These magazines and anthologies publish speculative fiction – science fiction, fantasy, horror, and their many sub-genres; alternate history, dark fantasy, Weird fiction, cosmic horror, supernatural or paranormal horror, superhero, solarpunk, fairy tales, reimagined myths, and more.

Some calls are themed, and some of the themes are: gothic horror and paranormal romance, vampires, food in fairy tales, Icarus, Pandora, excess, Shakesperean speculative fiction and horror, Celtic mythologies, cats, dragon themed and time travel stories, Halloween, incensepunk, corporate horror, women with weapons, sorceress, human-shaped, and monsters & cryptids.

A number of them pay writers. Many, but not all, are open for submissions now. They are listed in no particular order.

Interzone
Interzone is a Europe-based magazine that accepts fantastika. “We are especially keen to read innovative and entertaining stories of between 2000 and 6000 words, but we have no set maximum length or minimum length and sometimes publish pieces which fall outside that range.” And, “Translations are accepted, even if the story has been published previously in a language other than English – please include the name of the translator.” They pay EUR1.5¢/word. Details here.

The Future Fire
The Future Fire is a project of Futurefire.net Publishing. Their tagline is, ‘Social Political & Speculative Cyberfiction’. They publish “fiction and poetry that focuses on the social-political elements of imaginary, futuristic, fantastic, horrifying, surreal or otherwise speculative universes. We are particularly interested in feminist, queer, postcolonial and ecological themes, and writing by under-represented voices (but nobody is required to self-identify, publicly or privately, as any identity).” They pay $10-20 for fiction, poetry, and art. Details here.

Perseid Prophecies
They want science fiction of all flavors, Weird fiction, cosmic horror, supernatural or paranormal horror, superhero, and fantasy, especially of the darker variety; send fiction up to 10,000 words. They also accept nonfiction science articles. The deadline is 31^st August 2026. Submission is via a form. Details here.

Solarpunk
“Solarpunk Magazine publishes hopeful short stories and poetry that strive for a utopian ideal, that are set in futures where communities are optimistically struggling to solve or adapt to climate change, to create or maintain a world in which humanity, technology, and nature coexist in harmony rather than in conflict. We also publish solarpunk art as well as nonfiction that explores real world, contemporary topics and their intersection with the solarpunk movement for a better future.” They pay $0.10/word for fiction, and also pay for poetry and nonfiction. Their next submission period is 1^st to 14^th October 2026. Details here.

The Fairy Tale Magazine
They accept fairy tale stories (900-2,000 words) and poems; they open occasionally for themed issues. They’re reading submissions on the Food in Fairy Tales theme. “Think gingerbread homes. Think rapunzel/rampion. Strawberries in Snow. Think of a flower you eat to become pregnant. Of the goblins mesmerizing songs, “Come buy! Come buy!” Tell us what feast might appease La Llarona. What might a raja eat in his court? … We want fairytales from around the globe.” They do not want horror or erotica. Please note, this is not a magazine for children. They pay $25. The deadline is 21^st August 2026. Submission is via a form. Details here.

Flame Tree Publishing: Anthology and Script Calls
They regularly open for themed fiction anthologies, usually speculative fiction. Currently, they’re open for four anthologies: two romantic fantasy anthologies, Of Love Forbidden and Of Fae & Fire – deadline: 13th September, as well two anthologies in their Myths, Gods, & Immortals series, Icarus and Pandora – deadline: 4th October, 2026. They pay $0.08/word for original fiction for their anthologies.
Flame Tree is also accepting 10-minute script submissions for ‘Live & Spooky’ A Halloween Scratch Night; the script submission deadline for that is 23^rd August 2026, and they’ll pay £50; submission for this call is via a form on their website.
See all their open anthology calls here, and all of their calls (including the current script call and past calls) here – please click on individual links for detailed guidelines on each theme.

Translunar Travelers Lounge
They want fun speculative fiction; stories must have elements of science fiction or fantasy. “A fun story, at its core, is one that works on the premise that things aren’t all bad; that ultimately, good wins out. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your story has to be silly or lighthearted (though it certainly can be). Joy can be made all the more powerful when juxtaposed against tragedy. In the end, though, there should be hope, and we want stories that are truly fun for as many different kinds of people as possible.
Swashbuckling adventure, deadly intrigue, and gleeful romance are some of the most obvious examples of what we’re looking for, but we won’t say no to more subtle or complicated topics, as long as they fit under the wider “fun” umbrella.” They will reopen for submissions from 15^th September to 15^th October 2026; first week of submissions (15^th to 21^st September) is reserved for writers of color only. They pay $0.03/word for stories up to 5,000 words. Details here.

