Where to Submit Weird: 14 Places Looking for Strange Stories

Daydream Misfit is always on the lookout for journals, literary magazines and contests where authors can submit weird fiction, speculative fiction, flash fiction, and unconventional stories. "Where to Submit Weird" is a regular feature of our blog intended to connect authors with writing markets and encourage short story submission. The information for the following list of contacts is subject to change and should be confirmed through the publications' websites.

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Markets and Contests

Submission information current to the research conducted October 27, 2026. Deadlines, fees and submission windows can change; consult the official guidelines before submitting.

1. Weird Lit Magazine

Weird Lit Magazine publishes short fiction in absurdist, avant-garde, bleak, dark, deadpan, existential, experimental, grotesque, horror, humorous, literary, magical-realist, noir, psychological, slipstream, speculative, supernatural and weird styles. It encourages strong voices and non-realist narratives.

Length: Short stories under 3,000 words or up to three flash-fiction pieces under 1,000 words each.

Deadline: November 5, 2026. Payment: $20 per accepted story.

AI policy: AI-generated and AI-assisted prose is prohibited.

Rights: Exclusive electronic rights for three months, followed by non-exclusive archival rights. Previously published work, including self-published work, is ineligible.

Submission guidelines: weirdlitmag.com/submit.

2. Propagule Magazine

Propagule seeks experimental, transgressive and surreal fiction. Its Issue 10 call emphasizes atypicality, unexpectedness, unreality, defamiliarization, escalation, alienation and speculative surrealism. Although it welcomes abstraction and experimentation, it also favors stories with narrative development.

Length: Issue 10 fiction, 1,500–10,000 words; its separate Motes category accepts flash fiction of 250–750 words.

Deadline: December 15, 2026, for Issue 10. Motes has a separate submission process.

Payment: Issue 10 fiction pays $5 per 1,000 words for the first 2,000 words, then $10 per 1,000 words thereafter, up to $30.

AI policy: No definitive policy was established from the official submission information reviewed. Simultaneous submissions are accepted.

Submission portal: propagule.submittable.com/submit.

3. Dog Throat Journal

Dog Throat Journal seeks unusual, thought-provoking flash fiction and microfiction, including non-realist, eccentric, unconventional, experimental and poetic prose. It favors work that defies genre and explores the mysticism of everyday life.

Length: Flash fiction up to 1,000 words, with 600–750 preferred; microfiction up to 500 words; essays up to 2,500 words. Poetry is not accepted.

Next submission window: November 1–21, 2026, except that the journal may close earlier if submissions fill its reading capacity.

Payment: No regular monetary payment is specified.

AI policy: Work must be human-created. The journal also states that it does not use AI tools in its own editorial process. Some previously published work is eligible under specified conditions, including self-published work.

Submission guidelines: dogthroat.com/guidelines.

4. Okay Donkey

Okay Donkey publishes odd, off-kilter, funny, sad, surreal, experimental, magical-realist, slipstream and genre-bending fiction. It publishes one new piece each Friday, alternating between flash fiction and poetry, and does not publish flash nonfiction.

Length: One flash-fiction piece up to 1,200 words, or a batch of microfiction totaling no more than 1,200 words.

Submission window: November 1, 2026. Free submissions open on the first of each month except December, but close when the submission cap is reached.

Payment: $25 per published flash-fiction piece or poem.

AI policy: AI- or LLM-written and translated work is prohibited. Previously published pieces are not accepted, and simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Submission guidelines: okaydonkeymag.com/submissions.

5. Adventitious

Adventitious publishes science fiction, fantasy and other speculative or surreal fiction that surprises readers through language, character or plot. Stories may be strange or unsettling without relying on conventional genre tropes.

Length: Flash fiction up to 1,000 words; fiction from 1,000–6,000 words; novelettes from 6,000–17,000 words.

Submission window: December 1, 2026, at 11 a.m. Eastern, remaining open until December 5 or until the submission cap is reached. The cap is 300 submissions and can fill within hours.

Payment: $0.08 per word. Selected cover art pays $100.

AI policy: AI or LLM tools may not be used wholly or partly in creating submissions. Simultaneous submissions are accepted.

Submission guidelines: adventitious.net/submission-guidelines.

6. Alchemical

Alchemical is a literary speculative journal accepting short fiction, craft essays, graphic narratives and cover art. Its fiction categories include science fiction, fantasy, horror and genre hybrids.

Length: Short fiction from 1,000–5,000 words. Graphic narratives must be complete, sequential six-page works.

Submission window: Submissions are accepted year-round, with no submission or reading fees.

Payment: Unpaid. The journal nominates selected work for awards including the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.

AI policy: AI-generated work is prohibited. Reprints and translations are not accepted; simultaneous submissions are welcome.

Submission guidelines: alchemicaljournal.com/submissions.

7. The Columbus Review

The Columbus Review publishes experimental literary work, including hybrid narratives, absurdist writing, satire, scripts, prose and visual art. Its emphasis is on work that challenges conventional literary forms.

Length: Prose up to approximately 5,000 words, with category-specific requirements.

Submission window: Reported reading periods run February–May and August–November; confirm that the current portal is open.

