Anarchist Fictions is a new print journal of fiction and poems on themes about, or adjacent to, anarchy and anarchism.

Anarchist Fictions is a new print journal of original and reprinted short fiction and poems on themes about, or adjacent to, anarchy. Launched in early Winter 2025, the journal's first issue contains 130 pages of beautiful art and writing that captures and recreates the fiery will to destroy existing society. We pay our writers. 

Fiction editors Vague and Ominous love dark, subtle, well-crafted literary fiction about anything related to anarchy or anarchism: chaos, social collapse, uprisings, new beginnings, sabotage, subterfuge, collective undertakings, individualist scheming, sociality, desertion, love and its variants, despair, euphoria.


Quality magazines that compensate writers and don't charge submission fees. Supporting writers financially from both ends of the transaction? Hell yeah.

Lit Mags That Pay & Don't Charge Fees

A targeted resource for short story placements with potential for Pushcart recognition.

Fiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Specialized publications that recognize exceptional brief fiction through Pushcart nominations.

A comprehensive guide to journals that regularly nominate work for the Pushcart Prize.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Highlights publications that regularly put forward essays, memoirs, and other creative nonfiction for Pushcart consideration.

Nonfiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Focuses specifically on poetry journals with established histories of Pushcart nominations.

Poetry Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Anarchist Fictions Journal

For Issue #2, we are accepting submissions of original short fiction (poetry is on hold for now) up to a maximum 5000 words. Submissions must be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are fine; just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.

Your story must be related to the theme of "FUCK WORK". In your cover letter, briefly explain how your story relates to this theme; OR you can send us something not related to "FUCK WORK", in which case, please explain to us in your cover letter how your story meets the rest of our criteria, including how it is anarchist or anarchist-ish.

Read the full details at https://cryptpad.fr/form/#/3/form/view/98a166b1e2a8e5008ad20863004a394f/


FUCK WORK

Submit your REPRINTS for Issue No. 3 of Anarchist Fictions on the theme of BURN THE PRISONS.

Category: Reprints of your previously published material (poetry, memoirs by current or former prisoners, short fiction). 
Word limit: flexible, just not a novella. Send us what you got!
Payment: One contributor copy*
More details: In your cover letter, please confirm that you retain copyright of the material you would like us to reprint, or that it bears a Creative Commons license.
Deadline: September 30, 2026
N.B. We only mail out contributor copies* after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. 

We aim to respond to all submissions by October 31, 2026.

Who should submit their work?
Everyone is welcome to submit, but for this issue, we especially want to hear from incarcerated or previously incarcerated writers (and for MEMOIRS/CREATIVE NON-FICTION, we only want to hear from incarcerated or previously incarcerated writers). See further guidelines below. Simultaneous submissions are fine; just let us know if the work has been accepted elsewhere.

For all submissions:
Send your submission by email to anarchistfictions@proton.me with the appropriate subject line for the category and with your writing as a .doc or .docx attachment. In your email please include a 50-100 word bio in third person and a generally neutral tone (whimsy is acceptable, but please avoid braggadocio). Your email should tell us a bit about yourself, and about how your piece relates to anarchy and the theme of "Burn the Prisons".

DO NOT SEND:
- Highly technical fantasy, genre fiction, or science fiction.
- Gore.
- Erotica.
- Stories whose non-man characters, and BIPOC characters, who show up only briefly, and/or who are killed off in the first few pages.
- Stories whose protagonists are cops or state agents.
- Content that you know damn well are racist, sexist, trans- or homophobic, etc.

What we offer:
- Publication to happen some time in 2027: in print only, not online.
- In the case of original work, we ask for Initial rights: this is the right to print the story first. After it is printed, the rights revert to you and we just ask that you credit our publication as the first publication in which your story appeared.
- We only send out contributor copies after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. For reference, it took us five months to recoup our costs for printing Issue No. 1 before we could mail out contributor copies.
- Contributors of Reading Group Dispatches, or reprints, will receive one copy of the journal by mail.
- We do not send out PDFs or other digital versions of the journal.

A word about formatting:
- We strongly prefer double-spaced documents in 12-point font with indented paragraphs (not block paragraphs). We publish in British/Canadian spelling (not American) and if your document uses the same spelling, it saves us a lot of time during production.

A word about style and content:
- Your work must be anarchist or anarchist-ish. Although we want writers to interpret this broadly, do know that we love stories about insurrection and rebellion against authoritarianism, oppression, the state, and capital.
- About our fiction style: We prefer literary fiction. Please use magical, surrealist, speculative, and other genre-related elements judiciously.
- We look for interesting character development, subtle use of literary devices, and compelling prose.

