Kaleidotrope will be (for now) a twice-yearly print zine. What do I want? Strange dreams of distant shores.

I’ll accept fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and black and white art. I like work that tends toward the speculative and/or fantastic, but I’m open to all genres and styles. Cross-genre or slipstream work would be especially welcome. I’m not interested in publishing gore, sword and sorcery, or pornography. I’m sure these are each fine and noble genres, but there are better homes for them elsewhere.

Specifically what I’m looking for…

Fiction: I’ll consider anything up to 5,000 words. (Query first for anything longer.) I want stories that surprise or delight, horrify or amaze, leave readers shocked or laughing aloud. Short-shorts, flash fiction, vignettes or other sundry ephemera are definitely welcome. Above all else, I want to be told good stories. Doesn’t everybody?

Poetry: I’ll consider all forms, although generally I’d prefer poems under 100 lines.

Non-fiction: I want memoirs, essays, creative nonfiction, thoughtful criticism. Again, please query for anything longer than 5,000 words.

Artwork: I’ll consider all mediums — sketches, cartoons, photography, graphic design, et cetera. I only ask that it be in black and white and that it be sent as either *.gif or *.jpg format. (Please send each piece for consideration separately.)

Payment: Not much, presently, but better than a sharp stick in the eye. I’m going to buy first North American rights. Final payment may vary with the length of the submission, but typically I intend to pay $5 per piece, on publication, with a couple of complimentary copies tossed in.

Deadline: I’m aiming for a an October 2006 issue, so I’d like to have enough submissions by June 30.

At this time, I can only accept e-mail submissions. (I’m willing to make an exception to this only with people I know. So if you already have my mailing address and you’d like to send something that way, that’s fine. Otherwise, e-mail is the way to go.)

Please send all correspondence to me, Fred Coppersmith, at kaleidotrope at gmail dot com. Please keep multiple submissions to a reasonable minimum. I’m happy to discuss reprints, to a point, but query first. I won’t accept simultaneous submissions.