#Weird Fiction Quarterly

[theperfessor]

My short, horror holiday story "The Yule Cat is being re-published online by Weird Fiction Quarterly as part of our annual holiday celebration, check it and the other tales of weird fiction.

[art]

Creator Spotlight: @themetalhiro

Hi, I’m Metal! I’m a freelance artist from good ol’ New Jersey. My favorite things to work with are a lot of bright colors, exaggerated poses, and candid scenarios. I try to farm sensible chuckles whenever I can, so I’m also big into comics. I love making them about my life, and the media I’m into, and one day I’d like to publish my own series!  Thank you to everyone who has gotten me this far!!

Check out Metal's interview below!

Did you originally have a background in art? If not, how did you start?

I guess so! It’s funny, I don’t remember a single time in my life that I wasn’t drawing as a hobby… somewhere in middle school (a little late, I know.) I put the pieces together that animated movies were made by artists, and that it wasn’t just for fun, they were paid to do it. The moment I discovered people could be paid to make art, I decided I would do that, too. Now I’m here!

How has your style developed over the years?

I think the best way to answer this would be with an example! Over the last few years, I have made more of an effort to draw more intentionally, which sounds silly. Now, I put more thought into my poses and step out of my comfort zone with shape language and composition. I had a phase where I drew everyone with a huge, perfectly circular head and no nose. That definitely did not lend much variety...

Which 3 famous artists (dead or alive) would you invite to your dinner party?

Ack! I’m so terrible at history! I’d love to give a well-thought-out answer about fine artists of old, but I don't think we’d have much in common… Most artists I admire and who have driven me forward creatively are the people behind comics I’ve read. Andrew Hussie, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Eiichiro Oda... these guys have inspired me greatly and had a heavy influence in developing my art style and sense of humor. I’d love to ask them questions about their processes and upcoming projects. I think it would make for an entertaining night!

Over the years as an artist, what were your biggest inspirations behind your creativity?

Outside of pure aesthetics like searing bright colors, layered clothing, and loud noises…. the best and most inspiring moments in my life were those surrounded by friends and loved ones! I cherish the hell out of memories of hanging around in fun locations, trying weird food together, and impromptu midnight walks... so I try my best to capture that atmosphere and my own memories in my work when I can, even if I’m imposing fictional characters on top of them. That’s always the core of it.

What is a medium that you have always been intrigued by but would never use yourself?

I would never permanently refuse a medium, but every time I pick up clay, I’m like a baby using its hands for the first time. Absolutely dreadful. If one day I could make and paint a figurine like the ones I admire in videos, that would be awesome... But for now, I’m not counting on it.

How do you want to evolve as a creator?

I’ve had an absolute blast drawing fanart over the years, and it’s certainly played a massive role in my growth as an artist. But my dream has always been to publish my own stories for y'all to enjoy! I have lots of worlds I want to introduce to you before I’m old and gray. I want to get faster, work harder, and get better at drawing interesting settings so I can get the wheels turning as soon as possible. I also want to stop avoiding the color blue like a coward.

What do you wish you knew when you first started out creating art that you know now?

Pay your taxes quarterly. Tablets will break at the exact moment you need them most, so have a spare. Wear your blue light glasses. You’re going to need to wear a brace on every joint on the right side of your body. It can be lonely sitting at your desk all day. The car on the side of the road that costs $1000 cash….. don’t trust it!!!

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

@cranity—They use absolutely beautiful colors and weighty line work. Everything looks so sharp and clean! I wanna put it all up on my wall!

@vewn—Their ability to crank out quality short films and illustrations packed with detail is incredible. The off-kilter perspective they use really sells disorientation and catches your attention like nothing else.

@nelnal—They have absolutely banger character designs again and again, I can’t believe one person’s mind can come up with so many creative ideas!

@jinx88kc—They have a beautiful and recognizable style, and the way they incorporate animation into their illustrations sometimes is SO cool!

Thanks for stopping by, Metal! For more of Metal’s work, follow their Tumblr, @themetalhiro! If you haven't seen their Meet the Artist piece, be sure to check it out here!

[apocalypsolollipop]

Support your indie and nb and trans authors! 60 flash fiction tales from writers from all over the world.

