Niteblade, Grandmother Earth Contest

Niteblade is currently reading for its December issue, which will have a ghost theme for both fiction and poetry.  The magazine accepts submissions on an ongoing basis, but the deadline for the ghost issue is September 30th.  Standard pay rates ($5 plus a PDF copy of the issue) and standard guidelines apply.

The annual Grandmother Earth/Life Press National Contest is currently underway.  There are several different categories for poetry, including one haiku category and other category for haiku, short form poetry, or free verse.  The cost to enter is $10 for up to 3 poems, and there are different prizes for each category.  (The haiku category has a $100 prize.)  Submissions must be postmarked by July 7th.

IHS International Haiku Competition, new issues of magazines

The Irish Haiku Society's 2013 International Haiku Competition is open for entries.  There are three prizes to be award: Euro 150, Euro 50, and Euro 30.  Unpublished poems, 17 syllables or fewer, are eligible, and all entries must be made by snail mail and postmarked by November 30th.  There is a $4 entry fee per haiku (or $25 for 7 poems).

Speaking of the Irish Haiku Society, Shamrock's new issue is available online for reading.  It has a lot of worthwhile poems, including some really good ones by Graham High and Ignatius Fay.

The new print issue of Scifaikuest (May 2013) is also out now, and it contains some good poems by Ross Balcom, Rebecca L. Brown, Aurelio Rico Lopez III, dan smith, and many more.  There are scifaiku, horroku, and tanka, among other forms.  Milo James Fowler is the featured poet.

The June issue of The Heron's Nest is full of talent, as well.  Curtis Dunlap, George Swede, Mark Forrester, and Jessica Malone Latham all have great poems featured in this issue.

Niteblade #24: Forbidden Island, is available now too.  The title poem, by J.A. Grier, is not to be missed -- a different take on the zombie poem.

New cancer anthology call for submissions

Rhonda Parrish, editor of Niteblade, is editing a new speculative anthology on the theme of cancer.  Fiction and poetry can be submitted through June 30th.  Payment for accepted submissions will be $10 plus a share of the book's royalties.  You can read the full guidelines at RhondaParrish.com.

Poetry, The Heron's Nest, Niteblade

Poetry reopens to submissions today.  You can submit by mail or email, up to 4 poems, and they typically respond in two months or less.  And oh yeah, they pay $10 per line.

The Heron's Nest is currently reading for its December issue.  Up to 15 haiku can be submitted at one time, by email to one of the editors.  The deadline for this reading period is September 15th.

Issue #21 of Niteblade goes live today.  It's completely free to read online, so if you have a couple minutes, pop on over and check out some of the new fiction and poetry.

Niteblade fundraiser

The fantasy and horror magazine Niteblade is holding a fundraiser to keep the magazine going.  If you like the magazine, consider donating to help offset the operating costs.  There are three different levels, from Supporter ($5) to Sponser ($100) and each level entitles you to something different.  Check out the fundraiser web page to see exactly how it works.  This fundraiser is going on now through April 20th.

Space and Time open for poetry submissions

Space and Time Magazine is currently reading poetry submissions, so if you have any poems that you've been waiting to send in to them, now's the time.  Submit by email only.  Payment for accepted poems is $5 on publication.

For your reading pleasure, the March issue of The Heron's Nest is now live, and the new issue of Niteblade should be up soon, if it isn't already.

for your reading pleasure...

There is no shortage of reading material for haiku and horror fans, either online or in print. For starters, the new issue of Champagne Shivers just came out (the last issue that will be edited by Cathy Buburuz, unfortunately), with a great cover by Mark Crittenden and stories and poems by Lucien Spelman, Brian Rosenberger, and Therese Arkenberg, among many others.

The March issue of The Heron's Nest is online. Page 3 has a horror-ish haiku by George Swede.

Niteblade has also just put out a March issue, containing lots of dark poetry and fiction. As always, you can read the issue for free online, or buy an ad-free PDF copy for just a few bucks.

J. Bruce Fuller's haiku sequence chapbook, 28 Blackbirds at the End of the World, is on sale now from Bandersnatch Books for $9.50. The sequence originally appeared in Scifaikuest and was subsequently nominated for a Rhysling Award.

Niteblade raises pay rates, a short fiction contest

Online fantasy and horror magazine Niteblade has recently raised its pay rates for contributors. Payment for short stories is now $5, and poems get $3 each. Both fiction and poetry contributors will also receive a PDF copy of the issue.

