Events

Submission Window: September 1st – November 12th 2023 Payment: $25 Theme: Fantasy and Science Fiction stories that focus on character-driven stories in unreal and impossible worlds Empyreal Tree is a Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine that focuses on character-driven stories in unreal and impossible worlds. Our goal is to share stories that remind us of the hearth and warmth that comes from humanity, even within the dreary and lost. Our goal as of now is to release a magazine of four short fiction stories twice a year. We would love to read and delve deep into unique worlds that trigger excitement in our imaginations, while also sharing a genuine touch of people. The Empyreal Tree is a genre fiction magazine. Our main purpose is to share stories, populated in a strange new world, only connected by the similarities of character and emotions that entangles humanity together. Please check out the What We Are Looking For section to see the kind of stories we like.     We are looking to release 3 issues throughout the year, each issue containing 5 short stories. The submission period will be between: January 1 – March 12 May 1 – July 12 September 1 – November 12 The anthology will be released within two months after the submissions ended. (For example, if the submission periods ends in November 12, the issue should be released between November 13 and December 31). There will be a theme that ties the edition together, so please be on the lookout for that! In addition, please send a cover letter discussing how the theme ties into your story.     Rules:     Word Count: 1,000 – 15,000 words. Be aware that we’ll be strict with the word count, and if anyone sends a story over the word count, we hope the story...

Submission Window: November 6th to 12th, 2023 Payment: $100 for stories of up to 1,000 words Theme: Fantastical and speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, myth, fairy-story, magic realism, literary fabulism, and genre/subgenre remixes. The Fabulist Flash, a new flash-fiction project from The Fabulist Words & Art, welcomes submissions from November 6-12 for fantastical and speculative writings of up to 1,000 words. The Fabulist Flash will debut in 2024, and run in parallel to our current short-fiction programming. See below for program details. Word Count & Rate • We’re offering a flat fee of $100 for stories of up to 1,000 words (the equivalent of an SFWA-qualifying rate of $0.10/word), payable upon contracted acceptance. • Going above the word count is fine if you need a little headroom to take the story home, but it’s in your interest to keep it tight, as the flat fee is firm. • You can review our flash-fiction contract here. What We’re Looking For • Fantastical and speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, myth, fairy-story, magic realism, literary fabulism, and genre/subgenre remixes. • Evocative and intriguing scenes, settings, places. • Clear, efficacious writing that doesn’t shy away from the poetry within prose. • Wide-ranging human (or sentient) experiences that we care about, or at least feel. • Yeah: Odysseys, revelation, transformation, dilemma/struggle, fluid dualities. • Nah: Grimdark, military, cops, vengeance, power trips. • Exploded/deconstructed cliches of any of the foregoing … If you’re not sure where your story lands in these various target zones — just send us your best. Great work will shine through. Please Think Twice, We’ve Really Seen Quite Enough Of • Zombies, zombie apocalypse, teen vampire/werewolf romance, cute Cthulhu/nice baby Elder God, etc. • Splatter/gore/brutality • Virtual-reality visitations with the beloved deceased • Mundane fantasies of revenge, sex, financial and business success, etc. • “Another Friday Night at the Elftown Police Station” — or really anything that takes fantastical archetypes...