submission cycle? Swipe left to find out what Tint Editor-in-Chief Lisa Schantl and Prose Editor Matthew Monroy are looking for in our current open call on the theme of "nurture"! Stay tuned for Part 2! 😉

TINT NONFICTION // Aizhan Yesbolatova is a Kazakhstani writer. Writing in English as her third language, she explores cultural belonging, motherhood in displacement, and identity from a Central Asian perspective. Read her essay at tintjournal.com/essay/the-bi.... Art: Benjamin Malay

TINT Q&A // The reasons why Olga Ruchina started writing are a bit unclear. . For her, writing provides a sense of immortality, which is a comforting perk when battling a fear of death. Learn more about the author of "Dust" (Tint Spring '26) at tintjournal.com/short-story/....

TINT POETRY // Niki Orfanou is a Greek-born writer based in London. Her plays have been shortlisted in international competitions. Her children’s book Le Petit Ivan was a finalist for the Prix des Libraires du Quebec. Read "scorpio season" at tintjournal.com/poetry/scorp.... Art by Dubakaite

Not sure where to start with your "nurture" submission for our open call? We hope this simple submission checklist helps you get started! Don't forget that our open call closes on May 31 (midnight, CEST) ⏰️ Visit tintjournal.com/submit for the full submission guidelines and open call description.

Here’s the line-up for “Tinted Tales” Spring ‘26! Authors: Nawel Abdallah, Olja Alvir, Margo Gritt, Serena Piccoli and Vincent Ternida Music: a beautiful place Moderation: Andrea Färber and Lisa Schantl More information about Tinted Tales can be found at tintjournal.com/about/news/t....

TINT Q&A // Oindrila Ghosal's most vivid memories of her childhood are the sleuth books penned by Satyajit Ray, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dame Agatha Christie. Learn more about the author of "The Perfumers" (Tint Spring '26) at tintjournal.com/about/writer....

TINT NONFICTION // Paulina Jarantewicz is a Polish writer. Off the page, she’s passionate about travel, the outdoors, and finding meaning in both everyday moments and spontaneous adventures with friends. Read her essay at tintjournal.com/essay/algori.... Art: "Melancholy" by Kateryna Bortsova

We are accepting submissions for visual artwork to be included in our Fall '26 issue on the theme of "nurture"! This includes photography, drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and any other form of visual art. Read the FULL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND THEME DESCRIPTION at tintjournal.com/submit.

TINT IN CONVERSATION // Jhumpa Lahiri, born to Bengali parents, started writing in English. Sabyasachi Roy had a look at the acclaimed author's trajectory and portrayed her for our In Conversation section. Read the full author profile at tintjournal.com/profile/jhum....

AUTHOR Q&A // Aida-Flavia Ciucaș has always lived a rather simple life, focused on studying and becoming a better version of herself. Learn more about the author of "crying with an apple in my hand" (Tint Spring '26) at tintjournal.com/about/writer....

If you've recently visited our website and explored our Tint Spring '26 issue, you may have noticed an exciting new feature at the bottom of the literary texts. You can now download your favorite tinted texts as PDFs and read them offline on your phone, laptop, or e-reader! Try it at tintjournal.com

TINT FICTION // Mark Budman is a refugee writing about immigration, aging, and chronic pain. His books include My Life at First Try (Counterpoint Press), An Accidental American Odyssey, and more. Read Mark's short story at tintjournal.com/short-story/.... Art: Audrey Holmes

Share your short stories, creative nonfiction essays, flash and poetry, written in ESL, as well as your artworks from April 20 to May 31, 2026 (midnight CEST) with us to be considered for Tint Journal's 16th issue on the theme of "nurture"! Please review tintjournal.com/submit for FULL guidelines.

AUTHOR Q&A // Depending on her mood, Somrwita Guha listens to the sound of rain, waves crashing, or a crackling fire. She puts on her earphones and starts writing, and over the past few years, this has been how she has written every word. Learn more about Somrwita at tintjournal.com/about/writer...

SURPRISE! One more week until Tint Journal starts accepting regular submissions for the next issue: Tint Fall '26 🍂 To see the types of work we publish, check out our current and past issues published at tintjournal.com. We're so excited to read your work ⭐ Who's already planning on submitting?

TINT POETRY // Malavika M Nair is a 21-year-old undergraduate hailing from a very wooded nook of the Western Ghats hills in the south of India. Read Malavika's poem "Alba" at tintjournal.com/poetry/alba. Art: "Detour Moon" by Robin Young

TINT IN CONVERSATION // "If you’re willing to read beyond your own bubble, beyond comfort [...] then A Love Story From the End of the World will hit hard." - Jana Yin Read Jana Yin's full book review of Juhea Kim's "A Love Story From the End of the World: Stories" at tintjournal.com/review/love-...