A word about our intention to trouble the white supremacist hetero cis patriarchal capitalist death-machine:
- We want to foster a diversity of good, complex, interesting anarchy-adjacent fiction writing that is not just about over-represented protagonists like white space cowboys. For these reasons, we strongly encourage BIPOC writers and people of marginalized genders to submit their work. 
- We welcome your comments about how we can get this right; feel free to send us an email with your suggestions and ideas.

REPRINTS: BURN THE PRISONS

MEMOIRS/CREATIVE NON-FICTION by incarcerated or formerly-incarcerated writers

Submit your MEMOIRS/CREATIVE NON-FICTION for Issue No. 3 of Anarchist Fictions on the theme of BURN THE PRISONS. 

Category: Memoirs or first-person creative non-fiction written by people who have experienced incarceration.
Word limit: 2500 words
Payment: $50 CAD plus one contributor copy*
More details: Must be previously unpublished. Attach as a .doc or .docx to an email with ISSUE 3 MEMOIR SUBMISSION as the subject line. In your cover letter, please confirm that the author has experienced incarceration.
Deadline: September 30, 2026
N.B. We only mail out contributor copies* after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. 

We aim to respond to all submissions by October 31, 2026.

Who should submit their work?
For this category, we want to hear from incarcerated or previously incarcerated writers. See further guidelines below. Simultaneous submissions are fine; just let us know if the work has been accepted elsewhere.

For all submissions:
Send your submission by email to anarchistfictions@proton.me with the appropriate subject line for the category and with your writing as a .doc or .docx attachment. In your email please include a 50-100 word bio in third person and a generally neutral tone (whimsy is acceptable, but please avoid braggadocio). Your email should tell us a bit about yourself, and about how your piece relates to anarchy and the theme of "Burn the Prisons".

DO NOT SEND:
- Highly technical fantasy, genre fiction, or science fiction.
- Gore.
- Erotica.
- Stories whose non-man characters, and BIPOC characters, who show up only briefly, and/or who are killed off in the first few pages.
- Stories whose protagonists are cops or state agents.
- Content that you know damn well are racist, sexist, trans- or homophobic, etc.

What we offer:
- Publication to happen some time in 2027: in print only, not online.
- In the case of original work, we ask for Initial rights: this is the right to print the story first. After it is printed, the rights revert to you and we just ask that you credit our publication as the first publication in which your story appeared.
- We only send out contributor copies after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. For reference, it took us five months to recoup our costs for printing Issue No. 1 before we could mail out contributor copies.
- Contributors of Reading Group Dispatches, or reprints, will receive one copy of the journal by mail.
- We do not send out PDFs or other digital versions of the journal.

A word about formatting:
- We strongly prefer double-spaced documents in 12-point font with indented paragraphs (not block paragraphs). We publish in British/Canadian spelling (not American) and if your document uses the same spelling, it saves us a lot of time during production.

A word about style and content:
- Your work must be anarchist or anarchist-ish. Although we want writers to interpret this broadly, do know that we love stories about insurrection and rebellion against authoritarianism, oppression, the state, and capital.
- We prefer literary fiction. Please use magical, surrealist, speculative, and other genre-related elements judiciously.
- We look for interesting character development, subtle use of literary devices, and compelling prose.

A word about our intention to trouble the white supremacist hetero cis patriarchal capitalist death-machine:
- We want to foster a diversity of good, complex, interesting anarchy-adjacent fiction writing that is not just about over-represented protagonists like white space cowboys. For these reasons, we strongly encourage BIPOC writers and people of marginalized genders to submit their work. 
- We welcome your comments about how we can get this right; feel free to send us an email with your suggestions and ideas.



We are looking for memoirs and creative non-fiction written by people who are in prison or who have been in prison.

MEMOIRS/CREATIVE NON-FICTION by people who have experienced incarceration: BURN THE PRISONS

Submit your SHORT STORIES for Issue No. 3 of Anarchist Fictions on the theme of BURN THE PRISONS. 

Category: Short stories on the theme of BURN THE PRISONS.
Word limit: 5000 words
Payment: $50 CAD plus one contributor copy*
More Details: Must be previously unpublished. Attach as a .doc or .docx to an email with ISSUE 3 SHORT STORY SUBMISSION as the subject line.
Deadline: July 31, 2026
N.B. We only mail out contributor copies* after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. 

We aim to respond to all submissions by October 31, 2026.

Who should submit their work?

Everyone is welcome to submit, but for this issue, we especially want to hear from incarcerated or previously incarcerated writers. See further guidelines below. Simultaneous submissions are fine; just let us know if the work has been accepted elsewhere.