[librarycards]

hello everyone, and welcome to the final installment of my quarterly favorite books of 2023! this fall has been interesting in terms of reading: my attempt to balance the sheer, necessary pain of keeping up with current events with a desire to continue enjoying transportive fiction, especially as I make my final rounds of edits to my forthcoming novel. it's been me exploring the influence both of thematic and random texts on my dissertation-in-progress. this has resulted in a somewhat unusual final quarter for me: of the above texts, only two are fiction. no straight-up poetry made the cut, either. a weird (but wonderful) round-up for a weird time in my life and history, I guess.

as you likely have time off school or work this month and into the new year, consider picking up a book or five to carry you into 2024. you can view my other recommendations for this year here: 1 / 2 / 3. I very specifically recommend Atef Abu Saif's The Drone Eats With Me of my list this year, given the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

if you like these lists, check out my substack, where i write a free monthly list of media recs, as well as my book rec tag (linked above). and with that, here are my top nine books between Sept. and Dec. 2023!

Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Pidginization as Curatorial Method: Messing with Languages and Praxes of Curating

Atef Abu Saif, The Drone Eats With Me: A Gaza Diary

Mairead Case, Tiny

Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became the Sun

Stephen Kuusisto, Planet of the Blind

Lynda Barry, Syllabus

Lamya H., Hijab Butch Blues

Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas

Micha Frazer-Carroll, Mad World: The Politics of Mental Health

tagging people below to share their faves. No pressure, and if you're not tagged and want tot share yours, please!! tag me in your posts, mutuals or not. I love reading them.

@heavenlyyshecomes @sawasawako @capricornpropaganda @stephen-deadalus @discworldwitches @sadhoc @materialisnt @punkkwix @tirragen @xxxjarchiexxx @passerea @metamatar @myalgias @felgueirosa @secretcircuit @aldieb @bioethicists @trans-axolotl @oddmerit @boykeats @artuhmes @oatsmilk @feypact @campgender @fatehbaz @handweavers @abstractlesbian @closet-keys @querxus @pf2e @probablymoons @osmanthusoolong @ghostzvne @poipolycule; my beloved @gwenderqueer AND anyone else who wants to!!!

[acoupofowls]

Other Worlds: An Anthology of Diverse Short Fiction

Short stories by writers from marginalised and/or underrepresented communities or backgrounds exploring the theme of "Other Worlds"

KICKSTARTER NOW LIVE and SUBMISSIONS OPEN!

Other Worlds is the second print anthology brought to you by A Coup of Owls Press - home of online quarterly anthologies from creators from marginalised and/or underrepresented communities or backgrounds.

As a follow-up to Other & Different, which explored what it is to be othered, Other Worlds will be an exploration of places, situations, communities, etc, that are other. These might be actual other worlds in a science or speculative fiction genre, or a community, or a situation in the historical or modern world that feels or is made to feel alien. Encompassing a variety of styles and genres, Other Worlds will feature stories focused on the theme of being part of those othered communities - however the writers wish to interpret that.

THE STORIES

We are thrilled to confirm that we have invited five fantastic authors to contribute to Other Worlds, and our submissions for the remaining stories are open from 1st October to 15th November 2023. 

For more submissions guidelines and to submit, check out our submissions page.

Eve Morton:  Strange people with strange purposes gather in Haven (Science Fiction).

Eve Morton is a poet, professor, and parent living in Waterloo, Ontario. She likes coffee, short stories, and horror movies--in that order.  Weblinks: website

Previous publications include: A Coup of Owls, Other Stories Podcast and Third Flatiron Publishing

Victor Okechukwu: A post-civil war community feels cut off from the rest of Nigeria when a woman's only son enters a train to Jos but  may not return (Modern Nigerian Lit). 

Victor Okechukwu is a writer based in Lagos, Nigeria. His writing takes a deep setting in arresting issues of mental health that have been overlooked in his country. He's an Associate Prose Editor at Zerotic Press and is reading mass communication at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Weblinks: Twitter

Previous publications include: Gordon Square Review, Mycelia, Door-is-a-jar, and Rigorous Magazine

Von Reyes: Violence and intimacy become blurred and life might just be worth fighting for amongst a community of underground fighters (Speculative Fiction).

Von Reyes is an emergent fiction author, focused on uplifting the intersections of queer and trans masculinity and Asian diasporic identity. He focuses on genre fiction with themes of surrealism, queer sexuality, existentialism, and optimistic nihilism. He is passionate about creating a more socially conscious world where care for each other is at the core of all that we do. He hopes to tell stories that don't shy away from the horrors, but allows us to find the light within them. When he isn't writing, he can usually be found chasing the ocean and his next iced coffee.  Weblinks: website

Previous publications include: The Good Men Project. Forthcoming in Chill Mag.

