Sonic Boom, a new online journal of poetry and flash fiction, publishes “writing that explodes.” That is, they publish writing that makes an impact, shakes the reader’s senses, and breaks the boundaries of genre. Avant-garde, conceptual, postmodern—like a sonic boom–their publication is a phenomenon of the moment.
They publish various contemporary forms of poetry—experimental, free verse, hybrid form, visual poetry, prose poetry, found poetry, and more—and are especially interested in contemporary Japanese short forms, such as tanka and haiku. You can get a sense of their style by reading past issues online. Both emerging and established writers are welcome to contribute to the explosion.
Sonic Boom is published three times a year online, and each issue contains work from around 65 contributors. Right now, Sonic Boom is accepting submissions for their sixth issue. The deadline for submissions is July 1. Submitting authors can expect a response within about one to four weeks, but should not query about their submissions until 21 days have passed. Most submissions are acknowledged within one day of receipt.
Poets may submit up to three poems, 40 lines or fewer, in any of the following forms: free-verse, experimental, postmodern, prose poetry, found poetry, or remixed poetry. Poets may also submit up to three visual or concrete poems, two pages or 40 lines or fewer. Sonic Boom also accepts Japanese short form poems: senryu, haiku, tanka, kyoka, or sedoka. Poets may submit up to ten poems in any of these Japanese forms. Fiction writers may submit up to two pieces of flash fiction, 500 words or fewer. Sonic Boom does not accept horror fiction and rarely publishes speculative fiction. They do accept vignettes, short scenes, hybrid forms, haibun, and tanka prose.
In addition to submissions for their journal, right now, Sonic Boom is also accepting submissions for the Second Annual Senryu Contest. Poets may submit one original and unpublished senryu for consideration in the contests. Five contest winners—three top picks and two honorable mentions—will receive gift certificates. The deadline for submitting to the contest is June 25.
Sonic Boom accepts submissions via email, but not online or by post. They do not accept simultaneous submissions or previously published work. Writing that has appeared on a personal blog, Facebook, Twitter, tumblr, or flickr is not considered published.
If you would like to learn more or submit to Sonic Boom, please visit their website at http://sonicboomjournal.wix.com/sonicboom#!emotional/c1t44.
