Submit to Volume 2
“The Midnight Zone”
Midnight Zone (The)
/mĭd′nīt' ‘zōn′/ n.
1. A region of deep ocean waters that the light does not reach.
2. A span of moments between 11PM and 1AM, where the walls of reality grow thin.
3. An homage to the Twilight Zone, a guidepost for eerie tales and macabre endings.
More information on what, when, and where, below.
What: Volume 2 Prompt
Submit work based on the above definition of “The Midnight Zone.” Of special interest to The Board are submissions referencing the wider world of Something in the Water.
Send us your poems, vignettes (fiction or non-), epistles, missives, dispatches, editorials, weather reports, epigraphs, epigrams, and telegrams; your schematics and blueprints, photographs, paintings, collages, mosaics, and sketches; your comics and doodles, your sculptures and inventions.
When: Submission Date
Submissions are due on October 6th, 2024.
However, we’re always willing to look at work for future issues.
Where: Submission Portal
Looking to contribute? Submit your findings into evidence at: somethinginthewaterzine@gmail.com.
Include the word “submission” in your email to ensure its safety in the murky depths of our inbox. There is no submission fee, and you can submit as many pieces as you want.
Before submitting, please review the full guidelines below.
Guidelines
Length & Dimensions
Visual art will be printed on on A5 paper (5.8” x 8.3”). Two-page spreads (or, centerfolds) are rare but possible. Written work should weigh in at no more than 1,500 words. Serialized stories (excerpted across volumes) are rare but possible. Poems of any length are welcome, but for longer poems please indicate desired page breaks — we know those pauses matter.
Bio & Context
In the email body, please tell us a little about yourself: a brief bio (under 70 words) including where you’re based, the name you’d like to publish under, and relevant links. Please tell us a little about what you’ve sent, too. This can be short and sweet, like “Here are a few poems about the Anthropocene,” or more comprehensive, like a full-fledged artist statement.
Format
Email somethinginthewaterzine@gmail.com with the subject line “Submission.” Attach each submission as a separate file. Include the piece’s case-sensitive title in the filename. Please use .doc, .docx, or PDF for writing, and JPEG or PNG for visual art. Please note that the editorial board may reach out to you to confirm minor formatting adjustments to fit within the confines of A5 paper.
A note on the prompt…
Something in the Water blurs and defies traditional genre conventions. We’re interested in original work of any form that can be presented in print (including artistic photographs of sculptures or other 3D art). Accepted submissions will be incorporated into our established alternate universe (that is, the one with the comet and the uptick in strange occurrences and the melancholia). Don’t feel obligated to “write to the prompt” or explicitly set your work in this world – we want our narrative framework to serve as a jumping-off point, not as a limitation.
Something in the Water observation booth, designation “Old Soul,” located on the coast of Maine.
The Brass Tacks
Make sure you have full rights to all work you submit.
Once we select your work for publication, we will acquire the right to publish and promote your work through our print issue, website, social media platforms, and other printed ephemera (i.e. flyers advertising an issue release party). We will always credit your work, and you will retain all the rights to the work itself. If you’re not comfortable with us sharing your work outside of the print issue, please let us know in your submission email. Simultaneous submissions are welcome! Just send us a note if your piece gets accepted elsewhere first.
All published contributors will receive a free copy of the issue by mail
