What monsters lurk beneath your bed or claw at the edge of your mind? Is your darkest fear that school project you’ve been procrastinating for weeks or that your brother’s spider will escape in the middle of the night and crawl into your mind, your eyes, your throat? Or maybe it’s finding yourself alone or betrayed by someone close. Whatever it may be. Let us share in your fright and submit to us!
Ages 13-19. Submissions close June.30 Learn more on our website or our Duosuma page.
Nightmares can be:
–Scary thrillers with winding twists
–Lucid dream adventures
–Poems entailing your deepest desires
–Dialogue with creeping creatures
–Subconscious fears, horror stories
–Vivid imagery or fantastical worlds
–Mesmerize us with the color of your worlds, your minds, your monsters
–Hypnotize us with complex and intricate art
–Haunt us with memoirs of finally climbing that mountain or falling from the clouds
Do not send:
– Fanfiction or other derivative works
– Illegal confessions
– Unfinished pieces
– Previously published pieces (including self-published pieces)
– Work that intends to harm or shame a group
– Novel length work (see our note below)
Triggering/Vulgar Language:
– If a content warning is needed make sure it is clearly indicated before the piece
– Censor slurs if needed (when in doubt submit with censors)
– If a piece is explicitly vulgar, submit with caution
Art/Photography:
Digital art and photography are preferred. If you submit physical art, submit the highest quality scan/image of your artwork that you can. We are willing to work with artists if the piece(s) are accepted.
Author expectations:
– Your work will be considered for one or more of the following: website, podcast content, physical printing in our annual lit mag
– Authors who have pieces selected in our annual magazine will receive a contributor copy
Final Notes
– Length doesn’t matter, it’s how you use it!
– Our normal response time is within two weeks
We welcome both simultaneous submissions, and multiple submissions from the same author. That’s all! Thank you for your interest in submitting to us; If you’re having trouble understanding the theme, check us out on Instagram to see what nightmares means to us and what pieces we hope to see. We’re excited to see your submission!
With love,
The Echo