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Taking Submissions: Inclusive Future Magazine Issue 1

Deadline: July 15th, 2021 Payment: 8¢ a word for original work, 4¢ a word for reprints Theme: Visions from a Gender-Inclusive Future Note: Trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer artists and writers Note: Reprints Welcome About Issue 1: Visions from a Gender-Inclusive Future Inclusive Future Magazine is an anthology of speculative prose, poetry, and art in the guise of a pop culture  magazine from the future. IMAGINE: It’s the year 2068, and we’ve achieved gender equality in the broadest sense. Not only are  genders outside the binary widely acknowledged and accepted, but people of all genders are paid equally for equal work, have equal opportunity, are included in scientific studies, and are marketed to equally. You are writing and making art from this future, roughly fifty years from now, and you are submitting a piece of work to an international culture magazine whose target audience includes English-speaking adults of all genders living anywhere in the world.    What does this gender-inclusive future look like? What language do we use around gender? In what ways have our societies been reshaped in order to include people of all genders? How might inclusion look different in different cultures and systems (including religious ones)? How might advancements in science and technology change our perceptions of gender? What challenges might trans, non-binary, and genderqueer people still face and be fighting to overcome? ​ While your submission does not have to be about gender, it definitely needs to contain elements that make it gender-inclusive. A simplistic example: a pop science article about Mars colonization that uses pronouns beyond the binary. Via: Inclusive Future Magazine.

Taking Submissions: Electric Spec August Issue 2021

Deadline: July 15th, 2021 Payment: $20 per story Theme: Electric Spec prefers science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. Please don't query us about your story submission. We don't have the manpower to answer such queries. An editor will email you back as soon as possible with the decision about your story. This can take a few days, or, up to three months. We make every effort to get back to authors in a timely manner but we get a lot of submissions so sometimes it's not possible. A note on our editorial policy: before publication we may work with the author to edit the story for length or readability. However, we always remain true to the spirit of the story and the author has final approval. Issues are published at the end of February, May, August, and November. We reserve the right to shift publication date slightly, as necessary. We have reading periods for each issue, though we never close to submissions. February closes January 15 May closes April 15 August closes July 15 November closes October 15 Please do not submit the same story more than once, and please submit only one story at a time. We consider any story between 250 and 7000 words with speculative fiction elements. We prefer science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. We do not consider poetry, stories with over-the-top sex or violence, serials, novels, fan fiction, or non-fiction. We don't accept multiple submissions; in other words, only submit one story at a time and wait for a response before submitting another. We accept simultaneous submissions as long as you let us know up front and tell us as soon...

Taking Submissions: The Cellar Door Issue #1: Woodland Terrors

Submission Window: July 1st - 15th, 2021 Payment: $25 Theme: Horror/thriller stories that take place in or near the woods. The Cellar Door - Issue #1: Woodland Terrors Compiled and Edited by Aric Sundquist Submissions: July 1 - 15, 2021 (EST) opening soon The Cellar Door is a biannual digest of dark, speculative fiction. Each issue will contain 8 to 10 stories based around a specific theme and will include a brand new story from a featured author. The majority of the digest (80%) will be filled from the open submissions. Title: The Cellar Door - Issue #1: Woodland Terrors Theme: Horror/thriller stories that take place in or near the woods. Type: Creature feature, thriller/suspense, gothic/ghost story, serial killer, witchcraft, cult, cosmic horror. Featured Author: Daniel Barnett Word Count: 2,000 - 7,500 words. Payment: $25.00 + digital copy. Rights: We are seeking first time rights for 1 year after publication. After that time all rights revert back to the author. The publication will appear in both print and digital formats and will eventually be reissued in The Cellar Door Compendium. Reprints: None. Previously unpublished only. Multiple Submissions: None. Simultaneous Submissions: None. Please wait until you hear back from us before submitting your piece to another market. File Format: Include your story as an attachment in MS Word, LibreOffice, or Rich Text Format. Manuscript Format: Use the Modern Shunn Format. Include a short bio in the body of your email. Your subject line should read, WT Submission: ("Title") by (Author's Name). For Example, WT Submission: "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. Attach the story as a separate document. Response Time: 3 - 4 weeks after submissions close. Submission Period: July 1 - 15, 2021 (EST). Stories sent before or after will be deleted unread. Send Submissions to: darkpenpress (at) gmail (dot) com Influential Movies: The Evil Dead, The Ritual, Dog Soldiers, Here Alone, The Edge, Wrong Turn, The Blair Witch...

Taking Submissions: Untethered

Deadline: July 15th, 2021 Payment: $25 Theme: Fun stories about horses, magic, and magic horses—unicorns, winged horses, horses, donkeys, zebras… basically anything in the Equus genus will do. Untethered will be filled with fun stories about horses, magic, and magic horses—unicorns, winged horses, horses, donkeys, zebras… basically anything in the Equus genus will do. And, as the name suggests, I want the stories to be a little untamed, a little wild. I’m looking for whacky, whimsical, funny or feisty stories to bring a little levity to some tricky times. That is not meant to imply you shouldn’t explore real conflicts and issues, but all stories should have happy endings. Open for Submissions: June 2021 Extended to July 15, 2021 Expected Publication: Spring 2022 Story Length: up to 7,500 words Payment: $25 USD + electronic contributor copy Simultaneous submissions = okay. Multiple submissions = no. Previously published stories will be a tough sell but I’m willing to consider them. Please include the details of when and where they were originally published in your cover letter. Submit here: https://niteblade.submittable.com/submit/195708/untethered via: Rhonda Parrish.

Taking Submissions: Fearful Fun

Deadline: July 15th, 2021 Payment: $10 Theme: Horror with a blend of fun themes Thurston Howl Publications is now accepting submissions for its seventh volume of its HOWLERS series, Fearful Fun. Deadline: July 15, 2021 Word count: 2,500-8,000; a little above and a little below will be acceptable In the past, our HOWLERS series played some Gruesome Games, but we were thinking about other ways people could have fun. A carnival. A circus. An escape room. An amusement park. A haunted house attraction or corn maze. And each of these has its own history in horror. Movies like FREAKS, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, and ESCAPE ROOM. The Legend of McKamey Manor. Remember those times we were all scared of killer clowns? Or the urban legend of the person who actually killed someone in a haunted house attraction? Sometimes fun just isn't so fun, huh? Sometimes, it's more fearful fun. We will take preference with stories that are unique. Don’t just write another killer clown story or a basic demonic carnival story, UNLESS your story genuinely has a unique take on that trope. We will NOT accept: Racism, sexism, or discrimination presented in a positive light. Pedophilia or sex with characters under the age of 18 presented in a positive light. Rape, torture, dubious consent, forced seduction presented in a positive light. Snuff or Necrophilia presented in a positive light To submit, please use this submittable link! If you are in doubt, ASK. Better to ask then to get a straight up rejection! If you are unsure, just shoot me an email at [email protected].(restrictions borrowed from Voice: https://t.co/MWykJ6RY36) You can submit up to three stories, but we will only accept one per author (if any). Reprints are fine, but you have to own full permission of the work in order for us...