Events

Taking Submissions: There’s No Place

Deadline: September 30th, 2022 Payment: 0.08CAD per word and a contributor's copy Theme: Storytellers who have experienced—or are experiencing—homelessness. IN SHORT What: A pro-rate anthology of short fiction pieces on the theme of “home” (500-3500 words) on the theme of HOME Who: Storytellers who have experienced—or are experiencing—homelessness. When: Submissions are open from July 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022. Publication is scheduled for fall of 2023. Where: While we will prioritize Canadian submissions, submissions are open to writers throughout the world. How: Scroll below to see our guidelines! ABOUT THE ANTHOLOGY There’s No Place will be a collection where storytellers who are experiencing/have experienced homelessness can tell the tales that live inside them. The theme of the collection is, simply, HOME. This is not limited to physical spaces; home can be a person, an item, a memory, a sensation. The theme can be interpreted broadly, but home should be at the heart of your story. This collection will be limited to short stories—we are seeking fiction only. While lived experience will inform the stories told, our hope is to share tales of home imagined into being. ABOUT THE SUBMISSIONS WHO CAN SUBMIT Only people with lived experience of homelessness can submit. For this anthology, we are defining homelessness as: Unsheltered (you have lived in a place not designated for human habitation, outdoors, in public spaces, etc.) Emergency Sheltered (you have used an overnight shelter, a transitional shelter, a space for those impacted by violence, displacement, crisis, etc.) Provisionally Accommodated (you have couch-surfed, lived in temporary accommodations, lived in a foster or group home, etc.) This is not an exhaustive list. Homelessness takes different shapes. We also understand that people may have moved through multiple types of homelessness. If you are unsure if your experience meets the parameters of this call, please reach out...

Taking Submissions: TBD Gothic Romance

Deadline: September 30th, 2022 Payment: $0.08 a word Theme: Gothic romances that are equal parts horror and romance. Submissions Open: August 1st through September 30th  Title: TBD Gothic Romance  Type: Anthology of short stories Editors: Heather & S.D. Vassallo Theme: We're looking for gothic romances that are equal parts horror and romance. The short stories should be mysterious, atmospheric, and include a HEA (or happy for now). This is an open call with no slots reserved for invitation pieces. Women (including transgender and people otherwise marginalized because of their gender identity) and non-binary authors only. Must Haves:  - Horror and romance - Happily ever after or at least happy for now - Overwhelming sense of menace or dread - Atmosphere (weather) and/or place prominently add to the story - Traditionally spooky locations, such as old manor houses or decaying plantations aren't necessary, but the location should be spooky. - Actual supernatural horror, implied supernatural horror, or psychological horror - Haunted places/houses welcome - Sizzle: anywhere from closed door to super sizzle welcome (but the sizzle must drive the plot forward) - Time period: anytime in the past or present - Location: anywhere on Earth Won't Accept: - Racism - Anti-LGBTQIA+ - Rape - Incest - Extreme Horror (excessive gore, explicit sex just for gore/sex sake) - Reprints - Manuscripts that don't follow the guidelines Guidelines:  - Women (including transgender and people otherwise marginalized because of their gender identity) and non-binary authors only - Short Stories 2,000 to 6,000 words - First page should have your legal and author name, email address, word count, and title of story - Font 12 pt Garamond - Double Spaced - No headers, footers, or special formatting - DOC, DOCx, or RTF format - Up to 2 short stories per author (submit separately) - Simultaneous submissions acceptable, please let us know if your piece is accepted elsewhere Compensation: -...

Taking Submissions: Short Story Substack September 2022 Window (Early Listing)

Submission Window: September 1st-30th, 2022 Payment: $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue Theme: Any genre, short story Changing the world, one story at a time Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful. Payout = Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Wait, you mean if this substack gets thousands of subscribers, the winner would get thousands of dollars? Yes! The New Yorker pays roughly $7,500 per story and I sincerely hope to go way past that. What does the timeline look like? Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout. Where do I send submissions? [email protected] What are the rules for submitting? 1. No Fees 2. Send in Microsoft Word or Google Doc form 3. Any genre 4. 6- 10,000 words. Yes, just 6 words, like Hemingway's famous 6-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn." 5. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. 6. Acknowledge Distribution Rights on this Substack - You can still sell your story elsewhere but we need to be able to save and publish it here. The goal is to create a library for subscribers. 7. Only the winner will be published and rights will only transfer for the winning story. What do I get for subscribing? One beautiful story every month. The complete library. The joy of supporting artists and doing something interesting. Anything Else? Yes! Analytics will be published monthly in terms of subscribers, the number of submissions, and anything else that might be relevant. Via: Substack.

