The Writers’ Co-op invites submissions of short stories (and poems) for the seventh edition of our yearly anthology, The Rabbit Hole, scheduled for release in October 2024. Following this year’s sixth edition, we continue to explore how ‘weird’ fits into numerous genres or themes with a new theme, “Not From Here.”
“Not From Here” allows for a wide range of stories. Aliens, or a sense of alienation, immediately come to mind. Also being in a strange place, being from a strange place, anything – think Kafka, Bierce, Serling, or Lovecraft — and we’re really looking forward to your interpretation, because falling into the Rabbit Hole is always a bizarre and unique experience. What we’re looking for are odd, unusual stories, what August Derleth referred to as “off trail” stories – happy, sad, good, bad, or even indifferent. Stories can emphasize whatever floats, or sinks, your boat. Just remember to keep it weird as befitting a trip down the Rabbit Hole.
Remember, ‘weird’ doesn’t always mean outlandish – it can be subtle, discreet, even furtive. Witty too, or burlesque – we’re always open to humor. Or even, at a stretch, humour. We look forward to discovering whatever means you choose to warp, subvert, disfigure, disguise or otherwise befuddle the concept of weirdness.
There is a preferred maximum word count of 5000. This is more a guideline than a strict limit – quality is the main criterion, not length. So, a great story will be accepted, whether it’s 6000 words or 200 (flash fiction is welcome). But we’re looking for short stories, not novellas or extracts from novels – the story should be complete in itself. Though the anthology will be mostly of stories, there will also be room for some poems, cartoons, or pieces of an experimental nature. Also, please note there is a limit of four (4) submissions per author.
The deadline is 30th April, 2024. So if you submit early, you’ll probably have a long wait for a decision.
Send submissions in an attached file to rabbitholecoopiv@gmail.com with the subject ‘Co-op submission.’ Stories may have been previously published on personal websites (or elsewhere) but authors must have full rights to them when submitting (and please let us know when submitting that the story has been previously published, and where. Please note that stories currently available for free read on-line can only be accepted if the author agrees to delete the story from the free read site upon acceptance). Authors will retain said rights after the story or poem is published in the Writers’ Co-op anthology. Writers whose stories are selected will have the choice between keeping their share of the royalties or donating them to the Against Malaria Foundation.
Any questions regarding submissions can also be sent to rabbitholecoopiv@gmail.com.
To get an idea of type of stories published so far, take a look at the previously published volumes of “The Rabbit Hole”: volume 0, volume 1, volume 2, volume 3, volume 4, volume 5, or volume 6 (see The Rabbit Hole page at https://writercoop.wordpress.com ).
WRITERS CO-OP: A WRITER COMMUNITY FOR YOU. 