On July 2, Wollongong-based poetry and arts organisation Baby Teeth Journal celebrated seven years of publishing in the Illawarra.
Artist, owner, and editor Lore White founded Baby Teeth Journal in 2017 with a clear mission: to provide a platform for marginalised voices.
“The driving force behind the project is to share art from those who are rarely seen in mainstream media,” Lore says.
The journal has become a valuable part of Wollongong's arts community, collaborating with local organisations such as the South Coast Writers Centre, Wollongong City Council, Enough Said Poetry Slam, Society City and EnbyLife Journal in Queensland.
“Despite being smaller than somewhere like Melbourne, Wollongong has a wildly talented and conscientious arts scene. Being part of that community has made me a better artist, and made Baby Teeth what it is," Lore says.
“The beautiful thing about the community is that we’re not in competition. It’s hard for it not to create wonderful things.”
Baby Teeth Journal opens submissions for publishing every month and asks readers for a small fee. Half of reader fee proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders to support medical aid for Palestinians.
“Submissions are usually theme free, but when I have an idea for a themed round, I try to make it a bit more special,” Lore says.
“In the past we’ve run themed rounds for erotica and a round that was only open to trans people, and we have themed projects like No Love Lost – a zine of love poems written about relationships that have since ended,
“Theme-free rounds often, interestingly, form their own themes. There are theories about things ‘having their time’ – I think that’s true, that things in the public consciousness show up thematically in very different pieces of art.”
Baby Teeth Journal was born in 2017 through the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, which aimed to assist Australians develop and launch their own small businesses.
“Ask anyone in indie publishing and they will tell you that funding is the biggest challenge,” Lore says.
“The majority of Australian literary publications get most of their funding from the Government, but that pool is only getting smaller and more competitive.
“Baby Teeth manages to fund its basic running costs without grants, which is pretty rare. I run the journal completely unwaged – which leads to the second biggest challenge, finding the time to manage an arts publication while still needing a day job.”
Baby Teeth Journal aimed for a low-and-slow style of growth, keeping things locally minded as much as possible, but has gathered thousands of followers and submissions since its inception.
“It’s already in a pretty small niche so from the get go there was no expectation of having viewers in the millions," Lore says.
“It’s been amazing to see the audience grow from a couple hundred to a couple thousand, and to see people from all over the world submit art.”
Baby Teeth Journal welcomes artists and readers to submit work monthly, and stay in the loop by becoming a member on Patreon.
“As a first publication for a lot of emerging artists, I hope Baby Teeth continues to give people the confidence to put their work out into the world," Lore said
“I hope they enjoy the art we publish, and are inspired by it. I also hope that readers get an insight into lives and experiences different from their own.
“It’s been amazing to see artists I’ve published celebrate debut novels and poetry collections, or go on to win huge awards. The journal has a few mentions in acknowledgment sections at the back of books that have blown me away!”
Artists and art lovers can find Baby Teeth Journal online at babyteethjournal.com, Patreon, Facebook and Instagram (@babyteetharts).
Strange Folds Zine Fair in Spring
In September, Baby Teeth Journal is excited to be running the second Strange Folds Zine Fair. The event is a collaboration between Baby Teeth Journal, the South Coast Writers Centre, and Society City Wollongong. Last year's fair was an amazing gathering of some brilliant and talented artists, stall holder applications are open now if you want to be a part of the 2024 event!
More info at: www.babyteethjournal.com/strangefolds
