PFN – Halfway Down the Stairs Seeking Submissions on the Theme of Ephemera

GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. We are looking for serious writers with an appreciation for language and the craft of writing. We want fiction with memorable characters and realistic plots, poetry that is fresh and original, and nonfiction that is both thoughtful and entertaining.
2. We will accept only writing that has been proofread for spelling and grammar. Trust us on this one. We keep our virtual machete very sharp for people who are grammatically challenged, and we are not afraid to use it.
3. Having said that, as an international ‘zine, we accept differences in spelling usages (e.g. British vs American English) and will publish whatever is considered correct in an author’s home country.
4. We are not interested in explicit sexual content, gratuitous violence, or repetitive swearing, unless it is essential to the plot and not included solely for shock value.
5. Please do not send us any of the following: poetry that sounds like it ought to be on a Hallmark card, poetry you copied from a Hallmark card, how-to articles, first drafts of anything, fanfiction, anything full of sentimentality, or religious and/or political propaganda disguised as fiction.
6. This ought to be obvious, but only send us your own work, humans. If you send us anything plagiarized or written by a robot, remember we have a machete.
7. We do not accept previously published work. This includes not only formal publications in print and online journals, but any pieces you may have posted to a blog, personal website, etc. If it’s already available to the public in some form, we do not accept it.
8. We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know immediately if your piece is accepted by another journal.
9. As above, we do not consider or accept submissions outside the specified submission period.
10. We reserve the right to make minor editorial changes without consultation, where there are unintentional errors or inconsistencies in punctuation, spelling or grammar.
11. The editors are all responsive to shameless flattery and to gifts of chocolate.

Poetry Guidelines

We accept poetry of roughly 500 words or less, although we are not terribly strict about this guideline.  We are rarely willing to be lenient with the theme when it comes to poetry, and will do so only if the submission is very good.

Please note that we only accept three poems at any one time from a single author and, for the most part, publish only one poem from any one author per edition.

Fiction Guidelines

We accept fiction of roughly 5,000 words or less related to the theme of the issue.   The fiction editors are looking mostly for short stories, but we are happy to consider well-crafted flash fiction. We don’t want to be too strict with the guidelines, because we appreciate originality, creativity, and stories that are off the beaten path. We like stories that grab us from the beginning, make us think, and keep us enthralled. Stories should be written confidently and fluidly, avoiding too many adjectives or too much dialogue. We will be negatively distracted by poor grammar/spelling, clichés, and a lack of editing.

Please submit only one piece of fiction at a time, and ensure stories are formatted as requested below.

Nonfiction Guidelines

We accept creative nonfiction of 3,000 words or less. Halfway Down the Stairs is specifically looking for essays and memoir with a strong voice and a unique point of view. We publish well-written, honest writing that inspires emotion. Humor is also appreciated.

We are not looking for stream of consciousness rants of a political or religious nature. Save those for your blog. We respond negatively to spelling and grammatical errors, so please proofread your work closely if you wish to have it seriously considered.

As of 2018 we began accepting nonfiction submissions outside of the issue theme.  Submissions within the theme are still encouraged, but high quality submissions outside the theme will also be considered for publication. Please note this only applies to nonfiction submissions.

Please submit only one piece of nonfiction at a time.