Taking Submissions: Women and the Sea

  Deadline: September 30th, 2022 Payment: $50 CAD and a contributor's copy Theme: Women and the Sea Deep, mysterious, beautiful, dangerous… women and the sea have a lot in common and have been tied together in myth and story from the beginning of time. Stories of women being drawn to the sea or being left on the shore, waiting for their men’s return, have been passed down through the ages. This anthology of stories about women and the sea will be filled with beautiful, atmospheric stories. I’m not primarily looking for fantastical creatures but rather setting, mood. The mythic. The gothic. The tranquility of sunlight dancing upon placid waters and the deep moon energy of rising tides and waves slamming against rocks. I want lonely lighthouses on rocky outcroppings, wind-whipped hair and melancholia, transformation and exaltation. Salt and sorrow. Clarification: Because it has become a frequently asked question I want to clarify something. Speculative elements and fantastical creatures are welcome in these stories but I’m also open to non-spec stories which fit the theme. When I said ‘I’m not looking for fantastical creatures’ I meant in comparison to the other water anthologies I’ve done in the past like Sirens where the water creatures were the focus. In this case I just the primary focus to be on atmosphere and mood. Apologies for not making that clear. Rights and compensation: Payment: $50 CAD flat fee and a paperback copy of the anthology. In exchange we are seeking first world rights in English and exclusive right to publish in print and electronic format for six months after publication date, after which publisher retains nonexclusive right to continue to publish for the life of the anthology. Publisher: Tyche Books Submission window: August 1, 2022 – September 30, 2022 Release window: TBD in 2023 Stories up to 7,500 words long No Reprints No...

Taking Submissions: Crack in the Code: Cybernated Stories of Rebellion

Deadline: September 30th, 2022 Payment: .08 per word Theme: Science fiction and fantasy stories where the androids, robots, and/or cyborgs have been naughty, going off programming, cracking their internal code, etc. Anthology: Crack in the Code: Cybernated Stories of Rebellion edited by Venessa Giunta and Nicole Givens Kurtz Deadline: September 30th, 2022 Publication Release Date: February 2023 Payment: .08 per word Since 2010, Mocha Memoirs Press’s mission is to amplify marginalized voices in the areas of speculative fiction (science fiction, horror, and fantasy). Crack in the Code will follow the steps of our previous published bestseller anthologies An Improbable Truth: The Paranormal Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire, and Avast, Ye Airships! What we are looking for: Science fiction and fantasy stories where the androids, robots, and/or cyborgs have been naughty, going off programming, cracking their internal code, etc. Give us dramatic stories, mischievous stories, stories that stun, but not offend us. This call is seeking unpublished short stories where the artificial lives become alive and share their stories. If you can take the story out of westernized culture, we’d love to see those, too! We want stories that speak of inclusivity. So, if your robot/cyborg/android is disabled or suffers from an ailment, send those stories too. LGBTQ+ stories are also encouraged. To point, we want stories from everyone. If you do not follow the guidelines, your submission will be deleted unread. Seriously, read the guidelines. Follow them. Upon results of a successful crowdfunding campaign, we will pay SFWA pro-rates of .08 per word for publication for First World Rights. Still interested? Here are the guidelines. • Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 7,500 words in length, we accept microfiction and flash, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology, meaning the protagonist...

Taking Submissions: Unspeakable Horror 3: Dark Rainbow Rising

Deadline: September 30th, 2022 Payment: $0.10 (ten cents) per word Theme: Original short stories up to 6,000 words that explore this idea of great terror growing from the LGBTQIA community’s great strides forward. Note: Stories must have a strong, central gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer focus/slant/theme Unspeakable Horror 3: Dark Rainbow Rising Edited by: Vince A. Liaguno When the pendulum of civil rights and social change initiatives swings toward progress, the LGBTQIA community often holds its collective breath in anticipation of the inevitable backlash when the pendulum swings back. Even with these gains, we are constantly looking over our shoulder—waiting for the next shoe to drop, for the next attack on our personhood. The community’s enemies see progress as a perceived danger to their own heteronormative bubbles—and any advancement threatens to burst those fragile bubbles. Even as we hoist the rainbow flag in celebration, a dark rainbow rises on the horizon… For this third volume of the award-winning Unspeakable Horror series, we are seeking original short stories up to 6,000 words that explore this idea of great terror growing from the LGBTQIA community’s great strides forward. We want your terrifying interpretations and extensions of this theme—not a literal reading. Questions to explore: Does the unspeakable horror manifest in a subtle, growing sense of unease that our enemies must surely be plotting to thwart our efforts—or does it present in outward paranoia? Do we settle into a false sense of security and not see the unspeakable terror that rises behind us? Do we turn on each other now that our external enemies are (seemingly) defeated? Do we leave part of our community behind in some misguided act of self-preservation? Stories can be set in any time period, as long as the narrative includes some historical LGBTQ+ civil rights/social movement/moment as a direct or indirect...