Synthesized Sunsets
Synthesized Sunsets is “a magazine and podcast about speculative fiction, romantic art, and the evolution of popular culture. Every few months, the magazine will rebrand to reflect a new “season”, complete with an aesthetic theme.” You can read about them here. They have detailed guidelines, including, “We are only accepting speculative fiction at this time; that is, stories where some novel idea of “what could be” or “what could have been” is central. We will also be prioritizing stories that are on-theme, although this is not strictly a requirement. This season’s theme is excess.” Send stories up to 12,500 words (up to 5,000 preferred). They pay $100. Details here.

Fusion Fragment
This Canadian magazine wants science fiction or SF-tinged literary fiction. “Although any science fiction subgenre is fair game, our tastes lean towards slipstream, cyberpunk, post-apocalypse, and anything with a little taste of the bizarre. FF prefers character-driven stories, and often skews towards quiet, reflective pieces. If the primary tone of your story is one of high adventure or humour, it’s probably not the right fit for FF.” They pay CAD0.04/word up to CAD400 for stories of 2,000 to 15,000 words. They reopen for submissions on 1^st November 2026. Details here.

Escape Artists Magazines
They publish speculative fiction in an audio and online format. Their magazines for various genres are:
— Cast of Wonders (for young adult speculative fiction – open till 31^st August for writers under 20 years, and from 15^st to 30^th September 2026 for all writers), see their guidelines here, schedule here, and submission portal here;
— Escape Pod (for science fiction – scheduled to reopen in September 2026 for short fiction and novelette reprints), see their guidelines here, schedule here, and submission portal here;
— PodCastle (for fantasy – reading period 1^st to 30^th September 2026 for a special theme, to be announced, and again on 1^st November for general submissions), see their general guidelines here, schedule here, and submission portal here;
— PseudoPod (for horror – they recently closed for submissions), see their guidelines here and schedule here;
— CatsCast (for speculative fiction about cats – occasional open reading periods, see their guidelines here).
All the Escape Artists magazines pay $0.08/word for fiction, and also accept reprints.

Hearth Stories
They publish cozy speculative fantasy magazine about nature, connection, and relationships. The genres they accept are Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary (if it fits the other requirements). All stories should be set pre ~1825 (or a fantasy equivalent); rural/wild places preferred, cities acceptable They have detailed guidelines, and pay $0.01/word for stories of 1,000 to 10,000 words. They plan to open 1^st to 30^th September 2026. Details here.
(Their sister magazine is Astral.)

Astral
Their tagline is ‘Alien Fiction’. This is a new magazine, and you can read about them here. “Astral publishes short stories ranging from 1,000–7,000 words. We want stories that are told from an alien perspective. By alien we usually mean extraterrestrial… but other perspectives can also qualify, such as Lovecraftian horrors, plants, bacteria, etc. Send us weird and surreal stories that challenge our notions about ourselves and the universe.” They pay $20 for stories up to 7,000 words. Their submission period is 1^st November to 15^th December 2026. Do not send work outside of the submission period. Details here.
(The team producing Astral also publishes Hearth Stories.)

Iron Faerie Publishing
They’re open for some anthology calls, Watchers & White Knights (a tribute anthology for actors Nicholas Brendon & Anthony Head, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer series; stories that explore themes such as friendship, found family, courage, loyalty, hope, sacrifice, mentorship, redemption; no fan fiction; genres: Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror (light), Magical Realism, Mystery, Speculative Fiction; deadline 28^th September); Merrow (tales of mermaids, merfolk, and the rich mythology of the sea; genres: Fantasy, Horror and Speculative Fiction; deadline 28^th October); Daylight (stories that combine gothic horror and paranormal romance elements; genres: Gothic Horror/Paranormal Romance; deadline 28 November 2026). Length guidelines for the above anthologies are 2,500-7,000 words, and pay is royalty share. They’re open for other anthologies as well: Hawthorn & Ash, for fantasy, speculative fiction, and horror; Midsummer Nights, fantasy, speculative fiction and horror fiction centered around the work of Shakespeare; and The Faerie Cat, fantasy, speculative fiction, and horror poetry and fiction, especially those steeped in Celtic mythology or featuring the Fair Folk; as well as nonfiction on these themes. The above three anthologies close on 18^th December 2026 (see guidelines), they all have different length requirements, and they pay; please see the guidelines. Details of / links to all the anthology calls for Iron Faerie Publishing are here.