Flash fiction writers might want to consider entering the 7th annual Finding the Right Words Flash Fiction Contest. The entry fee is only $2 per story (500 words or less) and there are two prizes, $60 and $30. You can submit by email, so no postage required, and entries don't have to be in until July 21st.

market news

Inch, a journal "devoted to tiny poems and tiny fiction," will be temporarily closing to submissions on October 15th. If you've got short poems (under 10 lines) or microfiction (no more than 750 words) you want to submit, make sure to do it before then. Their online submission manager makes it easy to submit. Payment is in contributor's copies, but you'll enjoy them.

Entries are currently being read for the Mona Schreiber Prize for Humorous Fiction and Nonfiction. There is a $5 entry fee, but if your story's funny enough, you could win one of the three prizes of $500, $250, or $100. The deadline is December 1st, and you can read some of the previous winning stories on the website.

For your haiku reading pleasure, there is a new issue of Shamrock online now (#11). And for your horror reading pleasure, the September issue of Niteblade is also live, including two haiku by yours truly. (Niteblade is still open to submissions for its annual print anthology, which pays $10 and a PDF copy.)

Win stuff!

It seems June is the month for readers to win stuff. The new issue of Niteblade is online now, and editor Rhonda Parrish is sponsoring a contest to give away a copy of Breathers by S.G. Browne. All you have to do is leave comments on any of the poems, stories, or reviews in this month's issue. Each comment counts as one entry, and if you buy a PDF copy of the issue (it's only $3.50 and it's ad-free) you get five entries. The contest ends July 1st.

Over at the Apex Book Company, editor Jason Sizemore has put together the Apex Author Lottery, a chance to win a whole lot of Apex books, story critiques, and more. Check out all the different packages you can try to win, and buy a couple tickets. (If anyone is a fan of Geoffrey Girard's "Cain" serial, Lavie Tidhar's package has, among other things, Apex Digest issues 9 and 10, with parts one and two of the story.)

odds & ends

Haven't had much time to post lately, but here are just a few things going on and a few things to check out.

The new issue of Niteblade is up, and with the new format, you can post comments on each individual piece.

Minnow is a new online haiku journal, now open to submissions. You can find their full guidelines on the submissions page. (Thanks to Deborah Kolodji for passing along the information.)

If you plan on entering the Wergle Flomp Poetry Contest, hurry up... the deadline is April 1st.

With tax time approaching, many people are taking stock of their finances. If you are planning to donate some money and are looking for a worthy charity, consider Modern Haiku. A nonprofit organization, Modern Haiku not only puts out a great haiku magazine, but also operates the Modern Haiku Gift Fund, which covers "the cost of anonymous gift subscriptions to deserving and needy haiku poets worldwide."

Lastly, Flash Me Magazine will be reading for an all-fantasy issue between April 30th and August 31st. The editors will be on the lookout for fantasy stories under 1,000 words. Reprints will be considered (with acknowledgement).

DailyHaiku

DailyHaiku is open for submissions through March 31st. There's no pay for contributors, but it's good exposure, and if your haiku are chosen for the annual print anthology, you'll get a copy. Submit 10 unpublished haiku by email. No simultaneous submissions.

Several magazines just put out new issues that are particularly good. For online reading, check out the March issue of Niteblade. If you prefer print magazines, order a copy of the current bear creek haiku or Scifaikuest. All three magazines are well-stocked with good poems (and Niteblade's got fiction, too).

Finally, thank you to whoever (whomever?) nominated my poem "Bats" for the Rhysling Award. It's an honor to be a part of the talented group that always makes up the Rhysling anthology, and "Bats" was an especially fun poem to write.

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.

Bits and Pieces review, a raffle, a contest

Niteblade editor Rhonda Parrish recently posted a great review of my horror poetry chapbook, Bits and Pieces. Check it out and then buy a copy. They make great gifts.

Speaking of Niteblade, they've just hired poet and artist RH Fay for the unique position of "art blogger." Take a look at his first post, featuring the whimsically nightmarish Ciaran Collins.

Apex Publications has been holding a raffle, and they've extended it until December 15th. Lots of cool prizes, and 10% of all proceeds will go to Dolly's Imagination Library.

And last but not least we have the Smink Works Books Short Story Competition, which features three top prizes of $100/$60/$40 for an unpublished story up to 1000 words. Entry fee is $10, and the contest theme this year is "Laughter." All winners will be published in a contest anthology and receive a free copy. Get to work -- the deadline is December 1st.

Two anthologies

Here are two speculative anthologies -- maybe not brand spanking new but good markets nonetheless.

