Events

Deadline: May 30th, 2025 Payment: $50 AUD and a contributors copy Theme: Edited by Greg Chapman and Cameron Trost Halloween. So much more than costumes and candy, it’s the time when the veil between our world and the other side is at its thinnest. The hour when dark forces come into the light in search of innocent souls. A time of blood and evil. Australian Shadows Award-winning and multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated author and artist Greg Chapman, and acclaimed author Cameron Trost, are seeking new original Halloween tales for this anthology, planned for release in October 2025. We want memorable, character-driven stories set on, or near, the last night of October. Give us ghosts, serial killers, rituals and monsters, heroes and villains, but most of all give us the true dark side of Halloween - and make it terrifying. Payment is $50 AUD for stories up to 5,000 words. Contributors will also receive a complimentary print and digital copy. The anthology will feature original cover art and internal illustrations by co-editor Greg Chapman. The submissions window opens March 1st and closes midnight May 30th. Send all submissions to [email protected] Story submissions should follow the Shunn format. Via: Black Beacon Books.

Deadline: May 30th, 2025 Payment: $10 Theme: Dark speculative fiction that explores various aspects of otherness and its effect on those so othered Dim Shores will be publishing an anthology in late 2025 or early 2026 — Suffering the Other. America’s blossoming fascist state is vigorously persecuting basically anyone who is not a healthy well-off cisgendered heterosexual white male: LGBTQ+ folks, immigrants, the disabled, the poor, women in general. Particular attention is being paid to immigrants/non-citizens of any stripe, and the transgender community. As such, this book will be a benefit for RAICES and Transgender Legal Center, two of the many organizations helping those who are being victimized by this roaring tsunami of oppression and vitriol. Suffering the Other will be edited by Justin Steele and myself (Sam Cowan), just like both volumes of Looming Low. Unlike Looming Low, we are taking submissions for this book. Following are some guidelines. WINDOW: March 30 through May 30, 2025. THEME: People tend to fear what they don’t understand. Throughout history these fears have festered and metastasized, again and again, into prejudicial hatred and violence against out-groups. Too many people have become very adept at dehumanizing those who are not like themselves. The stories in this book will explore various aspects of otherness and its effect on those so othered via dark speculative fiction. COMPENSATION: Please bear in mind this is a benefit book, and compensation is limited to a token payment of $10 plus a copy of the book. All other proceeds will be split between RAICES and Transgender Law Center. FICTION LENGTH: 2,500 – 10,000 words. ORIGINAL STORIES, REPRINTS: Original stories preferred but reprints are acceptable. If you are submitting a reprint, please include information about where the story was originally run. SUBMISSIONS: Please, only one story per submission, in Word format (.doc or .docx) or .rtf. Please use page numbers and...