Taking Submissions: Scattered: A Dark Forest Press Zine

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Dark Forest Press will reopen submissions for Scattered, its dark fiction zine, from July 1–15, 2026. The editors are looking for strange, unsettling, mature fiction and poetry that leans weird, horrific, transgressive, and unforgettable.

Submission Details

Publication: Scattered: A Dark Forest Press Zine
Submission Window: July 1 – July 15, 2026
Payment: Short stories: $0.01/word (max $25) | Poetry: $25 per accepted poem set
Word Count: Short stories: 1,000 – 6,000 words
Flash Fiction: Yes (if it falls within the 1,000-word minimum)
Poetry: Yes – up to 60 lines
Theme: Dark, weird, bizarre, horrific, transgressive fiction and poetry
Genre: Horror / Dark Fiction / Weird Fiction

About This Submission Call

Scattered is Dark Forest Press’s zine for fiction and poetry that embraces the strange and unsettling. They want stories and poems that linger long after reading—dark fiction that is weird, mature, emotionally sharp, and unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths. Horror, literary darkness, and transgressive themes are all welcome.

Submission Guidelines

Short Story & Poetry Submissions

Submissions are CLOSED – next opening: 7/1/2026 – 7/15/2026

Short Stories

Word Count: 1,000 – 6,000
Reprints: No
Payment: $0.01 per word, max $25
Simultaneous Submissions: Yes
Target Age Group: Mature Audiences
Rights: World English first rights in print, electronic, and ebook, and a six month exclusivity period. All copyright belongs to the author.

Please only submit one story
Please verify that your manuscript is in modern Shunn format
Do not send first drafts. Please only send work that has been edited and polished. We want to see your absolute best work.
Please format the subject line of your email like this: Scattered Story Submission – Title – Author Name
Attach your manuscript to the email as a Word do***ent (.docx)
Simultaneous submissions okay, just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere ASAP.
We do not take multiple submissions.

Failure to meet any or all of these guidelines is grounds for automatic rejection without reading the submission and without a response.

Email will be posted here during open submission window

Poetry

Line Count: up to 60
Reprints: No
Payment: $25
Simultaneous Submissions: Yes
Target Age Group: Mature Audiences
Rights: World English first rights in print, electronic, and ebook, and a six month exclusivity period. All copyright belongs to the author.

Do not send first drafts. Please only send work that has been edited and polished. We want to see your absolute best work.
Please only submit 1-3 poems for consideration.
Please format the subject line of your email like this: Scattered Poetry Submission – Title – Author Name
Attach your manuscript to the email as a Word do***ent (.docx)
Simultaneous submissions okay, just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere ASAP.
Only submit a max of two poems.

Failure to meet any or all of these guidelines is grounds for automatic rejection without reading the submission and without a response.

Email will be posted on the website in the link at the bottom of htis post during open submission window