OTHERSIDE

About

OTHERSIDE is a queer-led literary magazine of speculative fiction, poetry, and art by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and artists.

Important: Some submission periods have additional demographic and/or other restrictions. As always, please check guidelines carefully before submitting.

Limited Demographic: Submissions are restricted to 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and artists.

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2025

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 4 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

48 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: OTHERSIDE's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Challenging: OTHERSIDE's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
More Responsive: OTHERSIDE's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Longer fiction is accepted for reprint submissions only, which are open year-round. Unpublished fiction is only accepted during specific submission windows.
We have a diverse team of editors, all with different tastes. Some of us like dreamy literary tales and some of us like adventure stories. Some love fantasy and some prefer science fiction. Some like romance and some like horror. And sometimes we don’t know what we like until you send it to us! As long as your story is speculative in some way, we want to read it.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Slipstream, Weird/New Weird
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Slipstream, Weird/New Weird
Romance Subgenres: Romantic Fantasy, Romantic Horror, Romantic Science Fiction
Science Fiction Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Slipstream, Weird/New Weird

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: 500 - 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 4,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Themes:

Exploration theme: Trans, BIPOC, and/or disabled authors only Limited Demographic (08 Oct 2026 03:59 UTC)

Exploration (22 Oct 2026 03:59 UTC)

Payment:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $0.08/word for unpublished work; $100 per story for reprints.

Submissions:

Method: Moksha submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed in some circumstances; check their site for details.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

We are looking for submissions that teach us something new, show us something surprising, or move us. Right now, we are particularly interested in: investigations of queer history, especially literary history or lesser-known aspects of queer history; essays that shine a light on “forgotten” queer speculative works or authors; thoughtful media criticism of all kinds; personal essays, memoir, and genre-blurring creative nonfiction; and non-US perspectives. We always like incisive literary criticism and essays that examine the intersection(s) of speculative fiction and queer identity.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 4,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 4,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream, Personal.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Literature/Books: See guidelines.
Memoir.
Sexuality/Gender: LGBTQ issues, See guidelines.
Other: May vary.

Themes:

Exploration theme: Trans, BIPOC, and/or disabled authors only Limited Demographic (08 Oct 2026 03:59 UTC)

Exploration (22 Oct 2026 03:59 UTC)

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $100 per piece.

Submissions:

Method: Moksha submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed in some circumstances; check their site for details.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

We’re looking for previously unpublished speculative poems. Our tastes are varied—we like free verse and fixed forms, experimental and traditional poems, and everything in between. With poetry, feel free to interpret “speculative” broadly. While we’re happy to read poems about spaceships and quests, we’d also love to read poems that experiment with genre and subvert our expectations. Science-fictional, fantastical, slipstream, weird, literary: send it our way, and please don’t self-reject!

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 October 2026 12:00 AM EDT (in 21 days) through 21 October 2026.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Lengths:

Poem: Up to 50 lines; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Themes:

Exploration theme: Trans, BIPOC, and/or disabled authors only Limited Demographic (08 Oct 2026 03:59 UTC)

Exploration (22 Oct 2026 03:59 UTC)

Payment:

Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem) Professional payment. Details: USD $50 per poem.

Submissions:

Method: Moksha submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed in some circumstances; check their site for details.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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Social:
Bluesky @othersidespec.bsky.social
Instagram @othersidespec

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For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
Duosuma Submission Manager
Link to Duotrope

OTHERSIDE Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 81 reports from 52 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

1 min | 5.9 mean avg | 4.0 median | 53 max days (9.2 std dev)

Responses

100.00 %

Acceptances:

1.23 % of submissions accepted (42.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 1.92 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

98.77 % (5.9 avg. days per rejection) | 16.3 % personal, 58.8 % form, 25.0 % unspecified | 1.2 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

Pending

2 responses are pending (45 min | 49.5 mean avg | 49.5 median | 54 max days waiting | 118.7 std dev) from 2 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 28 days. (3.7 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 28 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 30 days have passed.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 04 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 21 Jul 2026.
Date compiled: 10 Sep 2026 01:01 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 05 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.