Submissions
Silent Motorist Media is currently open for submissions!
Behind the Eclipse
Until September 1st, we are now accepting public submissions for our literary journal, Behind the Eclipse.
Inspired by a deep appreciation of literary journals like Vastarien, The Audient Void, and Thinking Horror, we want to try our hand at producing a “pilot” publication of our own. Behind the Eclipse is our prospective attempt at a literary journal focused on cosmic horror with a strong sci-fi flavor. For volume one, we’re looking for poetry, original fiction, and critical essays based on horrors located beyond our immediate realm of experience. Think of it as cosmic horror with an emphasis on “cosmic.” We’re hoping to keep this under 50 pages for now, so depending on the length of accepted works, we’re looking at purchasing no more than 10 pieces.
For fiction and poetry, we’re not looking for excessive humor; the tone should be otherworldly and deeply unsettling.
If you’re wondering how critical essays can apply to the theme, we’ll leave that up to you. We do see at least two alternatives worth considering, however: there’s the “obvious” route—do you want to write an essay on elements of horror in the Alien franchise? Here’s your chance. Sci-fi elements in Lovecraft? We’re all ears. We’re definitely open to topical examinations of cosmic horror in film and fiction that doubles up on the “cosmic” aspect, so long as such examinations are thoughtful and well-presented.
The less-obvious route would be to discuss scientific topics in a way that evokes a “cosmic horror” vibe. An essay on entropy that utilizes a creative perspective can do this. A majority of the universe consists of dark matter and energy—a creative mind can derive all sorts of implications from that fact alone (don’t worry, we value creativity more than strict scientific accuracy here). In short, we challenge you to scare us with an intelligent philosophical examination of the inherently horror-laden cosmos.
Your creative nonfiction essay isn’t limited to these alternatives, of course. It’s always better to surprise us with something entirely your own.
Now for the details: poetry can be of any length, but generally we prefer short works spanning no more than a page or two. Fiction should be between 1000-5000 words. Nonfiction should clock in at 2000-6000 words and be formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style. We aren’t looking for reprints, and you can submit up to five works for consideration.
We can only offer token payments of $10.00 per poem, $20.00 for fiction, and $25.00 for nonfiction essays for this little experiment. If we meet our upcoming Kickstarter goal, however, these rates will increase.
Please email your submission with a brief bio to btelitjournal@gmail.com
Thank your for your interest in subbing to SMM! We can’t wait to read your work!