ELA
This UK-based literary magazine celebrates “the cute, creepy, and peculiar.” You can read about them here. Their upcoming theme is Purrfect Tails; “Reimagine the stories of famous cats, tell your take on cat-based mythologies, give us POVs from house cats and wild cats. Fantastical cats. Horrific cats. Adventurous cats. Robot cats. Mischievous cats. Cat cats. Hopefully it’s clear enough, but if not, we want you to make a cat (or cats) the focal point of your story, whether literally as the protagonist(s) or features in your story, or more symbolically as the central theme.”  They want stories of 150-3,000 words, and the deadline is 4^st September 2026. Details here.
(ELA also wants poetry and artwork only for their Anniversary-themed issue; the deadline for that is 30^th October 2026.)

Three-Lobed Burning Eye
“We publish stories across the speculative genres, including all the shadows between and fluid mixtures thereof. We like narrative voices that are full of feeling, from literary to pulpy, with styles unique and flowing, but not too experimental. All labels aside, we want tales that value imagination in character, narrative, and plot. We want to see something new and different.” They pay $0.08/word for fiction of 500-7,499 words. Their upcoming submission period is 1^st to 15^th September 2026. Their submission portal will open during the reading period. Details here.

Dragon Soul Press Anthologies
They’re reading submissions of 3,000-20,000 words for various anthologies in all genres. Some of their upcoming themes include (but are not limited to): Once Upon a Tale (fairy tale retellings, deadline 31 August 2026); Curses & Crystals (witch-themed stories, deadline 31 August 2026); Flame Forger (dragon-themed stories, deadline 31 October 2026); Across the Ages (“All stories involving time travel. Love knows no bounds as these characters stumble across people from other timelines and form close bonds. But everyone must return home in the end, even though it may not be forever (or is it).”, deadline 31 December 2026); Back in Time (stories involving time travel and dragons, deadline 31 December 2026); Melody of the Siren (stories involving mermaids and their kin, kraken, underwater civilizations, etc., deadline 28 February 2027); Oath Taker (fantasy stories that include a main character that has to make an oath to an organization (or themself), for better or for worse, deadline 20^th April 2027); Fable (stories that include xenofiction (non-human animals), deadline 30 May 2027). They pay royalty share. Details here and here.

Zooscape
They publish furry fantasy fiction. “All stories must be furry.  That means an anthropomorphic animal figure should be significantly featured in your story — it could be anthropomorphic in body or only intelligence. We’ll consider any type of furry fiction from secret life of animals to fox in Starbucks.  We love science-fiction with animal-like aliens and fantasy with talking dragons, unicorns, or witch familiars.” Pay is $0.08/word for stories up to 1,000 words, and $80 for longer (up to 10,000 words; query for longer). They also accept reprints. Their next submission period is 1^st to 28^th February 2027. Details here.

Plott Hound
They publish speculative fiction starring animals, and have detailed guidelines. They pay $0.08/word for fiction of 1,000-5,000 words, and also pay for nonfiction and poetry. They will open for submissions from 1^st to 15^th October 2026. Details here.

Carmina
“Carmina is looking for anything and everything that is inspired by myth: epic-style poems, modern pieces that re-imagine ancient people and places, reworkings and retellings of old fairy tales, fables, and whatever else you can imagine in-between. The myths of all backgrounds, cultures, and time periods are welcome here, as are all styles and genres. The only real “requirement” is that the work owes its seed of inspiration to some kind of mythological tradition.” They are reading unthemed submissions (soft deadline: 15^th September) and Monsters & Cryptids themed submissions (soft deadline: 15^th October 2026). Details here.

