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Canceled Taking Submissions: Midnight in the Stagecoach

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $ 0.06/word Theme: Horror set in the 1800s Old West Evil awaits you on the dusty trail… With the success of our first three MIDNIGHT anthologies (Midnight In The Graveyard, Midnight In The Pentagram, and Midnight From Beyond The Stars), it’s time to roll out the 4th in our ever growing series - MIDNIGHT IN THE STAGECOACH! Silver Shamrock Publishing is announcing the Open Call for the MIDNIGHT IN THE STAGECOACH anthology. We’re looking for original splatterpunk western short stories set in the late 1800s Old West. Any horror trope is fair game. You can do a straight up killer cowboy tale, vampires, werewolves, aliens, a Cthulhu sighting, zombies, cryptids, ghosts, ANYTHING! Just as long as it’s horror and you’re not bashful with red stuff. But, we caution, gore doesn’t replace story. If the story isn’t there, it doesn’t matter how much you’ve painted the pages crimson, it won’t make the cut. So put on your 10-gallon thinking cap and give us a story we can’t refuse! Specific submission guidelines: The deadline for receiving submissions is April 30th, 2022. (anything received after this date will not be considered). Submit by email to: [email protected] Length: 2,500 - 6,000 words. Format: preferred format is Doc or Docx, double-spaced with author email at the top of the first page. - Please use the anthology title, MIDNIGHT IN THE STAGECOACH, in the subject heading of your email. - A writer’s CV with a summary of previous publications, awards, recognition, influences, hometown and social media links. - The word count. - Acknowledgement of receipt of your manuscript will be emailed within 3 business days. - Successful authors will receive a contract upon acceptance. Once we have a signed contract by the author and Silver Shamrock Publishing, payment will be made...

Taking Submissions: Camp Slasher Lake

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $.01 per word Theme: Unstoppable killers of the slasher variety. Call for submissions! Fedowar Press is opening submissions for a Horror/Slasher Anthology. This is a tribute to the glorious slasher movies of the 1980s. We want the unstoppable killers, the claustrophobic sense of no escape, and of course, the blood. This anthology is expected to release in late 2022. Submissions will be accepted until April 30, 2022. Details Suggested Length: Between 7.5k and 15k words Genre: Horror, but other speculative genres may be added. For example Horror/SciFi, Horror/Fantasy, Region: Can take place anywhere in the world Period: Any period, present, past, future Qualifying submissions must have never been published. Pay and Exclusivity Participating authors will be paid $.01 per word. This equates to $100 for a 10k word story, or $10 per 1k words. Participating authors will grant Fedowar Press exclusive rights to the work for 1 year after publication. How to submit? Use our Submission form with the subject “Slasher” in the Submission Type field. Tell us a little bit about yourself in your query letter. For example: Have we met? Remind us. Do you have any writing credits? What is your social media info? Do you like dogs? Include your genres, word count Attach your story to the form. Make sure it is in standard manuscript format. Stories will be reviewed after the close of the submission window. Please allow up to six weeks after the submission window closes for a response. After that, If you haven’t received a response, feel free to check-in for an update. Via: Fedowar Press.

Taking Submissions: Steel True, Blade Straight

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: Contributor's copy Theme: New material inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work (Sherlock Holmes AND not.) Steel True, Blade Straight The Belanger Books Anthology of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Inspired Stories, Poems, and Scholarship 2022 Annual Description: This anthology will have stories, poems, and scholarship inspired by and about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. While the anthology will contain new Sherlock Holmes stories, the intent would be for at least 25% of the material to be stories and poems inspired by the life and non-Sherlockian writing of Sir Arthur. Another 25% of material would be scholarship on Holmes and Doyle. All proceeds from the Anthology will be donated to The Beacon Society, a 501c(3) nonprofit scion society of The Baker Street Irregulars (BSI), that serves as a link to other scion societies, providing teachers, librarians, children museums, and children theaters with local resources to bring the magic of Sherlock Holmes to life. Guidelines: Stories - 3,000 - 10,000 word submissions that connect to the writing of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These can be Sherlock Holmes stories, or stories connected to Sir Arthur’s additional writings (far too many to list here). Poems - format and length are open. The poetry submission would have to somehow connect to the life or work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Scholarship - 1,000 - 3,000 word submissions. Essays must connect to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or his writing (Sherlock Holmes or other work). Multiple submissions in the same or more than one category are welcome. Payment: All authors will receive a paperback copy of the anthology. Rights: All authors shall retain the rights to their submitted work outside of the anthology and may reprint their submission one year after the anthology’s publication date. Submission: Email...

