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Writer's Guidelines + Themes

subTerrain publishes original fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, essays, and commentary three times a year. Submissions must be previously unpublished material. (Note the maximum number of submissions per issue in the General Guidelines below.) Currently, we are publishing two General issues and one Themed issue per year.

subTerrain welcomes submissions from both emerging and established authors. We are happy to consider work from all corners of the identity spectrum, including works by underrepresented writers, including but not limited to writers who are Indigenous, of colour, immigrants, women, LGBTQI+, low-income, no-income, and writers with disabilities. Submitters are welcome to state demographics such as race, age, gender, etc. in their cover letter if they so choose.

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TWENTY TWENTY-FIVE ISSUES

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SPRING, #100 {SPECIAL ISSUE}

This diamond in the rough is now celebrating its 100th anniversary! Join us for some centennial sentimentality and submit your 100-word blasts for consideration in our 100th issue. We’re inviting submissions of 100-word flash fiction, micro creative non-fiction, and poetry to include in a special, celebratory edition of subTerrain. With a word count this strict, you’ll have to send us only your strongest words — so make them subconscious, make them insubordinate, but never make them submissive. Consider what you love about subTerrain and all the things that got us to 100 issues. But, this deadline will pass in a flash: submissions are only open for 100 hours!

SUBMISSIONS OPEN FEBRUARY 14th :: CLOSE: FEBRUARY 17, 2025

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SUMMER/FALL, #101, {DREAMS}

Dreams are like short, strange films that our mind produces while we sleep. They take place in the theatre of the subconscious, that amorphous space that can seem familiar and unfamiliar at the same moment. A place where you wander, like a character in a shadowy noir mystery, trying to figure out what is going on, trying to make sense of a world that makes no sense … as if there is always an “explanation” for what is going on.

 

We invite you to mine the depths of your mind and send us your surrealist trips through dreamland — your beautiful nightmares, your daydreams, or dreams of the future.

SUBMISSIONS OPEN JANUARY 15 :: DEADLINE: MARCH 7, 2025

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WINTER, #102 {GENERAL ISSUE}

This issue will be a general issue featuring fiction, poetry, commentary, and creative nonfiction, the winning entries in our 2024 Lush Triumphant Literary Awards, as well as excerpts from forthcoming releases from Canadian indie presses.

SUBMISSIONS OPEN JUNE 1 :: DEADLINE: AUGUST 15, 2025

Submit via Submittable at the "Submit online" link below. If submitting via snail mail, please identify on the envelope the issue # or theme issue for which you are submitting.

Feel free to interpret our themes in unique and unusual ways.

All other regular submission guidelines still apply, as below.

GENERAL GUIDELINES:

The following are some general guidelines (as always, we suggest READING an issue of the magazine to see what we're all about).

Submissions must be previously unpublished and be:

1. typed, double-spaced on 8 1/2 x 11 paper (no disks or e-mail submissions please)

2. Fiction: a maximum of 3,000 words.
(max. 3 submissions per issue)

3. Poetry: we no longer accept unsolicited poetry submissions (unless specifically related to one of our theme issues). Poetry should be single-spaced with stanza breaks.

4. Creative Non-Fiction: a maximum of 4,000 words.
(max. 2 submissions per issue)

5. Commentary (social or otherwise): a maximum of 4000 words.
(max. 2 submissions per issue)

6. Photography & Illustration: we only accept solicited art and photography. Please forward us a link to your work;

7. Those submissions not accompanied by a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) will not be considered or returned. Submissions from outside Canada: It has come to our attention that IRCs are no longer available in the U.S. Submitters from outside Canada: please DO NOT SEND RETURN ENVELOPES WITH U.S. STAMPS -- WE CANNOT USE U.S. POSTAGE TO MAIL FROM CANADA! Please include your email address with your submission and we will respond via email.

8. Please do not send submissions via email.

Payment rates for published submissions:

Poetry: $50 per poem
Prose: $.10 per word (to a maximum of $500.)

Submit online (click) here:

Mail hard copy submissions to:

subTerrain Magazine
P.O. Box 3008, Station Terminal
Vancouver, BC V6B 3X5
CANADA
TEL: (604) 876-8009
EMAIL: [email protected]

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