Deadline: December 30th, 2017!
Payment: 3 cents/word (CAD) and a contributor’s copy
Note: Canadian writers have preferred status but they aren’t only taking Canadian authors.

Edited by Kate Story and Derek Newman-Stille

To be published by Renaissance Press

 

Mary Shelley published Frankenstein in 1818, sparking the genres of horror and science fiction. On this, the 200th anniversary of its publication, the narrative is more relevant than ever. We live in an age where we need to ask critical questions about the limits of science. How do scientific pursuits relate to the body? Attention to issues of disability lead us to consider how identity relates to the body, and how the body can shift and change over time. Shelley’s bodily assemblage – a collective of parts given life – still shapes our ideas about ourselves, and about what we create to be our monsters. This anthology will gather together tales inspired by Shelley’s strange alchemy, lightning strikes of inspiration from Frankenstein. We are looking for a broad range of stories, from direct interactions with Shelley’s texts to explorations of the stitched, assembled body and narrative experiments in monstrous creations.

We Shall Be Monsters is a fiction collection that will feature explorations of disability through Frankenstein, queer and trans identity, ideas of race and colonialism. Shelley’s story provides a space for exploring a multitude of identities through the figure of the sympathetic outsider. Frankenstein’s “monster” is a figure of Otherness, and one that can tell stories of exclusion and social oppression.

Stories do not need to be JUST about Frankenstein or his monster. We hope to get stories that play with ideas around Frankenstein and inspired by the theme. Of course, we want some stories that deal with Mary Shelley’s text.

For this anniversary anthology, we are looking for short stories of 2000-7500 words in length, poetry up to 500 words in length, and graphic narratives (comics) up to 6 pages. We are only interested in previously unpublished works.

 

Renaissance Press currently offers 3 cents per word, but we are launching a Kickstarter to try to raise the amount that authors will be paid for submissions. You can support the kickstarter or encourage others to support it at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1357195744/we-shall-be-monsters-frankenstein-two-centuries-on

 

We are interested in new imaginings of the Frankenstein mythos. For example:

• What if Mary Shelley was the scientist who created the Monster?
• What if Frankenstein had finished making a mate for the Monster?
• What if the Monster had reached the “New World”?
• What if the Monster joined a circus?
• What if Frankenstein’s monster met Dracula?
• What if Dr. Frankenstein had created other monstrous assemblages before he created his “monster”
• What is it like to be Dr. Frankenstein’s lab assistant?
• What if Dr. Frankenstein had actually raised his creation?
• What if the military decided to weaponize Frankenstein’s Monster?

 

 

 

We want your stories of science gone wrong, your tales of monstrous creations, your imaginings about bodily assemblages, and other creations that your minds can create.

 

SUBMISSION DETAILS:

Your submission can be in any genre that suits the theme of your story.

Length: 2000 to 7500 words for short fiction, but it will be easier to place shorter works

500 words maximum for poetry

6 pages for graphic fiction (comics)

Payment: 3 cents/word (CAD) for original fiction, and a contributor’s copy.

Canadian citizens (living in Canada and/or paying taxes in Canada) and permanent residents of Canada will receive preferred status.

We encourage authors from a wide range of diverse voices and interpretations, including writers of colour and of indigenous/Native heritage, Francophone writers, writers with disabilities, LGBTQ2IA+ (or QUILTBAG or Queer-identified) writers, and new generation writers (aged 18-30).

No multiple submissions. If you received a rejection before the deadline, you may submit a new work.

We are looking for original fiction only. No reprints, please.

Submit stories in standard manuscript format as a .doc, .docx, or RTF with indented paragraphs, italics in in italics, and bold in bold. Include full contact information and word count on the first page. Include a cover letter (name, story title, and word count, contact information, previous publications) in the body of the email.

Submissions in English only, although stories translated into English are also acceptable.

Rights purchased: First English-Language Rights & Non-exclusive Anthology Rights (Print and eBook).

Indicate in the subject line: Submission: Story Title, Last Name.

DEADLINE: December 30, 2017

Please submit your stories to shallbemonsters@gmail.com

 

SUPPORT THE PROJECT

Remember that you can support the kickstarter for this project at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1357195744/we-shall-be-monsters-frankenstein-two-centuries-on

Via: We Shall Be Monsters.