Zachary Rosenberg:  A Jewish soldier and rancher must contend with mysterious monsters to build the home he longs for (Horror Western).

Zachary Rosenberg is a horror writer living in Florida. He crafts horrifying tales by night and by day he practices law, which is even more frightening. His debut novella Hungers as Old As This Land is out now from Brigids Gate Press and his second, The Long Shalom, is available from by Off Limits Press. Weblinks: Twitter

Previous publications include: Dark Matter Magazine, The Deadlands, and the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Samir Sirk Morató: When an Appalachian community clashes with their neighbors—a grove of sentient, dying chestnut trees—tragedy strikes (Horror).

Samir Sirk Morató is a scientist, artist, and flesh heap. They are also a 2022 Brave New Weird shortlister and a F(r)iction Fall 2022 Flash Fiction finalist. Samir spends most of their time tending to their cacti and contemplating the nature of meat. Weblinks: Twitter, Instagram, and website

Previous publications include: Neon Hemlock, bodyfluids, Catapult, and Seize the Press.

COVER ART

We can't wait to share with you the amazing cover art currently being created by amazing artist @pangaeastarseed.

Pangaea is a life-long artist and resident of the DC suburbs. A freelance illustrator with 20+ years experience, Pan’s work focuses on figure work and visual narratives utilizing the exploration of queerness, food as a love-language, and colors influenced by their florid synaesthesia.

Pangaea’s previous work includes custom illustration commissions and tattoo designs for clients; Starseed, an original gay-porn-space-opera comic, The Alien Dick Coloring Book, sketchbook zines Cardassia Prime and Cardassia Kotok, and the Washington DC-variant poster design of The Lambda Literary Awards 2022.

Portfolio: https://www.pangaeaillustrations.com/

WHY KICKSTARTER?

We want to ensure that we produce the high quality product that we know we can! Whilst design, layout and formatting happens in-house, Kickstarter funds will help cover pay for our authors, cover artist and editor. 

REWARDS

Add Ons!

We have a variety of extras available in the add-ons, from extra copies to special collected editions.  Whilst we've tried to create reward tiers to suit everyone, the add-ons will better allow you to mix and match to your preference! 

Our own @maxturnerwrites is once more offering some of his own work at discounted prices for supporters.

STRETCH GOALS!

£1000 : at £1000 we will add an Other Worlds bookmark for each physical backer

£1250 : at £1250 we will add an A5 print of cover art (without title) to each physical backer, and an e-copy of the same to each e-backer

£1500 : at £1500 we will add an Other Worlds tote bag for each physical backer

[bookclub4m]

45 New & Forthcoming Indie Press Books by BIPOC Authors 

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Fiction

Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman (AK Press)

False Idols: A Reluctant King Novel by K’Wan (Akashic Books)

Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Mark Polizzotti (Archipelago Books)

Bad Land by Corinna Chong (Arsenal Pulp Press)

These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere (Catapult)

The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (Catapult)

Cecilia by K-Ming Chang (Coffee House Press)

Fog & Car by Eugene Lim (Coffee House Press)

We’re Safe When We’re Alone by Nghiem Tran (Coffee House Press)

A Woman of Pleasure by Kiyoko Murata, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter (Counterpoint Press)

Bad Seed by Gabriel Carle, translated by Heather Houde (Feminist Press)

The Default World by Naomi Kanakia (Feminist Press)

The Singularity by Balsam Karam, translated by Saskia Vogel (Feminist Press)

I'll Give You a Reason by Annell López (Feminist Press)

Tongueless by Lau Yee-Wa, translated by Jennifer Feeley (Feminist Press)

Outcaste by Sheila James (Goose Lane Editions)

Silken Gazelles by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth (House of Anansi Press)

Dad, I Miss You by Nadia Sammurtok, illustrated by Simji Park (Inhabit Media)

Secrets of the Snakestone by Pia DasGupta (Nosy Crow)

The Burrow by Melanie Cheng (Tin House)

Masquerade by Mike Fu (Tin House)

The World With Its Mouth Open: Stories by Zahid Rafiq (Tin House)

I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall (Soft Skull Press)

