By S. Kamble
These magazines/anthologies pay up to about $550 for short fiction (one pays more for longer stories); many also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry. They’re open now, or will soon open for submissions.
OTHERSIDE
They publish speculative fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and art by 2SLGBTQIA+ creators only; you can read about them here. They’re open for original fiction (500-4,000 words) and poetry (up to 100 lines) from all 2SLGBTQIA+ writers now. Non-fiction (2,000; can accept up to 4,000 words) is open year round. Submission is via their Moksha portal.
Deadline: 21 April 2026 for fiction and poetry
Length: See above
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction; $50 for poetry; $100 for non-fiction
Details here.
Kaleidotrope
Their website says, “Kaleidotrope publishes predominantly speculative fiction and poetry—science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but also compelling work that blurs the lines between these and falls outside of neat genre categories. (Man does not live on space ships, elves, and ghostly ax murderers alone, after all.)” And, “We have no minimum or maximum word count for fiction but strongly prefer stories over 250 words and under 10,000.
We consider all forms of poetry, but individual haiku, or other very short poems, may be a tougher sell.” They will soon open for a brief submission period.
Submission period: 19th to 25th April 2026
Length: See above
Pay: $0.01/word for fiction, $5 for poetry
Details here.
Mythaxis
They want “speculative fiction (sf/f/h/weird/slipstream/…), crime (also including police procedural/detective/mystery/cosy/…) and mashups of the same. All genres are equally welcome in each submission window. We don’t receive enough crime fiction, so if that’s your bag we’re always eager!” They accept flash and short fiction. They’ve listed all their submission windows on their website. Their submission form will open during the reading period.
Submission period: 23rd to 30th April 2026
Length: 500-5,000 words
Pay: $0.01/word
Details here.
Flash Fiction Online: Paranormal Noir
They want speculative flash fiction on the Paranormal Noir theme, stories “that marry the noir and paranormal aesthetic in any speculative genre. … “Isn’t Paranormal Noir just a subset of Urban Fantasy?”
It can be, but we’d love to see a new, fresh take on old themes.
- Vampires in space, doing crime? Sure!
- Far-future consciousness transfer-hauntings? Send them our way!
- Sad wizard investigates a murder in LA? Okay, sounds cool, submit that, but also what if he were on Mars instead?
- A group of West Virginia moonshiners firebombing a haunted A.I. data center?”
They also welcome stories from unique points of view. Also see the kind of stories they do not want.
Deadline: 30 April 2026, or until filled
Length: 500-1,000 words
Pay: $100
Details here.
Illustrated Worlds Magazine
Their tagline is ‘A Journey of Horror and Fantasy’. “Stories should contain an element of fantasy, dark fantasy, horror, whimsy, magic realism, mythology, folklore or fairy tale type inspiration all on the dark side.” They accept some poetry, though this is not the focus of the magazine (see guidelines). They also accept artwork.
Deadline: 30 April 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.01/word
Details here.
Terrain.org
They accept work on place, climate, and justice. They are accepting fiction and nonfiction; poetry submissions are closed. They accept other formats as well, including interviews and videos; ARTerrain and Letter to America submissions are accepted year-round. They pay $50 for general submissions (from all writers). Also, “All accepted submissions by writers of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, and/or other marginalized communities whose contributions explore place particularly in the context of social, environmental, or climate justice are considered for our annual Editor’s Prize of $500 per genre.” There is no separate submission process for this prize.
Deadline: 30 April 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $50
Details here and here (see the relevant category).
Haven Speculative
They publish speculative fiction and poetry, and during April, they are open for submissions by underrepresented writers only; in May, they will accept submissions from all writers. They have Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall submission periods. “Our submission cycle is split into four reading periods, each containing three parts: a month explicitly reserved for submissions by authors of color, members of LGBTQIA+ communities, and writers belonging to other underrepresented groups; a month open to general submissions, during which anyone may submit; and a month in which we’re closed to submissions so that we may do the difficult (and exciting!) work of choosing content for future issues.” They also publish climate crisis focused Dry and Wet issues each year; scroll down on the guidelines page for these themes.
Deadline: 30 April 2026 (underrepresented writers only)
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $20/poem
Details here and here
FIYAH: Black Kishōtenketsu
They accept Black speculative fiction and poetry. They feature stories by and about Black people of the African Diaspora. This definition is globally inclusive (Black anywhere in the world) and also applies to mixed/biracial and Afro-appended people. For the Black Kishōtenketsu theme, “All stories are the same: we meet our characters, a conflict arises, and our crew journeys to set things right. Correct? Well, allow us to introduce another tradition: kishōtenketsu.
Ki = Introduction | Shō = Development | Ten = Complication | Ketsu = Reconciliation
Henry Lien’s SFWA article is particularly insightful: “The Asian four-act structure is not necessarily based on conflict, tension, and resolution. It is more interested in exploring the unseen relationships among the story’s elements than in pitting them against each other. It is also not symmetrical. The first two acts [Ki, sho]are characterized by a gradual buildup. A radical twist appears in the third act [ten]that introduces a new element. The fourth act [ketsu] “harmonizes” all the elements that came before. By ‘harmonize,’ I don’t necessarily mean a peaceful resolution. I mean that the fourth act contains a revelation about the relationships among the elements that often feels like a new element in itself.”