Orion’s Belt
They publishspeculative micro (up to 400 words) and flash fiction (401-1,000 words) and poetry. Their website says, “Orion’s Belt is a literary speculative-fiction online magazine. We specialize in the strange and poignant and awe-inspiring, stories that have a cosmic scale and intimate personal stakes.
Speculative fiction for us encompasses a wide range of fiction that includes non-realist elements. While we focus on science-fiction and fantasy, we’re open to slipstream, horror, magic realism, myth retellings, surrealism, superhero stories, and all other fantastical genres and subgenres.” They have detailed guidelines, including preferences and hard sells. They also publish translations, as well as reviews and art. Their upcoming submission period is 1^st September to 31^st October 2026. They pay $0.08/word for stories up to 1,000 words, and $40 for poetry. Submission is via Duosuma. Details here.  

Flash Fiction Online
Flash Fiction Online usually publishes speculative and literary fiction; “We publish across many genres, including speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary fiction.” They will be reading themed speculative fiction only in September, and general submissions (unthemed) in October for a limited period. A note on their Patreon says, “Our submission portal is closed during the month of August; however, we will have a couple opportunities opening this fall:
Sept 1-30: SPECIAL CALL: “Human-Shaped” — all speculative fiction
Oct 1st: Open for General Submissions until we reach 400 stories”. They pay $100 for stories of 500 to 1,000 words. Details here and here.

Enchanted Living
“Enchanted Living (formerly Faerie Magazine) is a quarterly print magazine that celebrates all things enchanted—from a scattering of mushrooms in an ancient forest to a sweet, scented gown made only of roses. … Every issue features exquisite photography, recipes, original fiction and poetry, travel pieces, artist profiles, home decor, otherworldly beauty tips, craft tutorials, and much more—with a dash of faerie magic sprinkled throughout.” They accept pieces of up to 2,000 words for fiction (prefer up to 1,000 words). The deadline for their Winter issue is 1^st September 2026; they want works for their Sorceress issue. They have ongoing submissions, with cutoff dates for themed issues – the scroll down the guidelines page for details. They have other themes too, with later deadlines: Rain; Cabinet of Curiosities; and Coven. Details here.

Wyldblood
They publish science fiction and fantasy stories only, and are open on the 1^st of every month for submissions. They also accept queries of nonfiction and art. They pay £0.01/word for up to 5,000 words.
Details here.

Tasavvur
 publishes South Asian speculative fiction. Regarding who can submit: “Writers of South Asian origin or association (broadly defined — including diaspora, mixed heritage, or meaningful cultural affiliation)
Non–South Asian writers whose speculative fiction stories are deeply rooted in South Asian themes or settings” They want all forms of speculative fiction – fantasy, sci-fi, horror, magical realism, mythpunk, weird fiction, or anything genre-bending. Also see the list of the kind of stories they love, and what they do not want. They pay $0.05/word for stories up to 5,000 words, and the deadline is 31 August 2026. Details about their latest submission call are in their Moksha submission portal here.

Flash Frog
Their tagline is ‘Small. Brightly Coloured. Deadly to the Touch.’ They publish flash fiction of up to 1,000 words, and pay $25. Details here.

Little District Books: Radiant Dawn – A Queer Hopepunk Anthology
“Hopepunk is defined by weaponizing kindness, community and optimism to overcome oppressive systems. Hopepunk can be cozy, like Becky Chambers or TJ Klune, or not, like Sam J. Miller and Ryka Aoki. Either way it is a glass half-full kind of vibe. 
Needless to say, the world needs more Hopepunk.” They want stories of optimism, community, and kindness overcoming the odds. They pay $0.05/word for stories of 2,500-10,000 words. The deadline is 15^th October 2026. Details here.

The Daily Tomorrow
This is a daily serial science fiction magazine. You can read more about them here; “The Daily Tomorrow is a 300-500 word daily newsletter, serializing the best new SF stories by the most exciting writers working today. One email a day, one story a week. All stories start on Sunday and end the following Saturday. We publish stories which are high-concept without being gimmicky, which are about science as well as about technology, which are populated by familiar people living under unfamiliar conditions. We publish fun stories, thinky stories, sad stories, and hopeful stories.” They want stories of 2,100-3,500 words, and pay $0.10/word. Submission is via their Moksha portal. Details here.

