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Deadline: Febraury 28th, 2022 Payment: a flat fee of between $30 and $50 USD will be offered. Theme: Speculative fiction that takes place in the wild west that has at least one main character belongs to the LGBTQ+ spectrum I’ve written a Queer Weird West novel, titled Writ in Blood – and frankly I just haven’t had enough yet! Hence this call for submissions to a new anthology titled Queer Weird West Tales. This hybrid subgenre requires three elements: Queer: At least one main character belongs to the LGBTQ+ spectrum, defined in whatever way seems natural to them. Weird: The story contains a speculative fiction element, drawing on fantasy, horror, or science fiction. West: The setting is the Old West – or the time and place of any other frontier. If that strikes a creative chord with you, here are the details: Editor: Julie Bozza Content: Fiction and narrative nonfiction welcome. Sexual encounters are welcome, and can be explicit, but the focus must remain on character and story. Similarly, violence and the results thereof can be vividly described, but should always serve the story. Word count: Between 3,000 and 10,000 words. Royalties: A flat fee of between $30 and $50 USD will be offered. Deadline: Submissions due by 28 February 2022, either directly or via Duotrope. Publication: Planned for July 2022, in eBook and paperback formats. Enquiries: [email protected] I would be happy to hear about what you have in mind for your submission, and to talk through any queries or concerns you might have along the way. If you’re interested in my credentials, I’m proud to have edited the anthologies A Pride of Poppies (2015) and A Certain Persuasion (2016) for Manifold Press. I’m looking forward to reading your bodacious tales! Ideas and Inspiration… If you’re looking to ponder the possibilities, here’s a random list of watching and reading material, both fiction...

Deadline: February 28th, 2022. Payment: $10 per story, in exchange for nonexclusive publishing rights. Theme: “Lunar horror and isolation.” See below for details. Note: Reprints Welcome Deadline: February 28th, 2022. Payment: $10 per story, in exchange for nonexclusive publishing rights. Theme: “Lunar horror and isolation.” See below for details. Word count: 2,000 to 5,000 words. This is very flexible, especially for longer stories, but please get in touch before sending something smaller or larger. Reprints: Yes! Please, for the love of God, send me reprints. $10 is just a token payment, and I know it. Simultaneous submissions: Yes. Multiple submissions: Yes—limit of 2 per author. “MOON: The Book of Lunar Horror” is going to be a bit of an art project, really. In addition to stories, I’m going to be looking for art and poetry (separately from this submissions call), working with neural nets, and trying to do some interesting things with the format and layout. I am working on a tight budget here, so reprints are completely acceptable. Theme The theme for this anthology is “lunar horror and isolation.” What that means is flexible: “a team of scientists on the moon discovers something terrible” is as viable as “survivalist cult living in the backcountry, haunted by some monstrosity which comes out only in the moonlight” or “big city shut-in who is tormented by visions of the moon.” I am especially interested in Eugene Thacker’s contrast between “the world as humans interpret it” and “the world as it is, beyond human needs and human understanding,” and cosmic pessimism in general. I have a short primer on Eugene Thacker here, if that’s up your alley, but other approaches to the theme are equally valid. If your story doesn’t currently fit the theme, but you think that you can revise the story and introduce the necessary elements, then send it in anyway,...

Deadline: February 28th, 2022 Prizes: £15 for each of our three favourite pieces Theme: 206 word pieces of horror/dark fiction on any topic, in any style, as long as it sits in the horror/dark fiction genre There are 206 bones in the human body. We want a word per bone. From you. We're seeking 206 word pieces of horror/dark fiction on any topic, in any style, as long as it sits in the horror/dark fiction genre. (Word count does not include title.) Elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and any other genre are fine, as long as the main theme is horror. We will pay a prize of £15 for each of our three favourite pieces (which will be published online). If we receive enough good submissions (help us, my pretties), we'll publish them in a print and e-book publication. See our 'Submission Guidelines' section for information on how to submit. Deadline: February 28th 2022 (midnight, last place on earth) or until full. ALL PROFIT FROM THE SALE OF THIS ANTHOLOGY WILL GOTO CHILDREN'S CHARITIES IN THE UK #endchildpoverty Via: Bag Of Bones Press.

