submit | storm of blue press
We want every unsent text you wish you were brave enough to send. Consider this an open phone plan.
Below is a snippet from our editor-in-chief; it includes a list of things we're always interested in reading more about, primarily feelings and ideas that excite & break us like waves against the shore.
GIRLS, electric loss, pink + blue + neon colors, unsent text messages + sent ones that blink back as read, vodka, dancing in the street at night, sloppy mouths, the day after, regret, plastic flamingo lights, 4:17 am, ruined cuticles, murmuring both ends of a conversation because I find myself talking to you through every orgasm, bathroom sinks, whole foods green hair, rewriting texts 6 different times bc I can’t bear to mess this up, pink drinks, glow in the dark stars, taking hours to fall asleep because it’s so easy to picture you sprawled out against this warm body, crying over “Someone Great” on Netflix, blaming everything on astrology, or timing, or me over you, sunsets, drinking just for an excuse to spill my guts, when a heart breaks does it echo, Boston accents, smiling into a kiss, New York, the state almost touching it just as much as I’m never touching you, empty spaces that make me choke, bright, half hideous stuffed animals won from claw machines, that moment when someone smiles + they put their hand over the camera lens, wishing I could make out with my phone and somehow transfer it like a Venmo, throwing dumb shit across my room to feel in control, eating Cheetos and nothing else all day, more alcohol, not remembering anything about that dream except knowing you were in it, pining, standing in the pool for hours and not moving, music videos in my head spilling out onto pavement, colored smoke, hazy boundaries, lines that slip like Crayola chalk in the rain, touching myself and wishing it was you instead, screaming sounds instead of words bc what do I even say, begging for a release bc this body can’t hold it all in, every single “I love you” + “I’m sorry” + “do you think we will ever be able to work” + all the in-betweens, a compilation of snapchat messages + insta DMs + texts + Spotify songs played right when you log on just in case you’re still watching me + the day we first met, digitalized 4ever, heartbeats sent through iMessage, voice memos recorded at 3 am & never sent to you but sometimes played back to myself years later to remind these fangs that there was a time I still fucking cared about something [anything], fisticuffs, friends to enemies to lovers to emotional tag as an Olympic sport, concentrated want like orange juice but it hurts more when I swallow, unobtainable vulnerability, balloons after a party when they fall really slowly and it’s like watching you leave all over again but in slow motion [funny bc you’re always running], birthday cake, 6 years of cards, candles which remind me of fire, remind me of your hands, remind me of that Buffy episode where she & Spike fuck & the whole goddamn house falls to the ground, absence, missing flights, missing chances, + missing you
Multimedia, nontraditional, and experimental collections are encouraged but not required.
Storm of Blue Press is by & for lgbtq women & nonbinary people. In your cover letter, please highlight the connection you personally have with the lgbtq community and with being a woman or nonbinary. We discourage third person bios with a string of publications and no personal connection. At Blue, it doesn't matter where you've been previously published (although it's really cool to meet those familiar with our friends of course). Bios can instead be built around unique aspects of your presence, and even include non-writing related attributes. Who do you fight for? What makes you angry, mad, or passionate? Who do you love and why? What's the saddest thing that's ever happened to you? Favorite food, dogs or cats, tiny, microscopic details you don't think anyone cares about... [spoiler alert: we care a lot]. Choose some of the above prompts or create your own, but please remain original, authentic, and unapologetically yourself.
We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if your work finds home elsewhere.
There is currently no reading fee for Blue Literary Magazine. Because of this, we currently don't have the funds to pay online contributors. If given permission to showcase your work on our online store via merch, you will receive 50% of all net proceeds. If Blue accumulates the resources to print monthly issues of our literary magazine, our contributor compensation policy will change.
Storm of Blue Press requires a $15 reading fee for zines and micro chapbooks (25 pages and less), a $20 reading fee for chapbooks (50 pages and less) and a $25 reading fee for full length poetry collections. We are not currently accepting young adult manuscripts unless they are lgbtq centered and absolutely amazing ($25 reading fee as well because we value both your time and ours).
We waive our reading fees for ALL lgbtq women & nonbinary people who ask, to help bridge the elitist divide in creative spaces. If you need a fee waived, email [email protected]
Blue Literary Magazine and Storm of Blue Press are by & for lgbtq women & nonbinary people. All male submissions will be automatically declined.
As an author, you are considered a collaborator not only regarding royalties, but also in relation to artistic liberty. If accepted, our team will edit, guide, and format your manuscript while respectfully considering your vision. Because our team values your partnership, we share 50% of all manuscript profits with our creators and will pay to commission your book cover. Blue is composed of poets, writers, and artists with strong social media presence and dedicated readers/viewers. If accepted, said team will foster and promote your work via social media, help generate engagement, and potentially arrange for public readings. Blue remains a small, independent publisher, so we are able to give personalized attention to all of our authors, while guiding them through the literary world.
Homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism, xenophobia, slut shaming, fat shaming, romanticism of mental illness, etc. is NEVER tolerated and will automatically earn you an indefinite block via Blue. This includes anything posted on your social media accounts or shown in other aspects of your life, because Blue does not believe in the separation of art and its creators.
