Submissions guidelines
* SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED *
For our second issue, we are looking for work that addresses the other side of consumption: the objects that line our shelves and fill our homes. In the global heat of 21st-century consumerism, our relationships to the objects we own are as prominent as our relationships to each other, problematising what it means to love, and consequently, what it means to be human. However, whether they are functional or frivolous, desirable or discarded, our possessions are also a means of expression, a source of joy, and a way of connecting with the people we’ve lost. In the throes of grief, a well-loved mug is a whole world.
There is a long history of haunted objects in the Gothic and Horror traditions, from the floating bedsheets of M. R. James, to the coercive ashtrays of Shirley Jackson, to the infectious convenience stores of Sayaka Murata. We are looking for personal essays on prized possessions, stories set in commercial spaces, and artwork that brings the inanimate to life. What does your toothbrush say when you leave the room? Why did you order so many kettles? And is the oven meant to sound like that?
As ever, we seek tenderness as much as terror and welcome all interpretations of our theme.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Submissions will be capped at one hundred in each category (prose, poetry and visual art).
We accept (and encourage) hybrid, experimental and creative-critical work. If your work does not fit into the outlined categories, please send it to contact@hungryghostproject.com.
Prose and poetry accompanied by visual art should be sent to the prose and poetry categories, respectively.
You can submit to all three categories, but please make sure you only send one piece of work each time.
All accepted work will go through a brief, collaborative editorial stage.
Please include any relevant content warnings in your cover letter.
Our submissions are open to everyone, and we particularly encourage marginalised and emerging writers to submit.
Upon publication, contributors will be sent £5 (via PayPal) and a print copy of the issue.
We only accept unpublished work. Copyright remains with authors and artists, but we ask that you credit us if your work appears elsewhere.
We encourage simultaneous submissions, but do let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere so we can congratulate you!
Our response time is currently less than two weeks, but please allow up to thirty days before querying.
Plagiarism and hateful content will never be tolerated.
FLASH FICTION & CREATIVE NON-FICTION (CLOSED)
This category is currently CLOSED.
Prose submissions will be read by Leonie Rowland and should be emailed to contact@hungryghostproject.com.
We accept fiction and creative non-fiction up to 1000 words (excluding the title). Please only send one piece of work.
VISUAL ART (OPEN)
Submissions should be emailed to contact@hungryghostproject.com.
We accept visual art of all kinds. Please send up to five high-quality JPG or PNG files.
POETRY (OPEN)
Poetry submissions will be read by Bren Booth-Jones and should be emailed to poetry@hungryghostproject.com.
We accept up to 40 lines of poetry. Please only send one piece of work.
PRESENTATION
Please make sure your writing is double-spaced (where possible) and presented in a readable font.
The email subject line should include your name and the type of submission, for example: Leonie Rowland / Fiction.
Writing should be sent as a word document and accompanied by a PDF if necessary.
Tell us a bit about you in your cover letter and include a brief bio of up to 50 words.
Submissions close on October 1st or when each category is full. We can’t wait to hear from you!
