During the final quarter of 2019, several paying journals and anthologies are open to submissions of speculative poems that engage with set topics.
Here are a few opportunities to contribute to upcoming collections of themed SFF poetry, listed in order of nearness of submission deadline:
THEMA Literary Journal (Issue 32:3) Theme: "What a Strange Question!" Deadline: 1 Nov. 2019 What they want: "Thoughtfully constructed" poetry of any form and genre that overtly builds on the prompt "What a strange question!"
Eternal Haunted Summer (Winter 2019 Issue) Theme: The Americas Deadline: 1 Dec. 2019 (submissions open 1 Nov.) What they want: Poems concerned with "the many indigenous spiritualities of the Americas" and/or "those which have been born or evolved [in the Americas]; e.g., African Diaspora Traditions, American-born Wiccan traditions, Feri Tradition, Santa Muerte, devotion to Goddesses such as Libertas/Statue of Liberty," etc.
Eye to the Telescope (Issue #35) Theme: Hard Science Fiction Tropes Deadline: 15 Dec. 2019 (submissions open mid-October) What they want: Speculative poetry that incorporates ideas drawn from the realm of "hard science" or that otherwise addresses the typical concerns and aims of the "hard science fiction" subgenre in some way.
The Future Fire (Issue #53) Theme: Lies / Deceptive Appearances Deadline: 31 Dec. 2019 (though "possibly earlier if the issue fills up") What they want: SFF poems "masquerading as something else," e.g. "an article masquerading as a piece of [...] poetry." Work featuring "social justice content" is especially sought after, but "any piece of speculative fiction or art concealing itself in another form" is fair game.
Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora Theme: Africa and the African Diaspora Deadline: 31 Dec. 2019 What they want: Poetry "that grapples with the question: 'What is the legacy and the future of Africa and the African Diaspora?'" by "poets from the African continent and the African Diaspora." The editors explicitly seek "horror, science fiction, fantasy, and alternate history in the following sub-genres: Horror Noire, Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, Sword and Soul, Rococoa, Steamfunk, and Dieselfunk," and are open to considering reprints and translations.
None of these markets charge submission fees, so if you feel a poem or two starting to take shape in your head as you read through these prompts, don't hold back! Get those subs written, and send them on in!
As always, thanks for reading. Even if you don't wind up submitting to any of the journals or anthologies listed here, I hope you've found something in this post to help jumpstart your autumn/winter specpo writing.