Feeling the urge to write a scifi sonnet or horror haibun, but drawing a blank as to precise topic? One of the prompts out now from paying publishers seeking submissions of SFF poetry in April, May, and June may provide the inspiration you're looking for. Here are a few of the opportunities available in the second quarter of 2022 to contribute themed genre poetry to paying journals and anthologies, listed in order of nearness of submission deadline:
A Compendium of Enigmatic Species (anthology) Theme: Imaginary Species Deadline: 30 Apr 2022 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems that "turn a scientist’s eye on the world of the fantastic," examining "plants, animals, and other things that dwell in our imagination." NB: While species described in poems submitted should be "original and imaginary" and/or represent "new twists on classic fantasy creatures," the editors want to see Earth settings, specifically: "no far-off planets or fantasy realms, please."
Bioluminescent: A Lunarpunk Anthology Theme: Lunarpunk Futures Deadline: 30 Apr 2022 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems that incorporate lunarpunk aesthetic elements such as "darker colors, nighttime and moonlight," an introspective feel, "bioluminescent plant life," underground dwellings, or similar into the settings of "optimistic and hopeful" narratives focused on "future societies led by genuinely diverse communities and powered by renewable energy, where nature and technology coexist in harmony rather than in conflict." Pieces submitted should "highlight diversity and demonstrate how humanity has overcome or adapted to climate change and other global social problems."
Enchanted Conversation ("Weather" Issue) Theme: Weather Deadline: 3 May 2022 (submissions open 1 May) What they want: Poems "inspired by fairy tales" that revolve around the theme of weather. Pieces submitted should incorporate fantasy elements as well as "rain, blizzards, hail, lightning, hurricanes, thunder, heat, clouds" or the like. NB: If you have the perfect weather-themed fantasy poem to submit and miss the May window, don't panic! Submissions are open for works on the same theme during two more set start-of-month 3-day windows in 2022, i.e. Aug. 1-3, and Oct. 1-3.
There Used to Be a House Here (anthology) Theme: Vanished Houses Deadline: 31 May 2022 (submissions open now!) What they want: Horror or dark fantasy poems dealing with "a house that was once somewhere" but has disappeared for one reason or another: "perhaps it was simply torn down, or maybe it was sucked into another dimension entirely," etc.
Apparition Lit (Issue #19) Theme: Omen Deadline: 31 May 2022 (submissions open 15 May) What they want: Poetry with "obvious fantasy or sci-fi elements" that centers on the idea of omens. NB: The window for "BIPOC-only submissions" runs a week longer than the general window. Deadline "for BIPOC creators only" is 7 Jun., 2022.
Eternal Haunted Summer (Summer Solstice 2022 Issue) Theme: Other-Than-Human Realms Deadline: 1 Jun. 2022 (submissions open 1 May) What they want: Poetry exploring realms drawn from polytheistic and/or Pagan traditions that are "home to other-than-human peoples" such as "Olympus and Hyperborea, Annwn and Alfheim," "the court of a Fae Queen, the garden of a peri, Hy-Brasil and Feather Mountainthat," or similar. NB: The editor states she does NOT want submissions on "fictional lands such as Narnia, Wonderland, or Oz."
Eye to the Telescope (Issue #45) Theme: Veterans of Alien Wars Deadline: 15 Jun. 2022 (submissions open now!) What they want: Speculative poems of any form that explore the lives of "veterans of future wars" post-conflict, as they "adapt and adjust to civilian life" in sci-fi scenarios. NB: "Special consideration will be given to writers who have served in the armed forces," though the call is open to any and all.
FIYAH (Issue #24) Theme: Hauntings and Horrors Deadline: 31 July 2022 (submissions open 1 June) What they want: Horror poems "with a clear speculative element" by Black writers telling "stories that linger in dark corners." The editors seek explorations of “your night terrors, your blood-thirsty urban legends, your ancestral ghosts haunting plantation weddings,” etc., etc. NB: FIYAH's editors are looking for work specifically by "Black people of the African Diaspora [...] anywhere in the world," including "mixed/biracial and Afro-appended people." Only writers who meet this description should submit. For this special horror issue, potential submitters are also advised: "Keep in mind our guidelines when deciding on gore levels or who gets to be your victim."
The Anarchist Poetry Project (anthology) Theme: Building Better Worlds Deadline: "until filled" (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems that describe "better Anarchist worlds and systems" and/or explore the lives of characters in such settings. The editors are especially interested in recieving submissions of "scifi, fantasy, hopepunk and other -punk subgenres, magical realism, etc." or other forms of speculative poetry with a positive focus on "anarchism and building better worlds." NB: Only poets who identify as anarchists are invited to submit.
Thanks for stopping by. Happy writing!