The Pink Hydra: Flash fiction and poetry Gold Star Program Gold Star Free Tip Jar Option

We’re looking for flash fiction or poetry with an element of unreality to be published in our monthly zine. Any genre goes, but the story needs to have some speculative or unrealistic element. I have a particular love for spicy romance, work with some kind of taboo or "problematic" element, and pulpy genres (sword-and-sorcery, space opera, etc.) with queer characters.

Poems are more likely to be published if they have a strong connecting theme, and we typically accept poems as a batch.

Word count: Up to 999 words for each flash fiction piece. This is a strict limit. If you would like to submit something longer, please check out our other submission calls.

Number of pieces: Up to 5 prose pieces, or up to 10 poems. Please submit each piece as a separate file.

If you would like to submit a single poem over 999 words long, please send it through our Short Stories call.

Please read our full guidelines before submitting, and take note of our payment terms and the rights we acquire.

Translations of work previously published in another language are permitted only if the author and translator are the same person. Don’t submit a translation you made of someone else’s work.

As part of the submission form, you will be asked the following:

• whether you want feedback on the story in case of rejection
• whether we can add your email to the mailing list for our monthly newsletter
• whether you want to provide your own cover art should the story be accepted

None of your answers to any of the above questions will influence our decision on whether or not to accept your work.

If you would like to support The Pink Hydra’s mission of publishing queer, weird, diverse, and liminal fiction, you can support us by giving a small donation with your submission. Again, this will in no way influence our decision on whether to accept your work.

If anything is unclear or you experience any issues with Duosuma, please contact us at [email protected]. Any clown submissions (“I don’t feel like making a Duotrope account so here’s my story anyways”) sent to this email will be rejected unread.

Please don’t be intimidated by the submission process, and don’t self-reject your story if it seems to fit with what we want. We welcome young and inexperienced authors, and we’re happy to assist with any and all submissions made in good faith.

We are an inclusive publisher looking for diverse work from authors of all nationalities and identities. We particularly seek work by and about women, trans people, and anyone who fits anywhere on the LGBTQA+ spectrum.

We can’t wait to read your weird, queer, wonderful stories! Thank you for considering us as a home for your work.