Taking Submissions: Gothic Ghost Story

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: £5 Theme: Wintry tales of ghosts and hauntings Note: Female writers and those who identify as women One of the guilty pleasures of Christmas, is that moment when you pull a favourite book from the shelf and reread it for the umpteenth time. Those wintry tales of ghosts and hauntings have become part of a much-loved tradition in this country. Black Angel Press want to add to this genre by providing a collection of new tales from female writers; this includes those who identify as women and both new and experienced writers alike. We are looking for quiet gothic darkness and whilst stories can be set in the traditional Victorian environment, we are also very much open to any who take the gothic tropes and place them in the present – or even the future. The anthology will consist of 20 stories and be a mixture of invitation and submission. Payment terms: £5 per story and an electronic copy of the book. Submission Requirements: stories should be 3-5k but we will allow a little flexibility if the story demands it. Manuscripts should be in Shunn format and either .doc or .docx – do NOT send in the body of the email. The first page should include contact details. Your covering email need only be brief, addressed to myself and Alyson (Faye) and should also include a short bio. If you are at the start of your publishing journey and are worried about lack of credits, don’t be. Use the bio to share the books and authors you love and a little about you. Send to: [email protected] Submissions open: 1 Dec 2021 and close end April 2022. Any questions? Drop us a line! Via: Black Angel Press.

Taking Submissions: Specimen 6 Magazine

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $.01 per word Theme: Any theme of horror and slashes, MUST be set in the Specimen 6 universe. Call for submissions! Perfect Ratio Productions is opening submissions for a Specimen 6-themed magazine. Unstoppable monsters, glory kills, few win by escaping, most die.  Give us your gore, your bloodshed, the madness and mayhem that is found within the Specimen 6 universe!  Give us the Necronomiconic, the unfathomable, the bloodthirsty, give us the stories where even the flesh and bone quenches not the hunger of the immortals, where even the dreams and souls of their victims must be destroyed. This anthology is expected to release in late 2022. Submissions will be accepted until April 30, 2022. Details Accepted lengths: 500 words to 5000.  No minimum when the work involved is poetry. All works MUST be original! All submitted works must have never been published before, indie or trad. Genre: Horror, but other speculative genres may be added. For example Horror/SciFi, Horror/Fantasy, Region: Can take place anywhere in the world Period: Any period, present, past, future MUST: be set entirely in the universe of Specimen 6. Pay and Exclusivity Participating authors will be paid $.01 per word. This equates to $50 for a 5k word story, or $10 per 1k words. Participating authors will grant Perfect Ratio Productions exclusive rights to the work for 1 year after publication. Some exceptions may be granted. How to submit? Email us [email protected] Use “S6 Magazine Submission” Tell us a little bit about yourself in your query letter. For example: o Your author biography (500 words or less) o Title of the submitted work o Word count o Genre (if specific or niche) o First page (or ten pages should the work be of 10k or greater word count) of your submitted work at the bottom. Should Perfect Ratio Productions wish to use your submitted work,...

Taking Submissions: Rewired: An Anthology of Neurodiverse Horror

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: 0.03 USD per word and a contributor's copy Theme: Horror stories inspired by neurodiverse experiences DO NOT ADJUST YOUR BRAIN WE ARE CONTROLLING THE TRANSMISSION For our next major anthology, slated for release in September 2022, we’re looking for horror stories inspired by neurodiverse experiences. Stories about perception, communication, the feeling of being ‘differently wired’. Challenge us. Scare us. Show us the world the way you see it. We’d love to see work that encompasses the whole spectrum of neurodiverse experience. SF and fantasy elements are welcome as long as your story is primarily horror. This call will close on 30th April 2022. Length: 1,000 – 6,000 words. (This is a hard upper limit.) Payment: 0.03 USD per word. All payments will be made via PayPal and contributors will receive one paperback contributor’s copy. Publication: E-book and print. Deadline: 30th April 2022. Rights: We request first worldwide and electronic rights for 6 months after the date of publication, after which rights revert to the author. All copyright remains with the author. We accept simultaneous submissions but no reprints please. Multiple submissions not accepted. All submissions will be responded to after the deadline. Email your submission as a Word document to [email protected] with “Rewired ” in the subject line. Please see our Submission Guidelines for more information on formatting. Via: Ghost Orchid Press.

