Call for Submissions: out.skirts – An All LGBTQIA+ Issue for Pride Month 2025

out.skirts, the all-LGBTQIA+ special issue of The Broken Spine, invites poetry and flash fiction submissions exclusively from queer-identifying writers. This issue will be published in June 2025 to celebrate Pride Month, with the aim of amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices and showcasing the rich diversity of queer experiences. Submissions will be accepted throughout October 2024.

What We’re Looking For

We seek previously unpublished, creative, original, and bold works that explore the LGBTQIA+ experience from all perspectives. Whether your writing delves into the complexities of gender identity, explores sexual orientation across the spectrum, or reflects on the power of chosen family and queer community, we want your voice to be heard.

We encourage submissions that engage with themes of intersectionality, the struggle for equality, resistance to oppression, and the everyday realities of living as an LGBTQIA+ person. Whether you’re sharing stories of queer joy, navigating gender fluidity, reflecting on non-binary experiences, or celebrating love and resilience, we want to hear how your voice adds to the kaleidoscope of LGBTQIA+ narratives. We welcome work that challenges stereotypes, celebrates queer bodies, and moves beyond mainstream representations.

Detailed Submission Guidelines

General Requirements

• Eligibility: Submissions are open exclusively to queer-identifying poets and writers, including those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, intersex, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, and any other identities within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
• Themes: While the central focus is on the LGBTQIA+ experience, we welcome a broad range of interpretations. Whether you’re writing about the impact of transphobia, celebrating the strength of bisexual identity, examining polyamory, or exploring the intersections of race and queerness, we want works that dive deep into lived experience and show the diversity within the community.

Poetry Submissions

• Style and Form: We prefer free verse and narrative poetry but welcome experimental forms if they serve the message. We encourage intelligent use of white space and the page, particularly where it enhances the theme of identity. Avoid forced rhyme schemes and overly self-pitying tones.
• Length: Each poem should not exceed one A5 page. Submit up to three poems per writer.

Flash Fiction Submissions

• Word Count: Flash fiction should be no more than 500 words. We are particularly interested in stories that reflect the unique perspectives of LGBTQIA+ life—whether that’s queer love stories, stories of gender affirmation, or queer resistance.
• Submission Limit: Writers may submit up to one piece of flash fiction, or poetry—but not both.

Submission Format

• Document Setup: Use Times New Roman, 10-point font, single-spaced, with A5 page formatting.
• Submission Fee: A voluntary £3 submission fee is requested to cover design costs, payable via Ko-fi. This fee is optional, and no submission will be rejected based on ability to pay.
• Simultaneous Submissions: We request that submissions be exclusive to out.skirts during the reading period, but we understand the importance of visibility and welcome simultaneous submissions if declared. If accepted elsewhere, please notify us immediately.

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Key Dates

• Submission Period: October 1st–31st, 2024. Only work submitted within this window will be considered.
• Reading Period: Submissions will be reviewed from November to December 2024, with responses sent before Christmas.
• Publication Date: out.skirts will be published in June 2025, during Pride Month.

Celebrating Queer Voices

out.skirts is committed to showcasing the full diversity of LGBTQIA+ voices, including stories that highlight the intersections of race, gender, disability, and queerness. We encourage submissions from underrepresented parts of the LGBTQIA+ community, including trans women, non-binary writers, intersex voices, and those from queer people of colour and queer disabled communities.

Charity and Community Focus

To further support the LGBTQIA+ community, 20% of all profits from out.skirts will be donated to The Proud Trust, a charity supporting LGBTQIA+ youth. This contribution helps fund mentoring, advocacy, and support services for young people within the queer community.

Additional Information

• Global Submissions: We welcome submissions from LGBTQIA+ writers worldwide, including those who have not been published before. We are committed to creating a platform for both emerging and established queer writers.
• Submission Limit: Writers may submit either poetry or flash fiction—please choose one form per submission cycle.

We are thrilled to showcase diverse, intersectional LGBTQIA+ voices and look forward to receiving your submissions. Let’s make Pride 2025 a powerful celebration of queer creativity, resilience, and community through out.skirts!

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Our guest editors for out.skirts are Perry Gasteiger and Romina Ramos. Perry Gasteiger is a queer, non-binary poet, writer, and visual artist from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and co-founder of Natter Bolton and The Doors Open. Perry brings a unique and vibrant voice to the project, committed to amplifying LGBTQIA+ perspectives through their multifaceted artistry. Romina Ramos, their co-editor, also contributes a wealth of experience and passion for representing queer voices, ensuring that out.skirts is a true reflection of diverse and authentic LGBTQIA+ narratives.