Submission Period: September 1st 2013 – November 30, 2013
Payment: 5 cents (CAD) per word and two contributor copies

Silvia Moreno-Garcia will be editing Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse, an anthology of Canadian post-apocalypse stories for Exile Editions. The editor is interested in stories from 2,000 to 10,000 words. Stories must be set in Canada and written by Canadian authors. Canadians living abroad must indicate their status in their cover letter. Please indicate if you consider yourself any of the following in the cover letter: Aboriginal writer, culturally diverse writer, Francophone writer, new generation writer (definitions below).

What is the post-apocalypse?

By post-apocalypse we refer to fiction set after a great disaster such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, ecological collapse, etc. Mary Shelley’s 1826 novel The Last Man is considered the first work of modern apocalyptic fiction, but many have followed in her footsteps in both print (The Hunger Games, I Am Legend, The Road, Oryx and Crake, etc.) and film (Mad Max, Waterworld, The Book of Eli, etc.).

Fractured is interested in the Canadian post-apocalypse. Will the waters rise and swallow Vancouver? Will Nunavut become a jungle? Will Toronto be under the rule of our new robot overlords?

Caveat: I won’t say no to zombie stories, but if you sent me a story for Dead North I don’t want to see it again. Sorry.

Must the stories be bleak?

No! The post-apocalypse could be very good for some people. If we had another ice age, for example, the Inuit might adapt and survive it better than people in the south. Remember that in The Day of the Triffids people went blind because they stared at the meteor shower? But if you were already blind, wouldn’t you have an advantage, then?

What do you want to see?

Stories that explore a diversity of scenarios and settings, from small rural communities to large cities. Protagonists from all walks of life: senior citizens, POCs, etc. How would they cope with the apocalypse? I have an interest in stories with strong heroes and creative scenarios.

Submission details

No multiple submissions. Stories must not have been submitted elsewhere for publication consideration (exception: stories may be simultaneously submitted to the $15,000 Vanderbilt/Exile Short Fiction Competition – year four opens Oct 2013 – sponsored by Exile Quarterly/Exile Editions. see www.TheExileWriters.com for submission details). Will try to respond quickly.

Length: 2,000 to 10,000 words.

Reprints: considered if material has appeared in journals and magazines, but NOT book form (collections, anthologies, etc). Payment of $50 for reprints. Indicate where the story first appeared and when in cover letter.

Send as .doc, .docx or .rtf with indented paragraphs, italics in italics and bold in bold (no underlining). Full contact info and word count on the first page. Include a cover letter (name, story title and word count, contact info, notable credits) in the body of the e-mail. Also include a brief biography and indicate if you are an Aboriginal writer, culturally diverse writer, Francophone writer, new generation writer. Submissions in English only. Stories translated into English are fine.

Please do not send poetry, plays, novels. Short stories only.

Open to submissions starting on September 1, 2013. Deadline November 30, 2013.

All acceptances or rejections will be sent before February 1, 2014. Do not query before that.

Payment is 5 cents (CAD) per word and two contributor copies, to be issued within 30 days of release of the anthology. Expected release date for the anthology is Summer/Fall 2014.

Send all submissions to silmorenogarciaATgmail.com; no paper subs . Subject line: Submission: Fractured: Story Title, Last Name.

Look for periodic submissions updates and tips at Silvia’s blog, silviamoreno-garcia.com.

Definitions

• Canadian: Canadian permanent residents, Canadian citizens, Canadians living abroad. Canadians living abroad must indicate their status in their cover letter.
• Aboriginal: Means status, non-status, Métis and Inuit people.
• Francophone: Someone whose mother tongue is French and still speaks it.
• Culturally diverse: People of colour. The term is defined by the Government of Canada as “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.”
• New generation: Between the ages of 18 and 30.

[via: Silvia Moreno-Garcia.]