The Scattered Pelican is the double-blind peer-reviewed graduate journal of the Comparative Literature program at Western University. As an interdisciplinary journal, it commits to a pursuit of scholarship that offers diverse and deep engagement with numerous media and objects of study. In a world full of disruption, we are seeking to provide a space for dialogue and connection that can be charted and explored in various forms.

To help with this exploration, we are happy to announce that The Scattered Pelican is accepting creative work submissions for its upcoming issue. The submissions can be any form of media as long as they address the themes of this issue in a deep, intellectual manner, or raise relevant questions. Creative writing pieces (Poetry, Short Fiction, Creative Essay, etc.) must be up to 1000 words, while visual art submissions (Painting, Photography, Mixed Media, etc.) must be accompanied by a 500-word reflective artist statement, briefly expounding on the philosophy of their work (how it is dealing with the theme), as well as the process and challenges of its creation. Although multimedia submissions (Video Poetry, Music, Short Film, etc.) are accepted, they will be judged against more strict criteria, due to difficulties involved in their publication.

The creative work submissions must explore the disruption of being human in the age of AI. Disruption, as we define it for this issue, is “the act or state of rendering or being rendered asunder, as an interruption to the regular flow, and as an ongoing act of disorder.” These days, we are constantly being disrupted as humans, and as humans in the Arts & Humanities, and we have limited outlets to deal with this disruption. We welcome works that are shaped by disruption, or a result of disruption. Examples of topics that deal with this theme are:

• AI as a form of disruption
• “Vibe” as something exclusively human
• A ‘vibe check’ into the current state of the Humanities
• The disruptive relations of humanity and Humanities in the age of AI
• Adapting to disruption: how to survive and create during an age of rupture?
• The importance of Arts & Humanities in a world that tries to make them obsolete
• Creativity as resistance within a world of Algorithms
• Creation as survival within a world of disruption
• How to be human within disruption
• The new tools of the Humanities: emerging platforms and interacting with them
• Creativity as “vibing” with the current world
• Any other topic relevant to the general theme beyond these few examples

Eligibility and Deadline:

• We welcome submissions from graduate students, independent scholars, emerging artists, and Arts & Humanities researchers.
• We welcome creative works in all languages, if they are accompanied by an English translation, and the “reflective piece” must be written in English.
• The deadline for submissions is April 10, 2026.
• Please submit your work using our submission form, along with a 50-word biography.

We cannot wait to receive your creative submissions,

The Editorial Team of The Scattered Pelican