Scattered Flock publishes two issues every year in the spring and the fall.

Thank you for considering Scattered Flock as a home for your work. Our team is working hard to prepare for future issues. Our theme for the Fall 2026 issue and deadline to be considered for it will be announced shortly, but our reading window is open all year should you wish to be considered for future publication. See below for our guidelines and check out our past issues for insight into our style.

Submission Guidelines

Creative Writing

We’re looking for short stories, flash fiction, excerpts, or even experimental prose that plays with form and genre (between 500 and 5,000 words). Your piece can be high fantasy, low fantasy, magical realism, science fiction, horror, or anything that falls under the wide umbrella of speculative fiction. We encourage original voices and bold storytelling.

Opinion Pieces

Opinion pieces (between 500-2,000 words) are informal, personal reflections on speculative fiction. You can discuss a favorite trope, critique recent trends, review a new release, or rant about your newest obsession. This is a casual but thoughtful space to spotlight the niche interests that exist within speculative fiction.

Artwork

We are accepting original visual art that engages with speculative fiction. This can include illustrations, digital works, maps, or sketches—any medium that brings fantastical or science fictional themes to life. Please include a short artist’s statement or description with your submission.

Academic Articles

We are interested in short academic pieces (up to 4,000 words) that offer thoughtful literary analysis, genre studies, or reflections on speculative fiction. Whether you’re unpacking the symbolism in Tolkien or exploring folklore influences in fantasy, we invite submissions that engage critically with the genre. All articles should follow current MLA style guidelines and be submitted with an accompanying abstract. All accepted academic pieces undergo a double-blind peer review process, examined by speculative fiction scholars who hold an MLitt in Fantasy Literature.

Submit your piece at Info@ScatteredFlockJournal.com. Please include in your submission:

  • Your name as you would like it to appear in the magazine.
  • A short bio of 50-60 words.
  • (for academic articles) An abstract of your article.

FAQ’s

  • Can I submit more than one piece?
    • An individual may submit one piece per written category (academic article, short story, opinion piece, and artwork) per issue.
  • Will I be able to keep the rights to my content?
    • All authors and artists retain the creative copyrights to their works.
  • Will you consider a piece if its over the word limit?
    • If a piece is slightly over the word limit we will still consider it. We want your incredible work and will find a way to make space to showcase exemplary talent. That being said, our word count limit is generous, so unnecessary wordiness may count against your submission.
    • Please note that the Works Cited in an academic article is not included when considering word limit.
  • Are there any fees to submit?
    • There are no fees to submit.
  • Do you pay contributors for their work?
    • Our magazine is run by a volunteer team of MLitt Fantasy Literature graduates, and we currently do not have the resources to pay contributors. As our magazine grows, we hope that one day we might secure funding to be able to pay our writers and artists. In the meantime, we will always offer a public, easily accessible online space where anyone can enjoy our contributors’ work.

Submissions Policy and Rights

All authors and artists retain the creative copyrights to their works.

By submitting to Scattered Flock Journal, you grant us the non-exclusive right to publish your work in both our print and digital formats, including archival display on our website, for a period of up to three (3) years in print and five (5) years online from the date of publication.

Authors retain full copyright and may republish, anthologize, or adapt their work elsewhere at any time, acknowledging Scattered Flock Journal as the original place of publication.

After the stated archival period, we may remove the work from our active archive at our discretion, though we may seek permission to reprint it in anthologies or special editions.

We do not request exclusivity before or after publication; simultaneous submissions and future republication are permitted.

By submitting work to Scattered Flock Journal, you affirm that the work has not been ideated or developed by generative AI. Any work found to be created with assistance from AI following acceptance of publication will result in breach of publishing contract, and Scattered Flock Journal holds the right to revoke publication offer.