Non-Fiction

RAPilates: Body and Mind Conditioning in the Digital Age by Chuck D and Kathy Lopez (Akashic Books)

All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey by Teresa Wong (Arsenal Pulp Press)

Dispersals: On Plants, Borders, and Belonging by Jessica J. Lee (Catapult)

My Pisces Heart: A Black Immigrant's Search for Home Across Four Continents by Jennifer Neal  (Catapult)

Beyond the Mountains: An Immigrant's Inspiring Journey of Healing and Learning to Dance with the Universe by Deja Vu Prem (Catapult)

Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance by Victoria Blanco (Coffee House Press)

Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha LaPointe (Counterpoint Press)

Born to Walk: My Journey of Trials and Resilience by Alpha Nkuranga (Goose Lane Editions)

Jinny Yu (At Once/À La Fois) by Jinny Yu (Goose Lane Editions)

Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix by Katherine Cross (LittlePuss Press)

Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home by Chris La Tray (Milkweed Editions)

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments  by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Milkweed Editions)

Opacities: On Writing and the Writing Life by Sofia Samatar (Soft Skull Press)

The Story Game by Shze-Hui Tjoa (Tin House)

Black Meme: The History of the Images That Make Us by Legacy Russell (Verso Books)

Poetry

i heard a crow before i was born by Jules Delorme (Goose Lane Editions)

We the Gathered Heat: Asian American and Pacific Islander Poetry, Performance, and Spoken Word edited by Franny Choi, Bao Phi, Noʻu Revilla, and Terisa Siagatonu (Haymarket Books)

A Map of My Want by Faylita Hicks (Haymarket Books)

[...] by Fady Joudah (Milkweed Editions)

Comics

A Witch’s Guide to Burning by Aminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)

Oba Electroplating Factory by Yoshiharu Tsuge (Drawn & Quarterly)

Lost at Windy River by  Jillian Dolan, Trina Rathgeber and Alina Pete (Orca Books)

[neoyorzapoteca]

I’ve been trying to think about new ways of writing that have nothing to do with standard plotting, moving beyond things like Freytag’s Pyramid and a three-act structure. In this story, I was thinking about submerged plot, because there is a sort of plot in the story, but it’s not necessarily on the surface. There’s something weird happening between the protagonist and her husband, something strange happening in the neighborhood itself. The seasons are changing, and there’s a sort of temporal arc there, as well. But the story is highly dependent on both observation and a driving rhythm in the prose. When I was thinking about “Ghosts and Empties,” I was taking incredibly lengthy walks at night, and I started thinking about how the physical rhythm I fell into corresponded to a sort of parataxis: and then and then and then and then. I had an underlying rhythm, and I had these images that come back and come back and come back, night after night, walk after walk, though they are slowly being modified over time. I don’t know if I could have sustained this rhythm over the course of a novel. It needed to be a piece of short fiction. In any event, the form for the story, when I finally found it, came out of the rhythm of walking.

Subterranean Conversation: An Interview with Lauren Groff – Michigan Quarterly Review

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 4/4/2023

the semi-triumphant return of the making section

listening

my ugly by cloudfodder. i spent a lot of this weekend muttering "six feet down bad for me" bc its a fun phrase. a voice similar to cosmo sheldrake, sleeker and more rollicking baseline but similar vibes to the doors' people are strange.

also: shostakovich's jazz suite no. 2, specifically the famous waltz 2. i'd never listened to the whole suite in one sitting (or at all), and it got me through an extremely tedious afternoon of scheduling calendar reminders for various grants. one reminder a month out, one reminder two weeks out, one reminder the day it's due. for every quarterly and annual report, all of which run on different quarterly and annual schedules. out to 2027.

my ugly is from last week's discover playlist i never got around to listening to but did archive, and i could not tell you what led me to shostakovich.

-

reading

more vampire private detective fiction. i'm sort of amazed this is a little subgenre of its own? like the kate kane books, raylene pendle's adventures are simply fun nonsense. if you liked the underworld movies, or van helsing, or any of that flavor of mid aughts gritty but opulent fantasy, you may like these books.

a side note: it was slightly jarring to read a book with s drag queen where the drag queen is kind of a distraction? he's a whole guy with his own subplots going on, but the books are also like...WOW look at THIS fun novelty!!! we hang out with a drag queen!!! let's have a long internal discussion about what pronouns to use when but not actually ask the drag queen about preferred situational pronouns! i think this is mostly a the times they are a-changin' deal, bc this was published in 2010 and i do not remember running into that with any of priest's other books. it feels mostly well-meaning, if a little back-patting at times.

this is also a very rare reread, i read these fairly close to when they were published bc i was working at my local library devouring like four books a week.