Taking Submissions: Dead and Bloated – Extreme Horror Anthology

Submission Window: August 1st, 2022 — October 1st, 2022 Payment: 3 cents per word + 1 paperback contributor copy Theme: Water, Extreme Horror, Splatterpunk, Dark Humor Title: DEAD & BLOATED - Extreme Horror Anthology Editor: K. Trap Jones Theme: Water, Extreme Horror, Splatterpunk, Dark Humor Formats: Paperback, ebook Short story MAX 3,000 WORD COUNT No reprints No simultaneous subs No multiple subs Nothing involving children and I’m not a fan of heavy religious or political plots. Manuscript: 12pt font, double-spaced and as .DOC or .DOCX Send as Attachment, not in body of email PAYMENT: 3 cents per word + 1 paperback contributor copy with ability to purchase more at wholesale cost + shipping RIGHTS: 1 year Exclusive English rights Send stories to [email protected] with subject line: BLOATED SUB: (story title) by (author name) SUBMISSION PERIOD: August 1, 2022 — October 1, 2022 Responses usually within a month, but could be longer depending on size of sub pile. Publish Date: Q1 2023 Anything sent before or after submission period will be ripped to shreds and flushed down the toilet. NOTE: BE CREATIVE! Don’t just write about someone drowning.  Via: The Evil Cookie.

Taking Submissions: Nihilist Poet Militia: West Summer 2022 Call

Deadline: October 1st, 2022 Payment: $5 Theme: Poetry: liminal; K-mart realism; post-apocalypse; anti-authoritarian Words are dangerous. So are blank spaces. This zine is arbitrary, without clear function, and prone to injury. Welcome to the secret lair of poets, anarchists, spelunkers, and scofflaws. You are welcome to leave at any time. General strategy: Poetry, anti-poetry, or sub-poetry. Very short stories; memories; surrealism. Also: photos of abandoned lots and/or junkyards. Organizing principle: Collectivist Decision-making protocol: Consensus and/or sporadic bursts of wild individualism Mascots: The badger, the marmot, the petrel ​ Editor: Justin Bendell. Justin is a writer, podcast host, musician & professor. He was a founder/editor of Manzano Mountain Review. (justinbendell.com) Submit poems (less than 20 lines) or prose (less than 300 words) to [email protected] ​ Initial Submission Deadline: October 1 Melt our faces off. Evocate. Seduce. Catch us off guard with your authenticity or compelling artifice. General strategy: Poetry, anti-poetry, or sub-poetry. Very short stories; memories; surrealism. Jargon: liminal; K-mart realism; post-apocalypse; anti-authoritarian I will pay you $5 on paypal if I publish your work.  It will be published online & also in a zine that I will poorly & hastily distribute in greater Albuquerque, NM   Via:

Taking Submissions: The Cafe Irreal Fall Window 2022

Deadline: October 1st, 2022 Payment: One cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) Theme: Fantastic Fiction You really NEED to read the description below. The Cafe Irreal is a quarterly webzine that presents a kind of fantastic fiction infrequently published in English. This fiction, which we would describe as irreal, resembles the work of writers such as Franz Kafka, Kobo Abe, Clarice Lispector and Jorge Luis Borges. As a type of fiction it rejects the tendency to portray people and places realistically and the need for a full resolution to the story; instead, it shows us a reality constantly being undermined. Therefore, we're interested in stories by writers who write about what they don't know, take us places we couldn't possibly go, and don't try to make us care about the characters. We would also suggest you take a look at the current issue, archives, and theory (especially the essay, "What is irrealism?") pages on this web site. We accept unsolicited fiction up to 2,000 words in length. Translations are welcome. There is no minimum length. We accept only electronic submissions via e-mail at [email protected]. We cannot, due to the various computer viruses and worms, accept attachments anymore, so please paste your story into the body of the e-mail. Also include your name, address, e-mail address, and a short bio in the text of the submission; please put the word "submission" in the subject heading of the e-mail to ensure that your submission doesn't get lost among all the spam. We pay an honorarium of one cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) to buy first-time internet rights (the story will then be archived). Payment is made upon publication. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DON'T ACCEPT SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS and are only interested in reprints in unusual cases (e.g., the story has appeared in print but...

Taking Submissions: Lucky Stars

Deadline: October 1st, 2022 Payment: Royalties Theme: Reasons to count your lucky stars! Title: Lucky Stars Opens: July 1st, 2022 Submission Deadline: October 1st, 2022, 11:59 EST or Until Full Theme: Life can be full of ups and downs for the folks of Bones Hollow, but it’s always good to give thanks. When the spells go just right, when the blood is hot, when the night is clear and the moon is full, there’s a lot to be thankful for. And when you’re in love, even more so. Thanksgiving is a time for reflecting on the things that make you grateful, whether it’s a long-lasting relationship, an opportunity for new love, a harmonious house or the chaos of creation. Life, love and magic are all gifts. What do the denizens of Bones Hollow have to be thankful for this year? A Bones Hollow anthology celebrates love for all kinds, shapes, sizes, and orientations based in the fictional Vermont town where the supernatural and Hallmark collide. Heat Level: G; Sweet Word Count: 2,000-8,000 words, excluding title Author Eligibility: Open to all Reprints: Not allowed Simultaneous Submissions: Not allowed Multiple Submissions: Maximum of 2 (two) allowed Publication: Expected to release Thanksgiving 2022 Author Compensation: One digital copy; royalty split among authors How to Submit: See www.ParamourInk.com for further information Send your story and up to a 100-word author bio with 2 (two) links as a Word doc attachment to: [email protected] Please include the Anthology Title, Story Title, and Author name in your email subject line, with your document file name as: Author Name - Story Title. Via: Black Ink Fiction.