Taking Submissions: The Future’s So Bright …

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $0.02 per word + two (2) contributor copies Theme: Positive visions of the future If you could catch a glimpse of the future, what would you hope to see? An environmentally-friendly paradise? High-tech advancements? Newly-evolved species of wildlife? For this collection, we want positive visions of the future. Show us terraces covered in gardens and solar panels, sprawling colonies under glass on Mars, and the explorers of tomorrow. Tell us what you think cities will look like in the year 2300, what it would be like to take a cruise on a spaceship, or what new organisms might evolve in the Amazon rain forest. Science fiction, fantasy, humor, and weird fiction are all welcome. Submission Details Open for Submissions: February 1, 2022 through April 30, 2022 Expected Publication: September 2022 Story Length: 2,000 – 8,000 words Payment: $0.02 per word + two (2) contributor copies Submission Requirements Please submit your complete story in standard manuscript form in digital format (DOCX, RTF, or ODT) to submissions (at) waterdragonpublishing.com. Please include “The Future’s So Bright Anthology” in the Subject line of your submission. Include the following in your cover letter/email: Title of your story Your real name Your physical mail address Your preferred email address Genre Approximate word count Submission Guidelines Your story can be from whatever genre best fits its theme. However, we are not looking for erotica or stories that contain excessive gore or violence. You may submit more than one story. However, we will only publish one of your stories in this edition, so choose wisely. Please wait until you have been notified about the acceptance status of your story before submitting another one. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please inform us immediately if it is accepted elsewhere. We are not accepting previously published stories for this...

Taking Submissions: It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right (Early Listing)

Submission Window: April 1st-30th, 2022 Payment: $0.03 per word up to 4000 words Theme: Take your least favorite horror trope and make it work. What is your least favorite horror trope? Why? Has it been overdone? Is it predictable? Is it unrealistic? Here’s your chance to fix it. Open call submission window open April 1, 2022 - April 30, 2022. Extended submission window exclusively for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and marginalized writers open May 1, 2022 - May 7, 2022. The anthology will be a mix of solicited stories and stories selected from the open call submission period. What are we looking for? Short horror, weird, dark fiction between 1500 and 4000 words (firm limit) that take your least favorite horror trope and make it work. Take a trope that’s well-worn, overused, predictable, tough to swallow, and scare the hell out of us with it. Turn it on its head, or make it bizarre enough to still surprise. Really take some time to understand why your chosen trope often fails and how you can make it into a successful (read: scary, surprising, weird, shocking, heartwrenching, maybe even funny) horror story. This anthology is open to all writers, but we strongly encourage writers from the LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities to submit. What are we NOT looking for? Stories that deal with bigotry are fine, but bigoted stories are not. Graphic rape or sexual assault scenes will not be accepted. Any story that does not contain elements of horror, weird fiction, or dark fiction will not be considered. Erotic elements are fine, but keep in mind this is not a call for erotica so make sure it contains elements of horror, weird, or dark fiction. How to submit: Word format (.docx), in something approximating standard manuscript format (double-spaced, 12pt font, word count...