-

watching

i have a few words to say about s2 of s/tar wars' the ba/d batch and then we'll get on to a movie i actually enjoyed watching. if this were not star wars i would have stopped watching a year ago. HOWEVER. episodes 7 & 8 of s2 are just like. two normal clone wars episodes dropped in??? there's some juicy juicy coruscanti politics and a lot about clone rights as the empire decides to make the switch from clones to conscripted troops? we hang out at the clone bar 79's for a bit??? it's just a shockingly competent pair of episodes compared to the rest of them.

the italian job (1969, dir. collison) is a movie i would call stylish (derogatory) bc it really is just a movie about the spectacle of the car chase. i am saddened to report i had a delightful fucking time, bc the part of my brain that likes experiencing g-forces went heheehoohooo zippy corners. i am aware the mini cooper is a competent sports and rally car, but something about multiples of a very small car absolutely hauling ass...this movie is not afraid to get silly with it. i have almost nothing to say about this movie except i had a good time nearly every minute.

im always really annoyed when a movie a man has given me a nonconsensual 2+ hour seminar about is 1) nice to look at and 2) actually fun.

watched the b/ad batch bc i Must watch anything s/tar wars as an elaborate form of self harm, and the italian job was bc i have kanopy credits to burn and wanted to watch a silly action movie while i ate dinner.

-

playing

still fucking around in Weird West. got my husband back, which seems to be the worst outcome? fascinating!!! leaving him in a cage for two months while i leveled up and gained cathartic revenge for our son by systematically wiping out an entire gang until i was strong enough to storm the abandoned mine and kill the leader, freeing my husband, seems to not have given him very much catharsis. funny how that happens. i wonder if his dialogue changes depending on how fast you rescue him.

this game had some folks who worked on dishonored. you motherfuckers. all these screenshots are cropped to hell bc i really want to draw attention to the characters and not the vast expanses they are standing in.

three more things: you play through five different storylines. on the first run through with the revenge-seeking bounty hunter, i bought a horse. a very nice horse! coal black no markings. they gave me a different fucking horse. where is my old horse??? is she okay???

anyway im a pig man now. ran into a mandatory stealth mission which has really stopped me dead, bc this pig man comes with a shotgun and all his abilities are tank abilities. im sure if i actually attempt the mission it is not that difficult. but i wanna use my shotgun. the game got me so hype to tank through some stuff, bc the previous bounty hunter was a very good midrange allrounder type of lady. which is good and fine to introduce you to the game, and i had a lot of fun playing her, but she was not well suited to the shotgun (my beloved).

and sorry the what now

-

making

experiments with bleach and shirts thereof. i got this clearance rack longsleeved tee at target for four of the king's own dollars, sometime between my last big trip to the laundromat and thursday, when i did laundry and remembered this shirt existed. it's not a very good shirt, the cuffs are awful and there's a weird seam up the entire center back. i dont feel bad about destroying it.

did some graffiti from the Lonesome Road f/allout new vegas dlc up both sleeves, and i'm fairly pleased with the effect. it's graffiti, it's supposed to be sloppy. i am inordinately pleased with the inner curve of the "u" in "courier" bc i just freehanded it with a half inch chip brush and some halfhearted tailors chalk marking my letter spacing.

my original jug of bleach from when i moved into the woods apartment in the fall of 2020 had somehow gone off, bc it was not bleaching. luckily i had a second backup bottle of bleach bc in november i forgot i already owned a bottle of bleach. this is one of the rare times adhd has worked out for me.

the process for this was not fancy or complicated. i stenciled all the stars with leftover contact paper: held it up to my laptop screen, lightly traced with a pencil, and then hacked away at it with a box cutter. i probably would have been perfectly fine freehanding it bc bleach and graffiti are very forgiving of shaky hand sins. but a bitch is anxious. a bitch loves stencils.

i had to go back and touch up the smaller stars bc i oversaturated the fabric with the dead bleach and lost all the detail. bleach pens apparently cannot be had for love or money around here. “homemade” bleach pens are apparently just cornstarch and bleach, which seemed not reactive enough and i already had cornstarch. i did not have a little squeeze bottle but i did have a wide assortment of cheap synthetic paintbrushes i don’t care about so i did a 1:1 mix in the bottom of a beaker and freehanded that on. didn't really need the cornstarch and it really hindered the "how long do i leave this on" question, i would have been fine freehanding straight bleach onto bone-dry fabric.

