Some upcoming deadlines

There are several markets that are open to submissions right now, but will be closing soon.

- Twilight Times and Space and Time will both be ending their current reading periods on August 5th.
- Acorn is open to haiku submissions (5 to 15 at a time) through August 31st.
- Abyss & Apex will be accepting speculative fiction submissions (up to 10,000 words) through August 31st.
- Goblin Fruit is open to fantasy poetry submissions through September 1st.

Two open markets, a haiku

Ideomancer is open for submissions again, through the end of January. They pay 3 cents per word, or $6 per poem, and respond in a month or less.

Abyss & Apex (which now has a new website) has also started a new reading period, but only for the month of December and only for poetry submissions. Up to 3 poems can be submitted at a time, and payment is $5 per poem.

Here is a really good haiku by Alexander B. Joy, posted at tinywords today.

Good news, three poems

Just had to share some good news. I got an email from Jim Kacian the other day, saying that one of my haiku from the first issue of Frogpond this year was selected for the 2008 Red Moon Anthology. I had to read the email three times before I believed it. I always thought the Red Moon Anthologies were something to aspire to, not something any of my haiku would actually appear in. Who knew?

Not sure when the anthology comes out, but if you want to buy a copy (and help support a great purveyor of haiku) it will be available from the Red Moon Press website. And you can bet I'll let you know when it goes on sale.

It's been a good couple months. Some of my haiku have also been accepted by Lilliput Review, Sport Literate, and Cold Mountain Review, and a few of my horror poems will be putting in an appearance in upcoming issues of Talebones, Scifaikuest, and Necrography.

To finish up this post, here are two scifaiku by Tim Jamieson, from the Abyss & Apex archives, and Victoria Clayton Munn's poem "Zombie!" from the current issue of Niteblade.

odds & ends

Hope everyone had a happy turkey day and ate way too much stuffing. Holiday sale season begins today, and here's a pretty big sale to start it off -- 50% off at the F+W Publications Bookstore. The sale ends Sunday (the 30th) so go there now to get your 2009 copy of Writer's Market or Poet's Market for half off. Just type WDTHANKS in the coupon field when you check out.

December is almost here. Doesn't the year fly by? Opening December 1st we have the Connecticut River Review Poetry Contest, with top prizes of $400, $200, and $100. The $15 entry fee covers up to 3 unpublished poems, and the contest runs through February 28th, 2009.

Also on December 1st, flashquake reopens to submissions, and Abyss & Apex reopens to poetry subs.

Two markets

Neither of these markets is specifically seeking haiku or horror, but both are speculative, and it's been a slow week, so I thought I'd mention them anyway.

Residential Aliens: An online journal looking for "quality speculative fiction with a spiritual foundation." They want science fiction or fantasy stories, but nothing horror or R-rated. The current reading period is November-December. Payment is $1 (via PayPal) for fiction from 500-5000 words, plus a free link. Reprints and simultaneous submissions OK, and their response time is 1 week.

Silver Blade: "A quarterly journal of classic fantasy." They are still accepting works for their first issue (to be released at the end of November) but it looks like it will be quarterly online issues with a yearly print anthology. Looking for fiction from 100-4000 words, poetry, and artwork. Pays a flat rate of $5 per item, and they say they respond to submissions "within a couple of weeks."

Also, Abyss & Apex (which is currently open to fiction subs) will reopen to poetry submissions December 1st.

The holidays are fast approaching... if you're looking for a gift for that special writer in your life, check out my Out to Lunch Cartoons shop for mugs, postcards, journals, and other writing-related items featuring "Out to Lunch" cartoons from SP Quill Magazine. I've gone through recently and lowered almost all of the prices. (You can also get there from the ad towards the bottom of this page.)