The Dionysian Public Library: Slashed Budgets — An Anthology of Corporate HorrorThis is a fiction anthology. “Overtime that never ends. Poverty wages that are never enough. A work-life balance that feels more like death. The Library is now open for the fourth installment in our annual series of themed Halloween collections, Slashed Budgets: An Anthology of Corporate Horror. Send us your tales of labored labor, of fingers bloody from filing, of upward mobility gone wrong. As wealth stratification increases, opportunities for safe and fair work become harder to find, and the cost of living gets higher and higher, we are looking for stories about the struggle of trying to survive the daily grind and the world which demands it.” They accept works up to 10,000 words. They pay $10. The deadline is 15^th September 2026 for this anthology; they have other projects listed on the guidelines page, as well. Details here. 

Blaft Publications: Women With Weapons Anthology
They want short fiction. Your story should prominently feature a woman wielding a weapon. “*Or many weapons. Or many women, wielding many weapons.
**Trans women are women.
***Non-binary weapon wielders are also welcome.

Your story must FAIL the REVERSE BECHDEL TEST. … Your story may be in any genre. It may be set in the past, present, or future. … This call is open to writers of all genders residing anywhere in the world. However, we are an Indian company, and will give preference to stories that will work for our primarily Indian audience. Nevertheless, don’t be shy to send in your Congolese swordswomen, medieval Vietnamese vampire slayers, or Belizean Mennonite harpoonists.” They pay INR3,000 + INR3/word for stories of 1,000 – 8,000 words. The deadline is 15^th September 2026. Details here.

Manawaker Studio’s Flash Fiction Podcast
“We love settings that hint at greater world-building without leaving us feeling lost; We like to see characters which feel whole and have real agency despite the small glimpse we get into their lives; and we appreciate stories that have a recognizable plot with a classic arc. A story doesn’t have to tick all of these boxes to make it into MSFFP, but if it doesn’t hit any of them, it’s not a good story for us. All genres will be considered, but the editor’s proclivities lean toward the speculative, the fantastic, the futuristic, and the weird.” Also, “The ideal length is around 800 – 1100 words, but stories as short as 500 or as long as 1500 may be considered.” They also accept reprints and translations. They pay $10 for originals. Details here and here.

The Orange & Bee
This Australia-based magazine publishes “original and contemporary short stories, poems, and essays that explore, expand on, and subvert the rich traditions of international folklore, with a strong focus on fairy tales (though we also sometimes dabble in other forms of folklore, such as fables, myths, and legends).” They pay $0.08/word for prose and $50 for poetry. They will reopen for submissions in January 2027. Details here and 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 reopen for submissions from 18^th to 24^th October 2026. They pay $0.01/word for fiction, and $5 for poetry. They are currently open for artwork. Details here.

Exquisite Undead: An Anthology of Vampires
This is a fiction and poetry anthology about vampires of all kinds. Regarding genre, “Horror, romance, fantasy, sci-fi, historical, a weird blend of everything—all are welcome”. Stories can be flash length or longer, up to 7,000 words; they pay $30/flash or poetry, $65 for longer stories. The deadline is 1 September 2026. Details here and here.

Tome & Space
This is a new Canadian 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.” They pay CAD0.11/word up to CAD400 for fiction of 1500 to 6000 words. Watch for their next submission period for fiction; comics, cover art, as well as opinion, commentary and insights are open. Submission is via their Moksha portal. Details here.

Neon Hemlock Press: Novellas, Magazine, Anthology Calls
They publish queer speculative fiction; they’ll open for:
— novellas from all writers during October, see here (scroll down);
— for Baffling Magazine from December 1-15, for science fiction, fantasy, and horror with a queer bent – unthemed as well as stories on a theme (to be announced), pays $0.08/word for stories up to 1,200 words;
— and they are open till 31^st December 2026 for queer speculative fiction reprints from 2026, for We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2026 (speculative stories published in 2026 under 17,500 words that implicitly or explicitly explore queerness), details here and here.
See all of Neon Hemlock Press’s open calls here.
 
Hybris Press: OTHERSIDE
OTHERSIDEpublishes speculative fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art by 2SLGBTQIA+ creators only; you can read about them here. They have limited submission periods for original fiction (500-4,000 words), fiction reprints, and poetry while nonfiction is open year round. They will reopen in October (see guidelines). They pay $0.08/word for fiction, $50 for poetry, and $100 for nonfiction. Details here.