it is doubtful i will wear this out in public, bc the distressed flag imagery in these specific colors really brings a sort of republican biker aesthetic i don't care for. i am fascinated at the possibilities of literally painting a little scene with bleach but it's kind of high stakes and idk there's an #iconic enough scene in lonesome road to do that with. i am thinking about a doing a big sierra madre chip on the front and fucking around with some shading? stay tuned.

[thehorrortree]

Deadline: August 1st, 2024 Payment: $10 for poetry, $25 for artwork, 1 cent per word for fiction Theme: False Memories Note: Reprints Welcome NonBinary Review is currently open for submissions on the theme of FALSE MEMORIES. False memories first came to public consciousness in the 1980s when a group of pre-schoolers at a California preschool were coached by well-meaning social workers and police investigators into "remembering" Satanic abuse that never happened. The fallout from that episode wasn't just the persecution of an innocent family, but a nationwide mass delusion now known as "the Satanic Panic," where authorities were warning the public about supposed widespread satanic cults committing heinous acts of abuse. Not a single one of these warnings were founded in fact, and it is now known that a large number of them were propaganda. But false memories aren't always bad. There is a common phenomenon wherein people hear stories of their early childhoods so often that those stories turn into "memories." It is common in dreams to have "memories" of things that happened to the dream self, but not to the real self. Or a person might believe that they took their regular medication, brought in the garbage bins, or picked up the mail when they haven't. We're looking for weird and wonderful stories of not just the memories themselves, but of their production, their repercussions, their wider meanings. We're looking for false memories that might have changed history, that led to remarkable discoveries, that impacted lives. We're NOT looking stories of recovered memories. Recovered memories are memories of real events that have been suppressed because they're traumatic, and are a widely disputed phenomenon. We would also like to avoid stories centering abuse, trauma, and violence. Zoetic Press publishes the best in speculative lit - experimental, interstitial, luminous. We welcome submissions from EVERYONE. The only requirement is that they be in English, or translated into English (we love a translation). If your writing is outstanding, no matter who you are, we have a place for it. NonBinary Review, our award-winning themed lit journal is published quarterly. Each issue revolves around a specific theme, but we're asking contributors to go beyond the old familiar media tropes - we want speculative work that looks at our theme from unexpected angles. We're looking for work we can read with our whole body - work that gives us goosebumps, makes us see the world differently, has the tang of authenticity, makes us sit up and listen, and smells like....something. This analogy got out of hand. What we're saying is that we're not looking for re-hashes of images or stories we've read before. We want contributors to explore every facet of our themes, really getting in between the cracks, in the corners, all the forgotten places that no one ever thinks to explore. We want to read work that makes us think "I never would have thought of this, and yet, it's so fitting!" What we're NOT looking for is work that centers violence, rape, misogyny, racism, ableism, or degrading stereotypes of any kind. We know you're not that kind of writer, but we thought it should be said. NonBinary Review accepts reprints, but we do ask for previous publication details so they can be credited. Prose submissions (for which we pay 1¢ per word) should be 3000 words or fewer in length, double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman font or similar. Poetry submissions (for which we pay a $10 flat fee) should include no more than 3 poems, each of which may be up to 3 pages in length. Please include each poem as a separate file. Art submissions (for which we pay a $25 flat fee) should include no more than 5 pieces. Each piece should be at least 300dpi, and at least 600 pixels on its smallest side. Any piece chosen for cover art will pay $50. We do not accept any submission that consists of links to an artist's website. Please ensure that you are submitting to the correct category, as we have different editing teams for each.