Payment: No monetary compensation reported.

AI policy: No explicit policy was established from the official guidelines reviewed. Simultaneous submissions are accepted.

Submission guidelines: thecolumbusreview.com/submissions.

8. Screaming Eye Press / Twisted Pulp Magazine

Screaming Eye Press and its magazine, Twisted Pulp, publish horror, weird fiction, pulp, neo-pulp, noir, crime, science fiction, fantasy, supernatural work, dark comedy and satire. They also accept visual art, articles, reviews and interviews.

Length: Fiction under 5,000 words is easiest to place, although longer work may be considered.

Submission window: Open, with no fixed deadline listed.

Payment: Unpaid, with contributor credit and a byline.

AI policy: Work created wholly or substantively in part with generative AI is prohibited.

Other requirements: Original work and reprints are accepted if the submitter controls the necessary rights. Simultaneous submissions are not accepted. One form can request consideration by the press, the magazine or both.

Submission guidelines: screamingeyepress.com/about/submissions.

9. Foofaraw

Foofaraw publishes surreal, speculative, strange, slipstream, spooky and silly fiction. Its editors favor original approaches to the weird and caution against relying on familiar supernatural tropes.

Submission window: The regular zine accepts fiction of 1,001–5,000 words through November 30, 2026. Monstrously Massive March seeks original weird horror featuring monsters through November 8. The annual drabble call accepts exactly 100 words through November 25.

Payment: Regular fiction pays $0.02 per word, up to $50; the monster-themed call has the same reported rate and cap. The drabble contest pays $25.

AI policy: AI-generated or AI-modified work is prohibited.

Other requirements: Fresh, unpublished work; simultaneous submissions are accepted. One submission at a time per call.

Submission guidelines and current calls: submit.foofaraw.press/guidelines.

10. Fractured Lit — Fractured & Fused Prize

Fractured Lit publishes flash fiction centered on character, conflict, change and emotional consequences. Its annual Fractured & Fused Prize encourages writers to take risks with narrative, structure, language and plot, including surreal or outrageous approaches.

Length: Flash fiction up to 1,000 words per story. Deadline: November 22, 2026.

Prizes: First place receives $3,000 and publication; second receives $300 and publication; third receives $200 and publication. All entries are considered for publication.

Entry fee: $20 for up to two stories.

AI policy: AI-generated or AI-assisted submissions are automatically disqualified. Simultaneous submissions are accepted; previously published work is ineligible for the contest.

Contest guidelines: fracturedlit.com/2026-fractured-fused-prize.

11. F(r)iction — Fall 2026 Writing Contests

F(r)iction's writing contests seek work that pushes boundaries, takes risks and challenges conventional tastes. The Fall 2026 contests cover short stories, flash fiction and poetry.

Length: Short stories from 1,001–7,500 words; flash fiction up to 1,000 words; poetry up to three pages.

Deadline: November 13, 2026. Prizes: $1,600 in total across the three categories.

Entry fees: Vary by category and entry package; check the submission portal.

AI policy: The contest's official landing page directs writers to the full Submittable rules. The exact current AI provision should be checked there before entering.

Contest details: frictionlit.org/contests.

12. WOW! Women on Writing — Fall 2026 Flash Fiction Contest

WOW! Women on Writing runs a quarterly flash-fiction contest open to all genres and styles. The contest is an option for writers whose work is very short and doesn't fit a single genre category.

Length: 250–750 words, excluding the title.

Deadline: November 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, or earlier if the entry cap is reached.

Entry fee: $10; an entry with a critique costs $20.

Prizes: The contest advertises cash awards, publication and recognition for winners and selected runners-up. The current prize schedule and AI policy should be confirmed on the official contest page before entry.

Contest guidelines: wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php.

13. North Coast Journal — 99-word Flash Fiction Contest

North Coast Journal's annual microfiction contest invites miniature stories, including fantasy, micro-mysteries, hauntings, romance and science fiction.

Length: 99 words or fewer, excluding the title.

Deadline: October 31, 2026, at midnight.

Publication: The winner and selected entries are scheduled for the December 3 issue.

Payment: No cash prize was specified in the announcement reviewed.

AI policy: AI-generated copy is prohibited.

Other requirements: Up to three original entries may be submitted in the body of an email; attachments and links are not accepted. Include your name and contact information; pen names are not accepted.

Contest announcement: northcoastjournal.com/arts-scene/its-flash-fiction-season-2.

14. Susurrus

Susurrus publishes poetry, flash fiction, fiction, creative nonfiction and photography from artists across the American South. The magazine values vivid language, lush imagery and imaginative work.

Length: Flash fiction and creative nonfiction up to 1,000 words; fiction and creative nonfiction up to 6,000 words.

Deadline: November 15, 2026, for the Winter 2026 issue.

Payment: No confirmed rate identified in the guidelines reviewed.

AI policy: A definitive policy was not established from the available official information. Simultaneous submissions are accepted.

Submission guidelines: susurrusthemagazine.com/submit.

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If you're an editor, publisher, writer, or reader who knows of publications which might be of interest to our audience, feel free to leave a comment or email us your suggestion at ghostleelemur@gmail.com