We’re eager to see submissions without the confines of Western three-act (or five-act) story structure. What could that look like? Films like Kiki’s Delivery Service and Parasite, and even Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” are cited as great examples.”
Also their notes on preferred genre and story length for this issue.
Length: Short fiction 2,000 – 7,000 words and novelettes up to 15,000 words; up to 1,000 words for poetry
Deadline: 30 April 2026
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $50 for poetry
Details here.
(– Submissions are also open for The Cookout Anthology from Android Press; they want uplifting speculative fiction on the theme from Black individuals of the African Diaspora only. Pay is $0.10/word for submissions of 500-5,000 words, and the deadline is 30 April 2026; details here, here and here.
— And, submissions are open for a writers and poets from Minnesota ages 14 and above for MN Reflections: A Chapbook Project; “We’re creating a chapbook of art and writing in response to the illegal ICE occupation of Minnesota. Our goal is to honor the compassionate efforts of our neighbors and organizers, and give us space to process and heal.
If you’re based in Minnesota, we want to hear from you! Send us your poems, stories and essays under 400 words.” People of color, and/or of Native and immigrant communities are strongly encouraged to submit. They pay $50, and the deadline is 30 April 2026; details here and here.)
Wyldblood
They accept science fiction and fantasy stories only, and are open on the 1st of every month for submissions. They also accept queries of non-fiction and art.
Reading period: 1 May 2026 for fiction (see guidelines)
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction
Pay: £0.01/word
Details here.
Newance
Newance is a Substack-based magazine, “a solar punk quarterly journal set in 2066 that actualizes the next forty years. In the process of imagining the future, we invite readers to expand their range of possibilities and envision a workable future. Not utopian, not dystopian, but equitable. No longer living under the lies and whims of the few hoarders that control governments and power in 2026, humanity is set to create new systems and processes that center the wellness of the planet and all human and non-human animals.” They want “fiction that fits our magazine. We are looking for a story set in Spring 2066 that is imaginative and in retrospect shows readers how some of our current problems were/are being addressed successfully, despite challenges. … Please refer to our first issue to understand what we publish: https://tinyurl.com/yjxc7djt
Deadline: 1 May 2026
Length: 3,000-5,000 words (can read shorter or longer – see guidelines)
Pay: €50
Details here.
The First Line Journal
They want fiction (any genre) and poetry that begins with pre-set first lines, one for each quarterly issue. For non-fiction, they want critical articles about your favorite first line from a literary work. For fiction and poetry, the first line for the Summer issue is:
‘The summer between [his/her/their] junior and senior years, Alex worked as a server at Wharf Mountain.’
Deadline: 1 May 2026
Length: 300-5,000 words for fiction; 500-800 words for non-fiction
Pay: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for non-fiction, $10 for poetry (less postage fee for international contributors – see guidelines)
Details here.
Flame Tree: Climbing High – Speculative Stories of Female Ambition
This anthology is part of their Beyond & Within anthology series. “Women’s ambition is not always welcomed, let alone encouraged. Speculative fiction is a context that offers other possibilities (and worlds), where writers and readers imagine what could be. Climbing High: Speculative Stories of Female Ambition will feature stories exploring contexts where female ambition is treated differently, aspiration and achievement in the face of adversity, and ambitions that extend beyond what’s possible in our contemporary world. This anthology takes an empowering stance of embracing ambition while being unafraid to explore the costs and consequences that characters may face in doing so and the impacts of ambitions pursued or fulfilled.
Stories may engage with the question of navigating disparate values and commitments (the often-asked and often-sexist question of “How do you balance x and y?”), or they may abandon all that, with characters who prioritise their desires above all else. Whether characters are reshaping the world(s), themselves, or aiming to brew the best cup of tea, their drives are the driving force of their stories.” They are looking for four stories via this open call.
Deadline: 3 May 2026
Length: 2,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Orion’s Belt
They publishspeculative flash fiction and poetry. Their website says, “We specialize in the strange and poignant and awe-inspiring, stories that have a cosmic scale and intimate personal stakes.” They have detailed guidelines, including preferences and hard sells. They also accept translations, as well as reviews and art.
Deadline: 15 May 2026
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $0.08/word for stories, $40 per poem
Details here.
Tome & Space
This is a new Canada-based magazine. “Tome & Space is a new digital magazine and hub for genre short stories, comics, and genre-themed commentary pieces (life, gaming, tabletop, tv, and movies). We are primarily looking to publish stories and comics under the big umbrella of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, but open to submissions in horror, mystery, and historical fiction, particularly if they have an element of SFF. For commentary we are looking for fun and insightful analysis of storytelling in different formats.” They also accept reprints for comics and commentary, but not for fiction.
Deadline: Open now
Length: 1,500 to 6,000 words for fiction; 500-3,000 words for commentary
Pay: CAD0.11/word up to CAD400 for fiction, CAD70/page up to CAD400 for comics, CAD50 for commentary
Details here and here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.