Submissions sent to the wrong category (e.g., poetry submissions sent to the prose category) will be declined. Dear Horace Greeley invites writers to ask questions about writing, submitting, publication, and any other aspect of the literary life that baffle them, and we'll answer them online. We don't promise that we have all the answers, but we do promise that we're here for you! Feedback for Poets of Color is just what it sounds like. People of color may submit ONE poem, up to 50 lines, for consideration. Two poets per month will be accepted, and the Poetry Editors will work with those two poets to edit, improve, and strengthen their work. Acceptances are done on the first of the month, although submissions are open year-round. Heartbeats: Visual Verse invites poets to push the boundaries of poetry. We're looking for poetry that combines narration, music, and visuals to create a complete experience. We're not looking for a static reading or words scrolling down a screen - we want interplay between visuals and audio that create something more than the sum of its parts. Poets may submit work of up to 140 seconds in length. We pay a flat fee of $25 per accepted video. Only those categories below are currently open for submissions. While there is a published close date for submissions, we have an acceptance cap for each issue, and submissions will be closed once we reach that cap, so don't wait until the last minute. Via: Non-Binary Review's Submittable.

[rhyssands]

hi since my dash is full of people being super fucking weird on main about shipping this is my quarterly reminder that if you think people should be harmed for their entirely fictional ships you should not be here! im a freak and a weirdo who ships things you think are gross, so kindly slap that block button for me on your way out so we don't have to deal with each other

k thx bye

[piepress]

Weird Fiction Quarterly continues the tradition of bringing you the finest in 500 word flash-fiction! In our fifth anthology, we bring you 41 wintry tales that will chill you to the bone.

You can never be prepared for what might happen in Weird Fiction Quarterly.

In here the eternal night is dark and frigid and filled with monsters.

Let’s get cold.

[theperfessor]

Check out the Halloween-themed Weird Fiction Quarterly flash fiction mag. I have 2 stories in it. Find us on Amazon.

[cthulhudice]

Kickstarter alert! THE SKULL & LAUREL: A New Weird Fiction Magazine

The New Weird (of the first decade of the 2000’s anyway) informed my taste and aesthetic immeasurably. I’m glad someone is explicitly saying “let’s move this forward.” This Kickstarter is for a quarterly new Weird magazine. Short Weird fiction is literally foundational to Call of Cthulhu. From the KS page: Tenebrous Press is eager to expand beyond book publishing and establish a permanent…

[smashpages]

Nominees announced for the 2023 Ringo Awards

The nominees for the 2023 Ringo Awards have been announced, marking the seventh year for the awards program named for artist Mike Wieringo, who passed away in 2007.

Nominees were chosen by fans, along with a panel of judges. The awards presentation will take place at The Baltimore Comic-Con on Sept. 9.

And this year’s nominees are …

Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)

Kate Beaton

Wes Craig

Alexis Deacon

Jenny Jinya

Snailords

Stan Sakai

Zoe Thorogood

Best Writer

Ed Brubaker

Anthony Del Col

Drew Edwards

Scott Snyder

Brian K. Vaughan

Best Artist or Penciller

Fahmida Azim

Kate Flynn

Molly Mendoza

Nicola Scott

Evan “Doc” Shaner

Best Inker

Gigi Baldassini

Scott Hanna

Sandra Hope

Klaus Janson

Mark Morales

Best Letterer

Justin Birch

Jerome Gagnon

Todd Klein

Micah Myers

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Stan Sakai

Best Colorist

Daniela Barisone

Jordie Bellaire

Chris O’Halloran

Jacob Phillips

Dave Stewart

Ellie Wright

Best Cover Artist

Wylie Beckert

Jason Muhr

Bryan Silverbax

Greg Smallwood

JH Williams III

Best Series

Fractured Shards, Comics2Movies

Parker Girls, Abstract Studios

Saga, Image Comics

Season of the Bruja, Oni Press

Something is Killing the Children, BOOM! Studios

Best Single Issue or Story

88 Days of Hell: One Ukrainian Man’s Experience in the Russian Filtration, Insider

A Hunter’s Tale, Elephant Eater Comics

Finding Batman, DC Comics

Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters, Oni Press

Punisher #1, Marvel Comics

Thieves, Nobrow

You Were My Joker That Night, Anatola Howard

Best Original Graphic Novel

Chivalry, Dark Horse Comics

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, Drawn & Quarterly

It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth, Image Comics

Tokyo Rose—Zero Hour: A Japanese American Woman’s Persecution and Ultimate Redemption After World War II, Tuttle Publishing