Contest: Baen Fantasy Adventure Award 2022

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Prize: Grand Prize: Pro rate contract on story and $500 of free Baen Books, Second Prize: $500 of free Baen Books, Third Prize: $300 of free Baen Books Theme: Adventure fantasy with heroes you want to root for. Warriors either modern or medieval, who solve problems with their wits or with their weapons—and we have nothing against dragons, elves, dwarves, castles under siege, urban fantasy, damsels in distress, or damsels who inflict distress. Contest Rules Write and submit a short story of no more than 8,000 words. It must be a work of fantasy, though all fantasy genres are open, e.g. epic fantasy, heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery, contemporary fantasy, etc. No entry fee. But only one submission per person...we suggest your best one! No reprints (i.e. the story must be unpublished). All entries must be original works in English. Plagiarism, poetry, song lyrics, settings and/or characters from published gaming worlds or another author’s works of fiction will not be considered. E-mail submissions only. Send entries as .RTF attachments to: [email protected] Please put BFAA SUBMISSION in the subject line when sending a contest entry and BFAA QUESTION in the subject line for questions to the contest administrator. Please include the following in the body of your email: the title of the work the author's name, address, and telephone number an approximate word-count The manuscript should be a RTF attachment, in standard manuscript format, and should be titled and numbered on every page, but the author's name MUST BE DELETED to facilitate fair judging. Click here for our standard manuscript format guidelines. Employees of Baen Books and Staff of Dragon Con are not eligible. Previous Grand Prize winners are not eligible (previous second and third place winners are eligible). Contest opens for submissions on February 1st, 2022 at...

Taking Submissions: Midnight in the Dying Garden: Fairy Tales for the End of the World

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: Literary horror with a fantastical twist Theme: $25 – $150 CAD for original work depending on length, $10 – $70 CAD for reprints Note: Reprints welcome Nestled in a forgotten wood deep within a shadowed valley lies the hidden heart of the world: A dark, enchanted garden where every blossom holds a secret, every tree bursts with ten thousand memories, and each mushroom pulses in an endless relay, transmitting tales from half a world away. The wind itself whispers forgotten sorrows to the only creature left in the garden: The terrifying and enchanting Storyteller. But the garden’s lushness is a lie. Its explosion of ferns and flowers hides a terrible secret: the garden is dying. Without listeners to sustain it – without imagination, hearts, and souls to feed it – the heart is fading, and taking the world with it. So the Storyteller waits in vain for an audience that never comes—an audience whose ears and eyes can save the garden, who can keep the world’s heart beating a little while more. One a stifling, starry midnight, a stranger finally stumbles into the wilted garden and listens to the Storyteller’s wonderful, terrifying tales. But when this visitor – the first in centuries – learns that no listener leaves the garden alive, she strikes a desperate bargain. She promises to spread these stories across the earth, and in doing so remind humanity of the garden that is the heart of the world…and of the sacrifices it needs to keep beating.   That promise has been fulfilled. So settle into the lush grass, but take care not to crush the night flowers. It is time to listen now. Time to hear, time to give the garden what it needs. It’s already so late, you see, and the...

Taking Submissions: Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice (Early Listing)

Submission Window: April 1st-April 30th, 2022 Payment: $25 and a contributors copy Theme: Tales of stone cold villains (literally on the cold!) From castles atop snow crested mountains to the cold isolation of the frozen tundra, the lure of darkness beckons us all. For Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice, Tourmaline & Quartz seeks your tales of stone cold villains. Show us the frosty ice queens, the conniving fae lords we love to hate and hate to love. Give us your dragons with hearts as cold as their gold, or the witch who summons a snowstorm to save herself from the hunters. Tell us about your morally gray outcasts that crave vengeance while the heroes are seeking warmth. The winter months are dark, the snows are deep, and the ice is treacherous. But what if the bitter cold wasn’t the only villain? Short Story Requirements & Information Word Count: 5,000-7,500 words. Reprints: No. Previously unpublished stories only. Simultaneous Submissions: OK. You can submit your story elsewhere while you are waiting to hear from us, but please notify us via email immediately if your story is accepted somewhere else. Multiple Submissions: OK. Send one submission per email if you choose to submit more than one. Expected publication: November 2022 Selection: Authors will be notified of decisions by June 30, 2022. Compensation: If selected, authors will receive $25 USD and a copy of the anthology, upon publication. US authors will receive a paperback, and have the choice between PayPal or check. Authors outside the US will receive a digital copy of the anthology, and payment via PayPal. Timeline: You will receive confirmation of receipt of your email submission within 1-3 days. Submissions will be read as they come in, but everyone who submitted will be notified of acceptance or rejection by June 30, 2022. Unfortunately, we won’t have the capacity to provide...

