Welcome to the Blankverse

Daisy Alioto introduces Dirt’s new publication about books and the culture around them.

In 2024, Dirt published many standout pieces of literary criticism and fiction. As we refocus our flagship newsletter on entertainment and streaming, it just makes sense to give books coverage its own home in the dirtyverse. Today, we are excited to introduce Blank, a publication about books and the culture around them. (You’ll automatically get Blank with easy instructions to unsubscribe while still receiving Dirt.)

In 2025, books are not just books but also experiences. We have literary perfumes, hats and runway collaborations—not to mention the dozens of celebrity book clubs. It’s important to have a place to talk about this shift. Even while the internet is flooded with slop and the pathway to be a successful middle class author seems newly impossible, the idea of a “book” as a container for taste and status has never been more powerful. 

Dirt wants to be a platform for great literary criticism for criticism’s sake—despite the number of wonderful publications already out there, it truly never feels like there are enough. We also want to look at the meta-narratives that surround publishing, pushing harder on the economics and quantitative assumptions that drive the industry (did you know most titles sell fewer than 5,000 copies?) 

Further reading: Madeleine Crum on Sheila Heti, Terry Nguyen on Tony Tulathimutte, and Michelle Santiago Cortés and Hilton Als in conversation about James Baldwin

We want to treat indie publishers like Rose Books and Nightboat Books with the same attention and rigor as the so-called Big Five. We want to publish short fiction that tickles that place in the back of your skull where beauty meets body and we really don’t care if you’ve heard of the person that wrote it. It will be weird. It will be fun. It will give you hope that digital publishing isn’t just the lingering scent of a dead era. 

To start, Blank will publish twice a month. Our goal is for you to hear from the extended dirtyverse (Dirt, Prune, STRUNG and Blank) at least once a day without flooding your inbox. 

We want to leave space for special projects, like The Nightlife Review and our iPhone Notes anthology with Night Gallery. This is the best and most strategic way for us to stay true to our mission as a media company that operates like a streetwear brand. (Are you a brand with an idea to collaborate? Get in touch at [email protected]!) 

Our first contributing writer will be Greta Rainbow, who previously wrote about Alt Lit and Cy Twombly at Gagosian for Dirt. Elsewhere, she has written about Maya Man’s net art, Janet Planet, and La chimera. Learn more about Greta on our podcast, Tasteland, where she guested in January. 

How are we supporting this? SO glad you asked, because it’s an important part of the story. Our launch partner is Chantelle. Chantelle is a creative studio that has been designing lingerie since 1876. Family owned since inception and headquartered in Paris, Chantelle is passionate about designing and manufacturing lingerie for women of all ages and body types. They are truly a dream partner and we’re excited to be a literal manifestation of their 2025 campaign, Something More. ^Ⓡ 

SUBMIT TO BLANK

I’m sure you’re wondering how to pitch Blank! We recently redid our submission guidelines for all Dirt Media publications so it’s clear what we’re looking for.

Standard essay rates start at $0.50/word, negotiable for reported pieces. Q&As are paid out at $250. We also publish short fiction in the 1,000 to 3,000-word range. Past stories include Splitting the Rabbit by Erin Somers and Our Funeral by Stephanie Wambugu.

For fiction submissions, please email [email protected] and include “FICTION” in the subject line. We typically pay $250 for fiction.