For all submissions:
Send your submission by email to anarchistfictions@proton.me with the appropriate subject line for the category and with your writing as a .doc or .docx attachment. In your email please include a 50-100 word bio in third person and a generally neutral tone (whimsy is acceptable, but please avoid braggadocio). Your email should tell us a bit about yourself, and about how your piece relates to anarchy and the theme of "Burn the Prisons".

DO NOT SEND:
- Highly technical fantasy, genre fiction, or science fiction.
- Gore.
- Erotica.
- Stories whose non-man characters, and BIPOC characters, who show up only briefly, and/or who are killed off in the first few pages.
- Stories whose protagonists are cops or state agents.
- Content that you know damn well are racist, sexist, trans- or homophobic, etc.

What we offer:
- Publication to happen some time in 2027: in print only, not online.
- In the case of original work, we ask for Initial rights: this is the right to print the story first. After it is printed, the rights revert to you and we just ask that you credit our publication as the first publication in which your story appeared.
- We only send out contributor copies after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. For reference, it took us five months to recoup our costs for printing Issue No. 1 before we could mail out contributor copies.
- Contributors of Reading Group Dispatches, or reprints, will receive one copy of the journal by mail.
- We do not send out PDFs or other digital versions of the journal.

A word about formatting:
- We strongly prefer double-spaced documents in 12-point font with indented paragraphs (not block paragraphs). We publish in British/Canadian spelling (not American) and if your document uses the same spelling, it saves us a lot of time during production.

A word about style and content:
- Your work must be anarchist or anarchist-ish. Although we want writers to interpret this broadly, do know that we love stories about insurrection and rebellion against authoritarianism, oppression, the state, and capital.
- We prefer literary fiction. Please use magical, surrealist, speculative, and other genre-related elements judiciously.
- We look for interesting character development, subtle use of literary devices, and compelling prose.

A word about our intention to trouble the white supremacist hetero cis patriarchal capitalist death-machine:
- We want to foster a diversity of good, complex, interesting anarchy-adjacent fiction writing that is not just about over-represented protagonists like white space cowboys. For these reasons, we strongly encourage BIPOC writers and people of marginalized genders to submit their work. 
- We welcome your comments about how we can get this right; feel free to send us an email with your suggestions and ideas.


SHORT FICTION: BURN THE PRISONS

Submit your FAN FICTION for Issue No. 3 of Anarchist Fictions on the theme of BURN THE PRISONS. 

Category: Fan Fiction related to stories, film, TV, or other media about prison.
Word limit: 3000 words
Payment: $40 CAD  plus one contributor copy*
More Details: Must be previously unpublished. Attach as a .doc or .docx to an email with ISSUE 3 POETRY SUBMISSION as the subject line.
Deadline: July 31, 2026
N.B. We only mail out contributor copies* after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. 

We aim to respond to all submissions by October 31, 2026.


Who should submit their work?

Everyone is welcome to submit, but for this issue, we especially want to hear from incarcerated or previously incarcerated writers. See further guidelines below. Simultaneous submissions are fine; just let us know if the work has been accepted elsewhere.

For all submissions:
Send your submission by email to anarchistfictions@proton.me with the appropriate subject line for the category and with your writing as a .doc or .docx attachment. In your email please include a 50-100 word bio in third person and a generally neutral tone (whimsy is acceptable, but please avoid braggadocio). Your email should tell us a bit about yourself, and about how your piece relates to anarchy and the theme of "Burn the Prisons".

DO NOT SEND:
- Highly technical fantasy, genre fiction, or science fiction.
- Gore.
- Erotica.
- Stories whose non-man characters, and BIPOC characters, who show up only briefly, and/or who are killed off in the first few pages.
- Stories whose protagonists are cops or state agents.
- Content that you know damn well are racist, sexist, trans- or homophobic, etc.

What we offer:
- Publication to happen some time in 2027: in print only, not online.
- In the case of original work, we ask for Initial rights: this is the right to print the story first. After it is printed, the rights revert to you and we just ask that you credit our publication as the first publication in which your story appeared.
- We only send out contributor copies after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. For reference, it took us five months to recoup our costs for printing Issue No. 1 before we could mail out contributor copies.
- Contributors of Reading Group Dispatches, or reprints, will receive one copy of the journal by mail.
- We do not send out PDFs or other digital versions of the journal.

A word about formatting:
- We strongly prefer double-spaced documents in 12-point font with indented paragraphs (not block paragraphs). We publish in British/Canadian spelling (not American) and if your document uses the same spelling, it saves us a lot of time during production.