Taking Submissions: A Coup Of Owls August 2022 Issue (Early Listing)

Submission Window: April 1st-30th, 2022 Payment: Drabbles and Flash - £5, Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words - £10, Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words - £15 Theme: All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Note: Only publishes creators from under represented and/or marginalized communities. WE ONLY PUBLISH CREATORS FROM UNDER REPRESENTED AND/OR MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES We don't ask for any proof, we take this on trust with the expectation that anyone not from a marginalised background or underrepresented community wouldn't take up the space of someone who is. We ask you to consider this before submitting. BRIEF We’re looking for stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something. Warmth, love, melancholy, rage. We want it all.  All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Ambiguous endings? Non-linear storytelling? Antagonist’s point-of-view? A story told in just one scene? We love it all. ​ SUBMISSIONS: February 1 - 28 (for June issue) April 1 - 30 (for August issue) June 1 - 30 (for October issue) August 1 - 31 (for December issue) October 1 - 31 (for February issue) ​December 1 - 31 (for April issue) ​ we do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events SUBMISSION GUIDELINES How to submit: Please submit via the form at the bottom of this page. If you have any problems using the form please email us for assistance. Who should submit: Please ONLY SUBMIT IF: you are aged 18 or over you belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community. These include, but are not limited to:...

Taking Submissions: khōréō April 2022 (Early Listing)

Submission Window: April 1-April 30th, 2022 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. Note: You must identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. khōréō is a quarterly publication of stories, essays, and art: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explore some aspect of migration, whether explicitly (themes of immigration, colonialism, etc.), metaphorically, or with a sly nod and a wink. Most importantly, we’re a new magazine and we’re still finding our identity: therefore, please don’t self-reject because you’re not sure if your work is a good fit. We won’t know until we see it, so please give us a chance to look! See submission requirements & how to submit at the following pages: Fiction Non-fiction Art Voice actors Who can submit? khōréō is dedicated to diversity and amplifying the voices of immigrant and diaspora authors and artists. We welcome, but do not require, a brief description of the author’s/artist’s identity in their cover letter. We invite you to submit if you identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or...

Taking Submissions: Otoroshi Journal 2022 Summer Issue (Early Listing)

Submission Window: April 1st-30th, 2022 Payment: $1 per accepted piece Theme: horrorku, horror themed tanka, haibun, see below for details The Submission may include any or all of the following: · Up to seven (7) horrorku or horror tanka  · Up to three (3) haibun · Up to five (5) pieces of cover art All submissions must be original, unpublished work that is not under consideration by a print or web-based journal. Posts in closed, critique-oriented groups and social media sites are acceptable for submission, but public posts on forums such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are not. By submitting a piece to us, you are guaranteeing that it is your original work and not under consideration or published anywhere else in the world. E-mail submission is required. Type poems into the body of the e-mail; no attachments of poetry will be opened. For art submissions, please include all five pieces in a .PDF file or send us a link to a private gallery. If we purchase an art piece for our cover, we will ask that you provide a 300 dpi version of said piece. E-mail: [email protected] Subject: Otoroshi Submission Please include a cover letter noting location in the world. Please include handles for Instagram and Twitter for promotional purposes. At this time, only one submission per issue will be considered unless the editors directly request a second submission. Submission periods are one month long: · January for the Spring Issue · April for the Summer Issue · July for the Fall Issue · October for the Winter Issue Acceptances will be sent shortly after the end of each period. Please note: Although most journals may publish your work as is, we are editors, too. This means we will make suggestions to your work as we see fit. This is to...

Taking Submissions: Mythaxis April 2022 Submission Period (Early Listing)