Submission Window: February 1st - 28th, 2022 Payment: ¢1 per word CAD Theme: Horror stories with a theme of Earth Earth Elements Book One:  Four-part series Open date: February 1st Close date: February 28th Stories of horror with the theme of 'earth' - Rated R welcomed Welcome to our four-book series, dedicated to horror from the elements.   Each quarter has been assigned an 'element'. Please review the elements and open submission windows below. Each quarter submission window is only one month, so please make sure to submit during that specific time period Patreon members will be allowed to submit one week early, and be given a one-week extension to each quarter call. Although there can be some fantasy elements tossed in there, the overall feel of the stories must remain in the horror genre. Aim to scare. ​ Each part will be approximately 70,000 words and have its own ebook and paperback. Once all four sections are complete we will release a 'collection' containing all four books in ebook, paperback and hardcover form.  ​​Word count: 1500 - 7000 firm. Payment: Flat rate payment ¢1 per word CAD after approved edits. Reprints? No ​ Multiple Submission? No 💀 Only one submission per author per theme/quarter. (Fire, Earth, Air, Water) ​ Formatting:  Please use 12 pt Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing, set auto-indent new paragraphs. Add the story title to the top of the manuscript. Do not include your name or email in the manuscript. These stories will be read "blind" by our reading team. Title your manuscript "Title of Story - Theme"  example "The Ruin - Earth" Please make sure the title of the story and the title on the manuscript match. ​ How to submit? Submit via the FORM - Which will open on February 1 IF you have issues with the form, please email your manuscript to [email protected] Title your...

Deadline: February 28th, 2022 Payment: £15 Theme: Horror set at school, college, university, or somewhere in-between Note: Any harm to children (of any age) must be sensitive and well-considered. For Whom the School Bell Tolls edited by Jay Alexander Submissions open from January 8th to February 28th. Selected authors will receive a £15 fee. We're looking for stories between 1,000-6,000 words. The theme is HORROR IN THE CLASSROOM - whether that’s horror set at school, college, university, or somewhere in-between. You could even set your story at a nursery, but please bear in mind: any harm to children (of any age) must be sensitive and well-considered. We appreciate that this is a risk of the subgenre but ask all authors to be considerate of age when dishing out horror to their characters. After all, there are plenty of teachers within these walls… Releases April 2022. Important: please send all submissions to [email protected]. Please ensure you follow these guidelines for all submissions. Any stories not following these guidelines may, unfortunately, be rejected. We will accept reprints (as long as you inform us where they have been published before, and own the rights to the stories), and multiple submissions (up to two per author per submissions call). Refer to individual submissions calls for an outline of the theme and length we’re looking for, as well as a specific email address for you to send your submissions to. Themes, lengths and submissions email addresses vary from book to book, so pay close attention to make sure your story ends up in the right place. Email your submission to the email address corresponding to the submissions call you are responding to. Please include your name and the title of the submission in the subject header in this format: “AUTHOR NAME - STORY TITLE -...

Deadline: February 28th, 2022 Payment: 3¢ per word Theme: Stories that explore the possibility of creating sustainable energy with alternative technologies and/or social change. Triangulation: Energy – Call for Submissions and Guidelines Beginning December 1, 2021, the annual Triangulation anthology will accept submissions for Triangulation: Energy. We continue to tackle environmental issues as we did with Triangulation: Dark Skies (light pollution), Triangulation: Extinction (loss of biodiversity), and Triangulation: Habitats (sustainable habitation). The theme this year will be energy, sustainable energy. We’re looking for outstanding fantasy, science fiction, weird fiction, and speculative horror–from both new and established writers. Editors: John Thompson, Co-editor Triangulation: Habitats, Assistant Editor, Triangulation: Extinction. Storm Walden, Assistant Editor, Triangulation: Habitats. This year we’re looking for stories that explore the possibility of creating sustainable energy with alternative technologies and/or social change. Economical fusion energy has been ten years away for sixty years. Hydroelectric is location dependant. Solar and wind have seen leaps and bounds in technology but by themselves can’t provide the steady flow the grid requires to distribute the load. Yet. As soon as we learned to control fire, anywhere from one to two million years ago depending on who you ask, we’ve been harnessing that energy to cook food, shape stone, keep warm, keep the sabertooth away, and move stuff around the planet. Ever since then, we’ve been merrily burning everything combustible to utilize its stored energy while pouring heat and waste particles into the atmosphere. Forests of wood, mountains of coal, lakes of natural gas, and seas of petroleum have gone up. We delve deeper, raze mountains, we race to consume the Earth’s resources at a rate that is changing our environment. We need to find a new balance, either through technology, or social change, or a combination of both. What else is on the horizon? Will great Bussard...

Deadline: February 28th, 2022 Payment: Drabbles and Flash - £5, Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words - £10, Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words - £15 Theme: stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for 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 and belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled people. Whilst we also love stories about diverse characters, it is not compulsory that your story feature them. What to submit: Drabble (exactly 100 words) Flash Fiction (101 to 1000 words) Short Stories (1000 to 8000 words) We do not publish non-fiction, poetry or creative non-fiction ​ Pay: A Coup of Owls pays flat rates to writers for selected works as follows Drabbles and...

