Looking for something to inspire your next batch of speculative poems? A prompt or two out now from paying publishers seeking submissions of SFF poetry in July, August, and September may just fit the bill (and, if you're among the submitters whose work is chosen for publication, pay some of the bills as well). Here are a few of the opportunities available in the third quarter of 2022 to contribute themed genre poetry to journals and anthologies that offer cash compensation, listed in order of nearness of submission deadline:
BLOODLESS (anthology) Theme: Horror Minus Blood and Gore Deadline: 31 July 2022 (submissions open now!) What they want: Horrific, spine-chilling poems that convey "psychological, paranormal, or even extreme" scenarios set in any time period or location, real or imagined, while avoiding all mention of blood, guts, or gore.
FIYAH (Issue #24) Theme: Hauntings and Horrors Deadline: 31 July 2022 (submissions open now!) 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."
Enchanted Conversation ("Weather" Issue) Theme: Weather Deadline: 3 Aug. 2022 (submissions open 1 Aug.) 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 August window, don't panic! Submissions are open for works on the same theme during one more 3-day window in 2022, i.e. Oct. 1-3.
It Came From Under the Bed (anthology) Theme: Monster under the Bed Deadline: 31 Aug. 2022 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems about dangers lurking under the bed (or bed-like object, e.g. "a futon, a sofa, a chaise lounge, a recliner, or anything you can reasonably sleep on"). The editors seek narratives with "plot, tension, suspense, conflict, and character development."
Along Harrowed Trails (anthology) Theme: Old West Horror Deadline: 31 Aug. 2022 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems "that embrace the Old West aesthetic from around 1800-1900" to tell stories that "are creepy, disturbing, and weird."
Apparition Lit (Issue #20) Theme: Nostalgia Deadline: 31 Aug. 2022 (submissions open 15 Aug.) What they want: Poetry with "obvious fantasy or sci-fi elements" that centers on the idea of nostalgia. NB: The window for "BIPOC-only submissions" runs a week longer than the general window. Deadline "for BIPOC creators only" is 7 Sep. 2022.
And the Dead Shall Sleep No More, Vol. II (anthology) Theme: Vampires Deadline: 01 Sep. 2022 (submissions open now!) What they want: Short narratives ("includ[ing] poetry") dealing with vampires and leaning toward the "dark, creepy, weird" and/or "off-kilter." NB: The editors are especially interested in "horror, science-fiction, speculative fiction or weird fiction" that "twists or subverts these genres in some unexpected way."
Eye to the Telescope (Issue #46) Theme: Quest Deadline: 15 Sep. 2022 (submissions open now!) What they want: Speculative poems of any form that explore some aspect of "the twelve steps of the Hero's Journey," describing e.g. "a call to adventure or the refusal of that call," the first time a protagonist encounters "a new mentor and [the] consequences" of that encounter, "the moment of return when the hero brings new understanding to her people," or similar.
Thanks for stopping by, speculative poets! Hope something on this list gets the versifying gears turning for you. Happy writing!
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