Submission Window: April 23th-30th 2022 Payment: $20 Theme: Science fiction and fantasy Mythaxis is published four times a year, and is open to submissions within the following periods: January 23rd-30th April 23th-30th July 23rd-30th October 23rd-30th Submissions received outside of these dates will unfortunately be lost and therefore not responded to. When open, we seek and offer the following: Length: 1,000-7,500 words. This is a firm limit. Generally speaking, the further a story goes beyond 5,000 words the more it will need to impress, but the door is not shut in advance. Compensation: $20 on acceptance and return of contract. Payment via PayPal only. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 24 hours of submission, please get in touch. We aim to accept or reject within 14 days of acknowledgment, but rl (real life) and rl (reading load) can get in the way. If you do not hear from us after 30 days, feel free to query. We require First Print and Digital rights with a six month period of exclusivity from the date of publication. We also ask permission to potentially include accepted pieces in future anthologies, in event of which an additional full payment and digital copy will be offered in compensation. All other rights remain entirely with the author. Simultaneous submissions are not only accepted, they are encouraged. We merely ask that you notify us of acceptance at another market as soon as possible. In the event that we accept first we would expect a positive confirmation, so we recommend sim-subbing to markets of equivalent status - we won’t want to wait for someone else you’d like better to turn you down… Please wait until receiving a rejection notice before submitting a second time. If a story has previously been rejected by Mythaxis, please do not resubmit or inquire regarding doing...

Taking Submissions: Elegant Literature Mirror Image

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $0.10/word for the magazine Theme: A story involving reflections, and an apple. Note: The magazine is free to submit to, there is also a monthly contest where you can win $3000. However, there IS a fee to submit to the contest. Write a story involving reflections, and an apple. $3,000 grand prize. Look in the mirror. Who stares back at you? Some of us see prettier, smarter versions of ourselves, while others focus on the wrinkles and rolls. Or maybe you see the masked intruder looking over your shoulder… Reflections have long fascinated us, from still lakes and polished silver to selfies and futuristic wardrobes. But the concept is more than literal—philosophy holds thoughts as a mirror to the universe. Science puts them to use in lasers and telescopes. As writers, we use literary foils to mirror and contrast characters. The symbolism is deeply ingrained. Wisdom, awareness, truth. Distorted reflections suggest deceit and delusion. Shattered mirrors are bad luck. Do you cover glass surfaces after a death to avoid trapping the spirit? And why is it you’re so reluctant to shut the bathroom vanity alone in the dark? This contest invites you to explore mirrors and reflections, whatever that means to you. Fantasy, contemporary, romance, crime. All genres are welcome. Submissions close April 30th at 11:59 pm EST. Contest only open to new writers. All new writers can submit work to the magazine. It’s free. We don’t believe publications should charge authors to be published. However, we have a specific submission process you must adhere to in order to have your work considered. Our submissions window opens on the first and closes at midnight on the final day of each month. Each issue of the magazine is themed according to our monthly prompt. The prompts...

Taking Submissions: Strange Horizons (Southeast Asian Special Call)

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: 10 cents per word Theme: Stories that are joyous, horrific, hopeful, despondent, powerful and subtle. Note: For this issue, only Southeast Asian writers living in Southeast Asia as well as the diaspora. Southeast Asia is an immense region with many cultures, traditions and mythologies. It has a rich history of trade and wars, migration and occupation. There are records of merchants from as far as Ancient Greece who have come to the region to ply their wares, and emperors from China have demanded tribute from subordinate kingdoms. From these encounters with distant empires come ideas, iconography, religions, and philosophies that have combined with local lores and sensibilities, giving rise to the glorious architecture of Angkor Wat, the outpouring of religious stories and texts like the Ramayana, the syncretic practices of Islam and Buddhism across the region. More recently, the horrors of the Japanese Occupation, the Khmer Rouge, and the Vietnam War have left an indelible imprint in the collective psyche and memory of Southeast Asian people, both within and beyond. The current political climate, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, has created outcries in several countries. The Strange Horizons Southeast Asian special welcomes non-fiction, fiction and poetry from Southeast Asian writers living in Southeast Asia as well as the diaspora. We especially welcome writers who have never submitted to an international speculative fiction venue before. We are not seeking writing from non-Southeast Asians for this special issue. Please feel free to submit your work to Strange Horizons’ regular submissions at any time. The editorial team for this special issue will comprise of: Dr. Jaymee Goh (she/her) for Fiction (2,000 – 7,000 words; please query if longer). Ms. May Chong (she/her) for Poetry (of any length or complexity). Mx. Joyce Chng (she/they) for Non-Fiction (2,000 – 3,000 words). We would like stories that are...