Deadline: March 1st, 2022 Payment: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10 Theme: To the Pond Upcoming premises (target themes) and deadlines for submission : To the Pond (March 1, 2022) To download a PDF file of the guidelines, click here . ALL SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS and ART MUST RELATE TO ONE OF THE PREMISES SPECIFIED ABOVE. NOTE: Previously published pieces are welcome, provided that the submission fits the theme and that the author owns the copyright. The premise (target theme) must be an integral part of the plot, not necessarily the central theme but not merely incidental. Fewer than 20 double-spaced typewritten pages preferred. Indicate premise (target theme) on title page. Be sure to Indicate target theme in cover letter or on first page of manuscript. Include self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with each submission. Rejected manuscripts unaccompanied by an SASE will not be returned. Response time: 3 months after premise deadline.  NO READER'S FEE. Mail to: THEMA, Box 8747, Metairie, LA 70011-8747. Outside the US: email [email protected] On acceptance for publication, we will pay the following amount: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10; artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Copyright reverts to author after publication. THEMA isn't for everyone. To find out why, click here. New to submitting manuscripts to journals? Click here to download a PDF file of a few basic guidelines. Unlike many publishers, we prefer works submitted by the authors themselves, without the involvement of an agent. Be sure to indicate premise and include SASE for each submission.  BE SURE to include a separate SASE for each premise. No handwritten manuscripts will be considered. NOTE: We do not accept e-mailed submissions EXCEPT from authors who live outside the U.S. For those living outside the U.S., submit manuscript as an email attachment (readable by MSWord ― either as a...

Deadline: March 1st, 2022 Payment: $1c per word, and $15 per poem Theme: The gamut of everything from absurdist horror to bizarre science-fiction to unsettling dark fantasy. • What are we looking for? We’re looking for short stories, flash fiction, and poetry that runs the gamut of everything from absurdist horror to bizarre science-fiction to unsettling dark fantasy. We love the uncanny; what we look for is the telling drop in your stomach when you absently look up at the skies and there are far more constellations than you’d remembered, brighter and closer and in configurations you don’t quite recall. We want stories about the bleed error of the universe printing outside the margins of reality. We are interested in stories with LGBTQ2S+ and diverse leads, especially with narratives that are not confined to tragedy tropes. • What do we not want? Please don’t send us anything bigoted or hateful, we’d all be wasting our time. At this point we’re not seeking photography or art. We do not take reprints, including translations. Previously published works on personal websites count as reprints. • How much do we pay? We pay 1c per word, and $15 per poem, regardless of length. • What about word limits? We have a firm limit on stories not exceeding 7000 words. The ideal word count would be in the 2000-4000 range for short stories. We prefer poetry to not exceed 1500 words. • How do you submit? You can submit via e-mail to [email protected]. Please send us works in .doc, .docx, or .rtf formats. We recommend including your name and contact information in the file. SUBMISSIONS ARE CURRENTLY OPEN FOR THE APRIL 2022 ISSUE. Submissions close March 01, 2022. We are fine with multiple submissions, but we ask that you refrain from simultaneous submissions to other publishers, as that complicates our schedule...

Deadline: March 1st, 2022 Payment: $20 Theme: We ask our fiction writers to imagine their readers navigating a story with one finger poised over a mouse button. Can your story stay that finger to the end? “Turning words into art is unnatural. It begins with a contrary attitude. It says, I am unhappy with the way things are and desire to make things different. Rather than represent the world, I will make something wildly and savagely new. I will defy logic. I will invest in new perceptions. I will combine and recombine and fabricate and juggle until something that I have never experienced is experienced. The process is alchemical. The process is violent. It goes to the heart of creativity. It disrupts and shatters. It is splendid with provocation. It is an aggression against banality. It is sharp and loud like a janitor scraping frost from a window. The hectic bounce of steam on a street after a truck roars by. The anarchy of waters, the comedy of the face, dangerous feelings vented from a cage of skin.” ~ John Olson Poetry — We believe poetry is contrary by nature, always defying, always tonguing the tang of novelty. We look especially for plurality of meaning, for dual reverberation of beauty and concern. Contrary’s poetry in particular often mimics the effects of fiction or commentary. We find ourselves enamored of prose poems because they are naturally contrary toward form – they tug on the forces of exposition or narrative – but prose poems remain the minority of all the poetic forms we publish. Please consider that Contrary receives vast amounts of poetry and that we can publish only a small percentage of that work. Please submit no more than three poems per issue. Our poetry editor is Shaindel Beers. Fiction — We ask our fiction writers to imagine...