Samovar
This magazine is published by Strange Horizons, and they publish speculative works in translation. Samovar accepts original translated stories (up to 5,000 words), as well as reprints; they also accept poetry translations, interviews, and reviews. Pay is $0.08/word up to 3,750 words each, to the author and translator, for original translated fiction; $100 each for reprint translated fiction; and $40 each for poetry (see guidelines). Details here and here.

adventitious
“Adventitioushopes to be an intelligently mischievous literary magazine for the curious and unclassifiable. … We love speculative, surreal, and literary fiction. We admire its reach, its weirdness, and its refusal to color inside any lines. We believe in the work of the magazines and writers already making noise in that space, and we want to join in the ruckus: to publish fiction that’s as thoughtful as it is surprising, and to do it with style, respect, and a great sense of nonsense.” You can read about them here. “We want stories that offer a sense of wonder through their language, characters, plots, or all of the above. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and all speculative/surreal will always be welcomed, but we’re also happy with stories that shock and delight right here on this plane of existence.” You can read the issues they have published here. They publish stories from micro to novelette length, up to 17,000 words. They pay $0.08/word. They open on the 1^st of every alternate month; they’ll open on 1^st October and close on 5^th October 2026 or when they reach a submission cap, whichever is earlier (they usually reach the cap within hours of opening). Details here and here.

StarShipSofa
They publish science fiction. They have detailed guidelines, including, “From the soft, social science fiction to the weird pulpy stuff to the vigorous hard SF and YA adventure. We welcome all sub-genres and all variety of punks in all their colours. From high-octane action to quiet philosophical stories, we’re after it all. Science fiction is a rich and diverse genre, push its boundaries as far as you can go.
We welcome translations and are very interested in stories that take place/written by authors outside the US/Anglo-sphere, as well as alternative movements and styles.” And, “Paid story length runs from 3,000 words up to 7,000 words. Most of the stories we accept are between 3500 and 5000 words.” Do not send fantasy or supernatural horror. They pay $50. Details here and here.

Indian Gothic Magazine
This India-based magazine publishes Gothic fiction; you can read their first edition here to get a sense of what they publish. They are reading for Halloween: Shadows Across Cultures theme; You can read details about the theme here. They acceptfiction and flash fictionin the following genres: Traditional Gothic; Contemporary Gothic; Horror (literary, psychological, non-gory); Speculative Fiction; Science Fiction; Supernatural Fiction; and Paranormal Fiction. Apart from flash and short fiction, they also publish play and articles. They have detailed guidelines. Details here.

Stellar
This is a new science fiction magazine, they will launch in 2027. “We’re looking to publish authors of all backgrounds and experience levels who have impactful, subversive, and entertaining science fiction stories to tell. Our favorite science fiction looks to the future to tackle the biggest questions of today, asking “What if?” and “Why not?” unironically and emphatically.” Do not send fantasy or other genres. They pay $150 for 500-2,000 words, and the deadline is 31 December 2026. Details here. 

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly
They are “dedicated to publishing heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry. We are unrepentant in our goal of elevating unapologetic sword and sorcery to a rightful high place.” They also say, “Tolkienesque (as in really long) poetry will most likely be treated — and paid — like fiction.” “Similarly, prose pieces of fewer than 1,000 words will be paid at poetry’s standard rate of $25.” They accept up to 10,000 words of prose (and can serialize works up to 50,000 words – see guidelines), as well as poetry. They pay $25-100 for fiction, and $12.5-25 for poetry. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.

Passing Strange: Queer Weird Arthurian Tales
They want speculative fiction, narrative nonfiction, and art for this anthology. “Arthuriana is already brimming with queerness, what with asexual Grail Knights, the best knight of the realm in love with both his king and his queen, the women donning armour to go questing and perhaps yearning for the kind of devoted same-sex partnerships that the men have found.
Arthuriana is also inherently weird, with even the most realistic historical works dealing with belief systems and worldviews that no longer fit neatly in the modern world. And then there’s the magic, the supernatural, the weird beasts, the prophecies… “Arthurian realism”, as it were.
Authors are invited to take all this and run with it! Combine your own elements of queer sexuality and gender with these old tales – or update the tales and bring them to you. Add a dash or more of speculative fiction – whether fantasy, horror, or science fiction – or alternate history. The setting can be any time or place – past, present or future – near or far.” Please note, they will run the Kickstarter for this project in 2027. They’re paying $0.05/word up to $500 for stories of 3,000-10,000 words; the deadline is 31 August 2026. Details here and here.

