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Taking Submissions: Gimme the Loot: Stories Inspired by The Notorious B.I.G.

October 1, 2018 - October 2, 2018

Deadline: October 1st, 2018
Payment: $50.00 and contributor copy.

Yes, Clash Books is at it again, and this time they’re letting me take the wheel. If you needed more proof that these folks are crazy, look no further. In any case, hot on the heels of Tragedy Queens: Stories Inspired by Lana Del Rey & Sylvia Plath, we’re celebrating The Notorious B.I.G. and his music. You know I’m looking for that good barrio noir, horror, bizarro, whatever goodness. Details below.

Gimme the Loot:

Stories Inspired by The Notorious B.I.G.

Listening to Biggie is listening to the streets. There is something gritty and powerful in his bars, something real and dripping the kind of authenticity that makes songs and stories stand out and claim a corner of your brain. Listening to Biggie is hearing how things are done in the streets, and anybody with at least a day of street experience knows that the man understood what he was talking about. From Brooklyn to San Juan, I’ve heard his impact in music, and none told is as clear as he did. Violent, real, and raw; those are the qualities of Biggie’s music that we’d like to capture in story form. That’s right, we’re talking crime, horror, and bizarro, but with a Biggie flavor. The cover is done, and it’s fantastic because it was done by the supernatural entity known as Matthew Revert.

 

Now, if you listen to Ten Crack Commandments, you know there are some rules to everything, and this anthology is no different. Listen up and keep these things in mind:

  1. We love Tupac, Nas, and Rakim. We dig Big Pun, Snoop, and have already published an anthology celebrating the world of Wu-Tang Clan. This time? This time it’s all about Christopher George Latore Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie, or Biggie Smalls. We don’t want fan-fiction or songs turned into stories. We want the themes in Biggie’s music filtered through your own words and experiences. We want the swagger and the success and the hustle of his life to inspire you to create your own thing. We want to feel your love for the man and his legacy in your story. This is a tribute to him, so celebrate him in a way only you can. I wants stories from barrio streets and the mountains and the small towns and from everywhere. Yeah, that’s what we want.
  2. If you want to claim a song, do it quickly. The best known hits will surely go fast, but don’t fret; we’re willing to read (and publish) more than one tale inspired by the same song.
  3. I’m a brown man who’s constantly writing pieces about Otherness in publishing. This means that those editors who say diversity is not their responsibility can go screw themselves. I will definitely publish superb stories by white dudes (hell, I already talked to two of my favorite crime writers, and they fit that bill), but I want stories by minorities. I want black folks and women and brown folks and my LGBTQ brothers and sisters to send me stuff. Especially you, women. Bring it.
  4. Anything goes, but inside the realm of fiction. We love nonfiction and poetry and publish both, but this is not the place for them. Biggie in space? Sure. Gritty crime? Yeah. Horror? Of course. Bizarro? In the words of street poet Isaac Kirkman, if you haven’t seen weird shit in the streets, you haven’t been in the streets long enough. Let Biggie take you places, and then return the favor. Remember: Life After Deathcame out after Biggie was murdered, so feel free to explore whichever metaphysical angle you like or to delve into conspiracy theories.

Story length: 2500-6000 words. If a story is great, it can be a little under or a little over, but please try your best to stay within this range.

Payment: $50.00 and contributor copy.

Deadline: October 1st, 2018

Submit to e-mail: [email protected]

Get to writing. Gimme the loot!

Via: Yes, Clash Books.

Details

Start:
October 1, 2018
End:
October 2, 2018