A word about style and content:
- Your work must be anarchist or anarchist-ish. Although we want writers to interpret this broadly, do know that we love stories about insurrection and rebellion against authoritarianism, oppression, the state, and capital.
- Our fiction style: We prefer literary fiction. Please use magical, surrealist, speculative, and other genre-related elements judiciously.
- We look for interesting character development, subtle use of literary devices, and compelling prose.

A word about our intention to trouble the white supremacist hetero cis patriarchal capitalist death-machine:
- We want to foster a diversity of good, complex, interesting anarchy-adjacent fiction writing that is not just about over-represented protagonists like white space cowboys. For these reasons, we strongly encourage BIPOC writers and people of marginalized genders to submit their work. 
- We welcome your comments about how we can get this right; feel free to send us an email with your suggestions and ideas.


FAN FICTION: BURN THE PRISONS

Submit your POETRY for Issue No. 3 of Anarchist Fictions on the theme of BURN THE PRISONS. 

Category: Poetry
Page limit: 5 pages total (any number of poems within that limit is fine)
Payment: $20 CAD/poem plus one contributor copy*
More Details: Simultaneous submissions are fine. Attach as a .doc or .docx to an email with ISSUE 3 POETRY SUBMISSION as the subject line.
Deadline: June 30, 2026. 
N.B. We only mail out contributor copies* after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. 

We aim to respond to all submissions by October 31, 2026.

Who should submit their work?

Everyone is welcome to submit, but for this issue, we especially want to hear from incarcerated or previously incarcerated writers. See further guidelines below. Simultaneous submissions are fine; just let us know if the work has been accepted elsewhere.

For all submissions:
Send your submission by email to anarchistfictions@proton.me with the appropriate subject line for the category and with your writing as a .doc or .docx attachment. In your email please include a 50-100 word bio in third person and a generally neutral tone (whimsy is acceptable, but please avoid braggadocio). Your email should tell us a bit about yourself, and about how your piece relates to anarchy and the theme of "Burn the Prisons".

DO NOT SEND:
- Highly technical fantasy, genre fiction, or science fiction.
- Gore.
- Erotica.
- Stories whose non-man characters, and BIPOC characters, who show up only briefly, and/or who are killed off in the first few pages.
- Stories whose protagonists are cops or state agents.
- Content that you know damn well are racist, sexist, trans- or homophobic, etc.

What we offer:
- Publication to happen some time in 2027: in print only, not online.
- In the case of original work, we ask for Initial rights: this is the right to print the story first. After it is printed, the rights revert to you and we just ask that you credit our publication as the first publication in which your story appeared.
- We only send out contributor copies after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. For reference, it took us five months to recoup our costs for printing Issue No. 1 before we could mail out contributor copies.
- Contributors of Reading Group Dispatches, or reprints, will receive one copy of the journal by mail.
- We do not send out PDFs or other digital versions of the journal.

A word about formatting:
- We strongly prefer double-spaced documents in 12-point font with indented paragraphs (not block paragraphs). We publish in British/Canadian spelling (not American) and if your document uses the same spelling, it saves us a lot of time during production.

A word about style and content:
- Your work must be anarchist or anarchist-ish. Although we want writers to interpret this broadly, do know that we love stories about insurrection and rebellion against authoritarianism, oppression, the state, and capital.
- Out fiction style: We prefer literary fiction. Please use magical, surrealist, speculative, and other genre-related elements judiciously.
- We look for interesting character development, subtle use of literary devices, and compelling prose.

A word about our intention to trouble the white supremacist hetero cis patriarchal capitalist death-machine:
- We want to foster a diversity of good, complex, interesting anarchy-adjacent fiction writing that is not just about over-represented protagonists like white space cowboys. For these reasons, we strongly encourage BIPOC writers and people of marginalized genders to submit their work. 
- We welcome your comments about how we can get this right; feel free to send us an email with your suggestions and ideas.



POETRY: BURN THE PRISONS

Category: Reading Group Dispatches
Word limit: 1000 words
Payment: One contributor copy*
More Details: Do you belong to a book club, reading group, or study group on topics anarchist or anarchy-adjacent? Send us the list of texts you and your pals have been reading! What questions, interests, desires, and distractions have driven your curation? What's unique about your reading or study group? We are open to texts written in any format–list, annotated bibliography,  collage, stream-of-consciousness, whatevs!
Deadline: September 30, 2026
N.B. We only mail out contributor copies* after all our publishing costs have been met through sales. 

We aim to respond to all submissions by October 31, 2026.


We want to hear from people who are in anarchist or anarchy-adjacent reading groups and study groups.

Anarchist Fictions Journal

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