⭐ Tinted Tales: Reading across cultures | Thursday, May 28, 2026 | Graz, Austria 💜 We are looking for a singer-songwriter who would like to join us with a couple of songs at this edition of “Tinted Tales." Learn more at tintjournal.com/about/news/t....

It’s time for another edition of our hybrid reading series “Tinted Tales: reading across cultures.” On May 28, we invite a set of ESL authors who were previously published in our tinted digital pages to read and perform at our annual reading series. Learn more at tintjournal.com/about/news/t....

AUTHOR Q&A // Through Alice in Wonderland, the author of "Papanca" (Tint Spring '26) learned to see beyond the ordinary, to explore strange and original ideas, and to let her curiosity guide me. Learn more about Pamela Smith at tintjournal.com/about/writer....

Happy National Poetry Month to all our writers and readers 💜 In our Spring '26 issue of Tint, we feature 9 poems written by ESL writers from different parts of the world! Celebrate ESL poetry with us and read the texts at tintjournal.com.

TINT NONFICTION // Cookie Noh is an award-winning author of four poetry anthologies. Their work has been supported by the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, the Center for Cultural Innovation in California, and Seoul Arts Foundation. Find them at windproofrudder.substack.com. Art: Viviana De Cecco

This list of daily affirmations serves as a love letter and reminder to all ESL writers to proudly and confidently share your valuable stories with the world 💜 Keep creating! The rest of the affirmations are on our Instagram page @tintjournal 💫

AUTHOR Q&A // Jee Ann Guibone needs music to keep her going when she's writing. It’s the same when she's writing an emotional scene. She listens to really sad or melancholic songs to immerse herself in the moment. Learn more about the author of "A Year in Tokyo" at tintjournal.com/about/writer....

Huge CONGRATULATIONS to Jowita Bydlowska, author of "Proof of Magic" (Tint Spring '26), on her memoir release today 🎊💜 Support Jowita and purchase a copy of Unshaming published by Penguin Random House Canada or download the audiobook version at www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/771472...

TINT POETRY // A Pushcart Prize nominee, MK Kuol is a self-taught poet from South Sudan whose work has appeared on ANMLY, Beach Chair Press, Rough Diamond Poetry Journal, Kalahari Review and elsewhere. MK tweets (rarely) @mk_kuol14. Read the poem at tintjournal.com/poetry/sappho Art: Sievers

AUTHOR Q&A // Melissa Luz doesn’t think she started writing because she had a clear goal. It wasn’t like “I want to be a writer.” It felt more urgent than that. Learn more about the author of "To Hold the Falling Light" (Tint Spring '26) at tintjournal.com/about/writer....

🌸SPRING GIVE-AWAY🌸 For a chance to WIN a Tint Spring Bundle (access to full-length audios from #15, tote bag, bookmarks, stickers): 1. Follow us on Ko-fi/Instagram 2. Drop a comment to our release graphic with your so-far best read of #15 Entries are accepted until April 1, midnight (CET) 💜🎊

TINT FICTION // Jowita Bydlowska is the author of Unshaming (March 2026). She’s also a prolific short-story writer, journalist and a mentor. Born and raised in Poland, she moved to Canada and writes in her second language. Read her story at tintjournal.com/short-story/.... Art: Johannes Gerard

Flowers are blooming and temperatures are slowly rising: Spring is finally here! Last month, we asked the tinted team about any spring-themed recommendations they might have for our readers. 4 editors have contributed: Lisa Schantl, Candice Louisa Daquin, Trang Dinah Tran, and Sabyasachi Roy 🌸⛅️

Are you ready for a daily reading challenge? Join our Tint Spring '26 Bingo and read as many texts as you can from our current issue! We can't wait to see you participate! 🤩 Red boxes refer to poetry, yellow boxes indicate fiction, and green boxes represent nonfiction. Read now at tintjournal.com.

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all writers and artists who submitted their work to us. We further thank all who we chose to include in Tint Spring '26 for agreeing to publishing their work with Tint Journal! Last but not least, we would like to thank all our editors and volunteers 💜

With issue 15, we can now call 86 locales* officially tinted! We send out a very warm welcome to the writers of Guatemala, Moldova, and South Sudan. *See our Mission at tintjournal.com/about/our-mi... to find out why and how we use “locale”

OUT NOW: Issue Spring '26 🎊 The latest issue of Tint Journal, the award-winning literary magazine for English as a second language (ESL) writers, is out today! Find all texts online and for free at tintjournal.com 🌐

Have you marked your calendars? There are 3 more days until the release of Tint Spring '26! Here is a sneak peek of what's awaiting you in Issue #15 💜