Omenana Speculative Fiction Magazine – Democracy Special Edition

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $100 Theme: Positive Visions of Democracy Note: Authors must be speculative fiction writers from across Africa and the African Diaspora and the stories should be centered around an African experience As we put pen to paper, it was literally raining coups in Africa. From Sudan to Mali, from Burkina Faso to Equatorial Guinea to Niger, one hears either of violent truncation of government or an attempt at seizing the reins of power by gun wielding soldiers who purport to act for the greater good of the country. Democracy, the system of governance that best serves the interest of the individual by allowing them a say in who governs them and how they are governed, is in peril. With this backdrop, Omenana Speculative Fiction Magazine in partnership with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) – a US-based non-governmental organisation that works to strengthen democracy – is calling for submissions for a special themed edition that explores positive visions of democracy. Note that some of the stories in this special edition will form part of a global anthology edited by Dr. Amy Johnson in late 2022. Stories for the anthology will be selected from Omenana and two other great SF magazines from South America (Mafagafo and A Taverna) and an SF magazine based in Asia (Mithila Review). What we are looking for We are looking for 15 speculative short stories that explore the theme “Positive Visions of Democracy”. We are looking for strong, character-driven stories that focus on future or other worlds where society’s bedrock is solid democratic institutions. These future or other worlds can be dystopias, but they should be ones where an entrenchment of universal suffrage holds hope. Maybe democratic principles or institutions shape the events of your story. Maybe your story re-envisions how democracy could work. Or...

Taking Submissions: “Home: What Is It and How Do I Get There?”

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $15 CAD upon publication ($10 for reprints) Theme: This chapbook will speak to various experiences of home, with an emphasis on those that are complex or challenging. Note: Reprints Welcome Note: I suspect horror would be a hard sell on this unless it really nailed the topic, read on! “Home: What Is It and How Do I Get There?” Chapbook – Poetry and Flash Fiction Deadline: April 30, 2022 What is home? Is it a place? A feeling? A person? Does it shift and change? Can you point towards it but never quite attain it? This chapbook will speak to various experiences of home, with an emphasis on those that are complex or challenging. Submission Guidelines: Flash Fiction: maximum 1000 words (no minimum). All genres welcome. The more imaginative, the better. Poems: maximum 60 lines INCLUDING BLANK LINES (shorter is preferred – long pieces will need to earn their length) Payment: $15 CAD upon publication ($10 for reprints) All payments through PayPal, Wise, or bank transfer. No submission fee. Multiple submissions: Yes. You can submit as many pieces as you like. Please submit each poem or story as a NEW SUBMISSION. Simultaneous submissions: Yes. Please email [email protected] right away if your piece is accepted elsewhere. Reprints: Previously published pieces will be considered, although we prefer original works. If you do send a reprint, please provide the name of the journal/date of publication, so that we can give proper attribution. Format: We aren’t too hung up on formatting. Just make it easy for us to read. No PAGES files. DOC or DOCX preferred. PDF accepted for poetry. Please title your file as follows: Title – Author Name SUBMIT TO “HOME” HERE Via: Off Topic Publishing.

Taking Submissions: Worlds of Possibility

Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: 10 cents per word. Theme: Science fiction and fantasy that leave the reader with a sense of hope in some way. Note: My apologies on the short window, only recently came across this one so it's going up as a bonus post. Worlds of Possibility is a project I've been working on since the beginning of 2021. My patrons and subscribers' pledges help sponsor original creative Science Fiction and Fantasy works, which I release early to sponsors and then a bit later to the general public. Worlds of Possibility is a series of science fiction and fantasy works released to Subscribers and Patrons of Julia Rios exclusively for a short time before being publicly available. For this project, I am especially excited for works that leave the reader with a sense of hope in some way. Past examples of works I've published for this project are here: https://www.patreon.com/juliarios/posts?filters%5Btag%5D=Worlds%20of%20Possibility   What I want for the April 2022 reading period: Original (not reprint) science fiction and fantasy stories Up to 5,000 words, with no minimum requirement (flash is welcome!) Ideally the stories should leave the reader with some sense of hope   What rights am I asking for? The right to display the work on my Patreon, substack, or other personal site 6 months of exclusivity The right to eventually publish the work in an anthology of Worlds of Possibility works   What am I offering in exchange, and when? $0.10USD per word To be paid once we have agreed on a final version of the work (after edits, but before publication) Via: Julia Rios.