As 2020 draws to a close, writers of all genres and forms are taking time to process what's been for many a very peculiar year. Speculative poets itching to put some of their thoughts to paper but feeling unsure of where to begin might take inspiration from some of the current calls for submission to journals and anthologies of work written on particular topics.
Here are a few of the opportunities available during the last two months of 2020 for poets to contribute themed SFF verse to upcoming publications, listed in order of nearness of submission deadline:
Tell Me Who We Were Before Life Made Us (anthology) Theme: Imagined Histories Deadline: 8 Nov. 2020 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems that offer original “takes on fairy tales, folklore and urban legends […] creation myths, founding myths, Greek/Haitian/Indian/Mancunian myths,” or similar.
Apparition Lit (Issue #13) Theme: Justice Deadline: 30 Nov. 2020 (submissions open 15 Nov.) What they want: Poems with “obvious fantasy or sci-fi elements” tackling the topic of justice.
Eye to the Telescope (Issue #39) Theme: Travel Deadline: 15 Dec. 2020 (submissions open now!) What they want: Speculative poems on the experience of travel, literal or metaphorical, with a special preference given to works which display “genre-bending and pushing of form/function.” NB: “Would love image or image/word hybrid—.jpg please! Video possible, not highly preferred, but will consider. […] Query first if considering submitting an unusual format.”
Resist With Every Inch and Every Breath (anthology) Theme: Resistance Deadline: 31 Dec. 2020 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems of 300 lines or fewer that “highlight stories of resistance and rebellion, the steps in between, and the change that comes after.” Speculative scenarios involving possible futures or alternate universes encouraged. Reprints considered. NB: “We do not accept multiple submissions. Please send us your single best work that fits the theme!”
Alternative Deathiness (anthology) Theme: Death Deadline: 1 March 2021 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems under 5,000 words examining “the concept and nature of Death.” NB: Though speculative takes on the topic are encouraged, “don’t try sneaking zombies and ghosts and vampires in to get around death.”
Alternative War (anthology) Theme: War Deadline: 1 March 2021 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems set “anywhere in time and space” that offer a “critical look at War and what it does to us.”
Timeless Tales (Issue #12) Theme: Tales of the Arabian Nights Deadline: April 2021 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems retelling stories from the One Thousand and One Nights or relating original tales “featuring the creatures of Arabian/Islamic folklore.” NB: “Think twice before you send us an Aladdin retelling. […] Well-researched retellings will be considered, but if you're basing it off the Disney version, we aren't interested.”
Thanks for dropping in! I wish each and every one of you a calm and productive close to the year.