ARTISTS FROM MARYLAND 2025: In Review

Aldrin Badiola

— 2 min read

Dear readers of Artists from Maryland,

This is the second year since I started this magazine. I think of Artists from Maryland as one of my greatest prides and joys, because of how many people I have come to know. Before I discuss the statistics for this year, I have the following people to thank:

  • nat raum, for being a great inspiration to continue the work of editing
  • Diamond Abrams, for being one of the judges for Issue 2, and being one of my closest local writing friends
  • My friends, who have supported me through the hardest times of my life
  • Everyone I have published in the past two years, for supporting this dream and supporting each other

Now, for the statistics!

I read through seventy submissions this year! A good majority of them were also read by Diamond Abrams and nat raum for our Issue 2 Contest (read the results here).

I featured seventeen different artists: nat raum, Kay Mi, Matthew Herskovitz, stephanie anderson, Hayley Igarashi Thomas, Breasia "Bree" Boyd, Judith Skillman, Ashley Elizabeth, Kelci Tillman, Kyrico, Davin Faris, Elisabeth Arzt, Craig Kirchner, Claire Westerman, Jack Gross, Amelie Simard, and Una Zelić!

I distributed $415 USD to Maryland-based artists! $250 came from a successful grant application.

I nominated writers from the past two years for three awards: Best of the Net, the Genrepunk Awards, and the Monarch Literary Awards! If you missed them, the nominations are as follows:

  • Best of the Net: Otis Sprow, Patricia Adelizzi, Kay Mi, Hayley Igarashi Thomas, Kelci Tillman, Judith Skillman, Kyrico, nat raum
  • Genrepunk Awards: Kelci Tillman, Kyrico, Jordan Byrum, stephanie anderson, Hayley Igarashi Thomas, Breasia "Bree" Boyd, and Ashley Elizabeth
  • Monarch Literary Awards: Jenna Nesky, Ashley Elizabeth, Jordan Byrum, Kyrico

Special congratulations to Hayley Igarashi Thomas for winning the Genrepunk Haunting Award with "Thanks for Your Patience"! Find out more here at Genrepunk Magazine's website and check here to read her winning story!

In the coming new year, I want to take Artists from Maryland where I haven't taken it before. We've already started our digital microchapbook series (check the three we've already published here), and we have a solid publishing schedule!

If you want to support Artists from Maryland, please, do at least one of the following:

  1. Tip us when you submit on our Duosuma page! Any tip helps!
  2. Spread the word about us! Share your favorite pieces of writing that we've published this year, and share our submission opportunities with whoever you can!

I appreciate every single person who has submitted work to us, and every single person who has read anything we've published. We hope you stick around and invite some more friends.

I am happy to call this state my home. Have a great new year, and I'll see you all in January 2026, where we'll hit the ground running with a prose piece from JC Ambrose!

All the best,
Aldrin Badiola
Editor-in-chief of Artists from Maryland