The Cosmic Background

This project is believed to be defunct. (August 2026)

About

The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is the heat leftover from the Big Bang. But why is it the name of a weird-fiction magazine?
Turn on an Old TV. Turn on a Radio. And tune between the channels. Listen to the static. See it. Within that static you're seeing the afterglow of the Big Bang. You're observing the visualization of heat from the birth of our universe. You're witness to the most important event in the history of everything.
But only when you tune between the channels. That's where we want your work to come from: The place between channels. We want words from the static. We want fiction that springs from the birth of the universe.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2023

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

Collapse section Fiction Believed Defunct

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Science Fiction Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Slipstream

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $0.10/word for originals; $0.03/word for reprints.

Submissions:

Method: Moksha submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Believed Defunct

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Science Fiction Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Slipstream

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem) Professional payment. Details: USD $100 per poem.

Submissions:

Method: Moksha submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

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

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The Cosmic Background 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.

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Accuracy

We have received 5 reports from 5 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

80 min | 125.8 mean avg | 111.0 median | 166 max days (36.7 std dev)

Pending

2 responses are pending (160 min | 186.5 mean avg | 186.5 median | 213 max days waiting | 29.3 std dev) from 2 different members

Other Information

Most recent response reported was received on 15 Dec 2025.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 07 Jul 2025.
Date compiled: 08 Oct 2026 01:31 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Dates

Last Updated: 18 Aug 2026