Call for Submissions on Themes of "American Gothic" and "Caregiving": Talk Vomit

Fall and winter quarterly submissions will each be open until Sept. 1.

THEMES:

Our fall edition theme is American gothic, however you interpret that. We are particularly interested in stories that consider themes of class, non-city living, the institution of motherhood, and gender, but all facets of American culture are welcome for exploration. One might consider writers like Shirley Jackson, Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, and Stephen King as stand-out examples in the genre. Submissions may be sent using this Google Form.

Our winter edition theme is caregiving, however you interpret that. One might consider subjects like parenting and familial duties, gender roles, and medical realities. We are especially interested in the emotional nuances of caregiving, its physical demands, and its psychological aftermath. What does it mean to be cared for? What does it mean to care for others, at all stages of life? Pieces that do not strictly fit into the theme will also be considered. Submissions may be sent using this Google Form.

The details: 

• Non-fiction under 4,000 words, fiction under 2,000, and poetry just generally kept to a minimum

• Please submit one prose piece or two poems.

• Turnaround times vary. Expect a response within approximately one month of submissions closing.

• Talk Vomit believes wholeheartedly in simultaneous submissions and raises their eyebrows at places that don’t. BUT, if your piece is accepted elsewhere, please email:

 talk@talkvomit.com

as soon as you can. If you don’t, it stands to be quite embarrassing for both of us.

• Talk Vomit asks for first serial rights. We aim to share most work on our website, our Substack, and in print, as space allows. Upon initial publication, all rights revert back to you, although we ask you credit Talk Vomit in the event of republication.

Some stuff we particularly like: 

• Gothic stories. Not high fantasy stuff, usually, but moody and atmospheric pieces that take a microscope to the underbelly of our communities and relationships

• Flash satire

• Essays that weave first-person with cultural criticism; essays with a fresh coming-of-age narrative (one can come of age at many times in their life, in many ways; Monica is currently particularly interested in coming-of-age stories related to motherhood, fwiw)

• Cultural criticism, in general

• Book reviews, especially those in the 300-600 word range — unless you’re baking in some first-person narrative and lengthier criticism. If that’s the case, follow our general nonfiction word limit.

• Serial stories. Feel free to pitch one at:

 talk@talkvomit.com

Let’s get Dickensian about it.

At the end of the day, we’re curating each quarterly to fit a theme and meet our editorial needs. We say no to a lot of a solid pieces that we simply don’t have room for. Don’t hesitate to submit to the next round if your piece is not accepted.

If your piece is a thinly-veiled homage to Lolita, we will delete it without response. Read something else.

Payment: We’re very pleased to pay our contributors thanks to print zine sales and supporters of our Substack. Our rates are DIY-zine rates, but we hope they will increase. Fiction and nonfiction run in the $10-30 range; poetry in the $5-15 range. The rate will be higher for print exclusives. We issue honraria via Venmo and PayPal.

FYI: We began publishing on a mostly quarterly basis on April 1, 2023.