Anomalous Appetites: Editor John Irvine hopes to make this the first in an annual series of speculative poetry anthologies. Submit 5-10 short poems by email (artists needed, also) before December 7th. There is a whole message board set up for the anthology here, but you can also find the complete guidelines at HorrorScope. Pays $10 per poet.

Malpractice: The fine folks who bring you Necrotic Tissue are looking for submissions to their hospital horror anthology, Malpractice: An Anthology of Bedside Terror. All submissions must relate to the hospital described in the guidelines, Bloom Memorial Hospital. More information is available in this forum thread. The editors are looking for stories 2000 to 4000 words in length (and also 100 word drabbles). Pay is 1 cent per word plus a contributor's copy. The submission deadline is September 30th or until filled.

Speaking of anthologies, Niteblade's 1-year anniversary anthology, Lost Innocence, will be coming out soon, and editor Rhonda Parrish is holding an online contest to promote it. Winner gets a free copy of the book, which from the line-up looks to be pretty good.

8/15, Lost Innocence ToC

There must be something magical about August 15th. It seems to be a popular date in the small-press literary world. Here's a short list of magazines that reopen to submissions on 8/15:

- Alaska Quarterly Review
- The Georgia Review
- Gulf Coast
- On the Brighter Side
- Sorcerous Signals

And on the flipside, here are a couple of markets that CLOSE to submissions on 8/15 (so get those last-minute subs out!):

- Mythic Delirium
- Swimming Kangaroo Books (for short story submissions to its newsletter)

Niteblade editor Rhonda Parrish is publishing a print anthology of some of the best fiction and poetry from the past year at Niteblade, as well as new stuff by some great authors. The table of contents has just been announced, and it looks to be an awesome collection. Somehow one of my poems snuck its way in, and it's definitely in good company.

Websites for Writers

Here are a couple of helpful websites for all of us writers:

WritersWeekly.com - run by Angela Hoy, WritersWeekly provides up-to-date market listings, writing jobs, and informative articles about the writing business, as well as a section titled "Whispers and Warnings," which highlights bad experiences writers have had (and with which editors or publishers they've had them).

Ralan.com - a regularly-updated repository of market listings (most notably, speculative markets). The website also lists guidelines for contests, anthologies, and book publishers, and has a separate section for "Humor" markets. Also a great place to find out which markets are "dead."

Duotrope's Digest - like Ralan, Duotrope contains a large database of market listings, but more importantly, it lets you (the writer) track your submissions to various magazines, and it combines the information you report with that reported by other writers to give a statistical breakdown of response times, personal vs. form letter rejections, and percent of submissions accepted.


Also, don't forget to vote for your favorite story and poem in the Niteblade readers' poll. The poll closes July 1st. And speaking of deadlines, the Penumbra Haiku Contest's deadline is fast approaching. I mailed my entries in today, so just remember: the less people that enter, the better chance I stand.

Niteblade reader's poll

Niteblade, the online magazine of fantasy and horror, is planning a future print issue containing new work as well as some of the best fiction and poetry from the first four issues. To that end there is a reader's poll currently being conducted, and the top five stories and poems (as chosen by YOU!) will be included in the anthology.

Be sure to pop on over and vote for your favorites. If you haven't read any of the nominees, check out an issue or two -- they're online and they're free.

Here are my poems from the first four issues, in case you decide you want to vote for one (no pressure, of course):

- The Pumpkin Man
- Hall of Shadows
- Gift Horse
- Oil Change

Niteblade #3

Editor Rhonda Parrish has just published issue #3 of Niteblade, and you need to check it out. It's got fiction by well-known writers Eric S. Brown and Lee Moan, among many others, and poetry by many of the genre's top names -- Terrie Leigh Relf, Stephen M. Wilson, Charles Gramlich, Tony Bernstein, and Kristine Ong Muslim to name a few. "County Hospital, 4am" by Christopher Hivner is an especially chilling one. I count myself lucky to have a poem in the same issue as these fine folks.

You can read the stories and poems from the website, but for just $2 you can buy a PDF ad-free copy of the magazine and help support a small but growing genre mag.

Some new poems

Hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday. December has been a good month. Two more poems have been published online -- "Gift Horse" in the new issue of Niteblade and "Safety Scissors" in Down in the Cellar -- and I have some acceptances from Tales of the Talisman, Dreams & Nightmares, From the Asylum, and Scifaikuest.

Also, for haiku lovers, the new issue of Shamrock Haiku Journal is up, and it is FULL of good haiku and senryu, including a couple of exceptional poems by Marie Summers and Robert Lucky. (One of mine is buried in there somewhere, too.)