Twilight Custard, Ghostpod Publishing

Best Anthology

Cthulu Invades Wonderland, Orange Cone Productions

Lower Your Sights, Mad Cave Studios

The Silver Coin, Image Comics

Voices That Count, IDW Publishing

Young Men in Love, A Wave Blue World

Best Humor Comic

Breaking Cat News, GoComics

Crash and Troy, A Wave Blue World

Grumpy Monkey: Who Threw That?, Random House Children’s Books

The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic, Z2 Comics

Little Tunny’s Snail Diaries, Silver Sprocket

My Bad, AHOY Comics

Revenge of the Librarians, Drawn & Quarterly

Whatzit, Heavy Metal

Best Webcomic

88 Days of Hell: One Ukrainian Man’s Experience in the Russian Filtration, Inisder

The All-Nighter, Comixology Originals

The Guy Upstairs, WEBTOON

I Love Yoo, WEBTOON

Lore Olympus, WEBTOON

Offside: I Was a Pro Football Player. I Was Tricked into Going to Qatar to Work Construction, Insider

You Were My Joker That Night, Anatola Howard

Best Humor Webcomic

Background Noise, backgroundnoisecomic.com

Evil Inc., evil-inc.com

Finding Fiends, WEBTOON

Live with Yourself!, WEBTOON

Vampire Husband, WEBTOON

Best Non-fiction Comic Work

88 Days of Hell: One Ukrainian Man’s Experience in the Russian Filtration, Insider

A Game for Swallows Expanded Edition, Graphic Universe – Lerner Publishing Group

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, Drawn & Quarterly

I’m Still Alive, Archaia – BOOM! Studios

Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag, Street Noise Books

Radium Girls, Iron Circus Comics

The Third Person, Drawn & Quarterly

Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel

The Aquanaut, Scholastic Graphix

Frizzy, First Second Books

The Ghoul Agency, Action Lab Entertainment

Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters, Oni Press

Kaya, Image Comics

PAWS: Gabby Gets It Together, Razorbill Books, Penguin Random House

Punk Taco 2, Adam Wallenta Entertainment

Tin Man, Abrams ComicArts

Best Presentation in Design

Beneath an Alien Sky, Rocketship Entertainment

Best of EC Stories Artisan Edition, IDW Publishing

Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition—Last Call, IDW Publishing

Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars, Abrams ComicArts

Sara Deluxe Hardcover, TKO Studios

[virtualmemoriespodcast]

Episode 525 - Paul B Rainey

With his fantastic new graphic novel, Why Don't You Love Me? (Drawn & Quarterly), cartoonist Paul B. Rainey has crafted a deeply human story out of a deeply weird premise, taking the reader from bleak, black humor to the most heartfelt moment of connection. We get into the challenges of serializing this story over 6-plus years, the ways in which science fiction can help us reframe our day-to-day lives, the midlife meltdown that led to the creation of My Imaginary Band, and the ways Why Don't You Love Me? explores what it's like to look at one's life and ask, "How did I get here?" We also talk about the perils of writing a story with such a great twist that it's difficult to talk about (spoiler alert!), the amazing experience of being published by D&Q after years of self-publishing his comics, the amazing experience of getting a blurb from Neil Gaiman, why he's never watched Groundhog Day, how Planet of the Apes either ruined or fulfilled his life, how he finally came around on Krazy Kat, and a lot more. Follow Paul on Twitter and Instagram and check out his shop • More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Patreon or Paypal and via our Substack

Check out the new episode of The Virtual Memories Show

[acoupofowls]

OTHER & DIFFERENT: A Diverse Short Fiction Anthology by marginalised and/or underrepresented writers exploring what it is to be Other & Different. Expect Folklore, Fantasy, Gothic, Spec Fic, Sci-Fi, Weird, Horror, and Modern Fiction.

BACK OUR KICKSTARTER NOW!

Other & Different is the first print anthology brought to you by A Coup of Owls - home of online quarterly anthologies from creators from marginalised and/or underrepresented communities or backgrounds.

Other & Different will feature a collection of stories exploring the theme or Other and/or Different in whatever way the author has wished to explore or interpret it.  THE STORIES

With a range of styles and genres expect: Folklore, Fantasy, Gothic, Speculative, Supernatural, Science Fiction, Weird, Horror, and Modern Fiction from our wonderful contributors -

Find out more about the writers and their stories on our website: acoupofowls.com/otherdifferent REWARDS

WHY KICKSTARTER?

We had hoped to cover all the costs of this anthology, however due to a change of circumstances this has become difficult and we want to ensure that we produce the high quality product that we know we can. To that end, our initial Kickstarter goal is for only partial coverage of the costs.

Help us continue to raise voices of marginalised and/or underrepresented writers by backing our Kickstarter!