Tales to Terrify
This is a podcast featuring short horror, dark fantasy, and other disturbing fiction. “We encourage you to challenge the definition of horror. Standard tropes and monsters are welcome, but give us your own unique take. Avoid the cliche and expected, unless as devices used purposefully and cleverly to further your story.
Drag us deep into the unsettling atmosphere of a crumbling Gothic mansion. Show us the gritty, real-world horrors of evil people with dark intentions. Make our blood run cold and our breath catch in our throats as we’re hunted by ravenous creatures. Unhinge our minds with reality-bending, psychological horrors. Make us feel the pain and sorrow of a long-suffering spirit.” Currently, they are open for flash fiction only (up to 2,000 words), for which there is no payment. Details here.

Tyche Books: Slapshots in Space and Magical Marathons – A Speculative Sports Anthology
This anthology “invites contributors to re-examine sports through space opera, near- or far-future science fiction, alternative worlds, time travel, magical realism, fantasy, or other lenses that fall under the umbrella of speculative fiction. Steampunk, hopepunk, science gone bad, social commentary, or just plain laugh-out-loud fun—all of these and more are fair game.
Writers can (but are not required to) explore questions such as: Will future athletes be forced to accept invasive technologies in the name of better performance? In a dystopian world, how might sport be a beacon of hope? How might fantasy elements change the way we engage in, and with, sport?” Please note, they may give preference to Canadian authors. They pay $50 for stories of 1,000-5,000 words, and $20 for poetry; the deadline is 31 August 2026. Details here.

Uncanny
This award-winning speculative fiction magazine will open for short story submissions from  August 24 to September 7, and for speculative poetry submissions from  August 17 to August 31 2026. They pay $0.010/word for fiction of 750-10,000 words. Details here.

Incensepunk
This is a literary magazine on the intersection of faith and sci-fi. Regarding the genre, Incensepunk is “high tech, high church.
It’s science fiction that envisions a future where faith is a living part of culture.
For a long answer, see the incensepunk manifesto.” You can read more about them here. They publish flash and short fiction. “We pay $100 for original fiction and $25 for reprints for fiction of 4,000 to 6,000 words. We pay $25 for original flash fiction of under 1,500 words. At this time, we are not able to pay for flash fiction reprints or for nonfiction articles.” Details here and here. 

Farlands Fiction Anthology
This is a fiction anthology. “The theme of the anthology is Space Ace, focussing on asexual and aromantic representation in science fiction. We are inviting authors to submit your science fiction short stories featuring asexual and aromantic characters.” Stories must be science fiction and in some way connected to the theme of space, and must feature at least one asexual and/or aromantic character in a prominent role. Submission is via a form. The pay £0.02/word for stories of 1,000-10,000 words; the deadline is 30 September 2026. Details here.

365tomorrows
They publish science fiction and speculative fiction of up to 600 words. “We like science fiction in all its incarnations, from hard sci-fi to cyberpunk and beyond.” Details here.

Whytaker Lyon Press: Virginia Sideways Anthology
They want alternate history stories with a Virginia element. “Calling all alternate history enthusiasts! We’re looking for compelling short stories that twist the timeline and refuse to let go. We’re talking Jamestown surviving as a thriving Swedish colony, Robert E. Lee accepting command of the Union Army in 1861, the Readjuster Party dominating Virginia politics for decades, or even Dr. J leading the Squires to 5 consecutive NBA Championships. We’re looking for a wide range of “what if” scenarios with variable tones—dramatic, humorous, dark, hopeful, military, political, character-driven, or speculative.” They want alternate history stories (pure or blended with elements of science fiction, mystery, thriller, literary fiction, or light speculative fiction). They pay half a cent a word for stories of 3,000-10,000 words. Stories must have a Virginia element, but writers from anywhere in the world are welcome to submit. The deadline is 31 October 2026. Submission is via a form. Details here.

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Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.