Welcome to our latest newsletter. We have submission stuffs, Trash Family publications and celebrations, Quick Reads and a magical writing prompt.
Submission Stuffs
We are currently working on our first print anthology which is planned for release at the end of September. We have 27 contributors to this amazing collection of stories about finding treasure in unexpected places. Watch our social media for a cover and title reveal soon…
CLICK HERE FOR OUR DEDICATED ANTHOLOGY WEBPAGE
We’re also getting ready to read submissions to this year’s Prompted Stories Pop-Up which had 150 prompt requests! We can’t wait to read the delights that drop into our inbox between the 23rd and 26th.
We still have TWO submission calls planned before the end of this year. Our next general submissions are winter with the novel theme of….Winter!
Here is a link to our wintry mood board for inspiration: https://trashcatlit.com/winter-mood/
WINTER GENERAL SUBS OPEN 1st OCTOBER for flash up to 750 and shorts up to 2000 with a wintry setting/ theme.
Click image for all the details.
Our final Pop-Up of the year opens 1st December and has a theme of CATS. That’s right, the trash cats have been pushed aside by the feline overlords who demand your stories.
Flash between 100 and 1000 words.
Click on the image for all the Pop-Up details and lots of image prompts and get writing all things cat.
Here are some other submission opportunities in fellow lit mags if you have treasures to send out into the world.
- Forge Zine are open for subs until 14th September for their autumn issue. The theme is Poison! Flash up to 500 words and shorts up to 1000. They say “We are calling for submissions inspired by substances which can cause harm, or explore literal or metaphorical toxins” and there are some great examples on their subs page HERE
- Split/Lip Press open on 3rd September for reprints of out-of-print books. A fab opportunity to resurrect a chapbook/ collection or novella. Watch for more information HERE
As with all literary publications, including Trash Cat Lit, you should always read a number of the published works before submitting yourself. Get to know what they like and decide if it’s the right home for your treasured words.
Trash Family
We love to celebrate our contributors beyond Trash Cat Lit, here are some cool stuffs our Trash Family members have going on:
This month, we struggled to keep up with Trash Family successes – they are out there smashing it! Here are just a few…
Cole Beauchamp
Read Catfishing from our first issue.
Cole has a stunning flash in stellar magazine, Bull called Bullets are not circles but they leave circles behind. An intense, immersive piece that uses capitals, repeats and the breathless single-sentence structure to perfection. Click on the image below to check it out.
“…your butt hits solid metal and your breath stutters to a halt and cops are grinding grinding the men’s faces into cold marble and now you are slammed back to that summer day…”
Frances Gapper
Read All Hail the Earwig from our Winter Pop-Up 2024
Frances’ CNF, Is That all There Is? published by the gorgeous press Lit Namjooning, has been nominated for Best of the Net. We congratulate Frances on a well deserved nomination and wish her piece all the best. Click on the image below to read this wonderful non-fiction story.
“We’d parked in a lucky free space alongside Cathedral Green. Behind us, a white camper van decorated with slogans – An Adventure Before Dementia, Spending the Kids’ Inheritance.”
Beth Sherman
Read Good For a Dead Girl in our Monstrous issue and The prompt says to write about an animal in our Summer 2025 issue.
Beth will soon be celebrating her 200th publication after receiving an acceptance from Matchbook. Huge congratulations from us Beth – we are honoured to be one of those 200. What an achievement. Look out for Beth’s publication.
Charlie Kondek
Read Every Dog in our Monstrous issue.
Charlie has a piece in fab new magazine, Pistol Jim Press. They had a theme of ‘Escalating Chaos’ for their first series.
Punched in the Face is a tense, tight story that literally punches and is beautifully character driven. Click on the image to read and then go enjoy all the chaos of this inaugural issue.
“Don’t let it bother you. The temptation will be to tense up, to panic. That’s the body’s natural response to getting punched in the face. Ignore it, and concentrate on hitting back.”
A Trash Trio of Quick Reads
Whether you’re on your lunch break, the train, the couch while the kids are out, or in bed with that sublime hour to devote to reading – here are three stories from the Trash Cat bin archive for you to savour.
Click on the images to read three stories from our selection of Pop-Up issues.
Luuk Schokker from Prompted Stories 2024
Chris Clemens from Out-of-Place-Animals 2024 (also audio)
Delphine Gauthier-Georgakopoulos from Collectors & Collections 2025 (also audio)
Gelato Shuffle
Spread Your Wings and Swim
The Woman You Knew Nothing About
Writing Prompt
We’ll end this newsletter with a prompt to help you get writing.
As our almost-there print anthology is raising funds for The Wildlife Trusts, here’s a prompt featuring wild fauna and flora. We’ve used the beautiful oracle cards from the Illustrated Bestiary and Herbiary by Maia Toll.
Choose one of the cards from each group and create a story incorporating that fauna and flora. Research the mythology and wisdom of your chosen two, the value they have to landscapes and nature, healing properties and their use in magic. Write something fantastical, post-apocalyptic, surreal – or use the inspiration for a contemporary literary piece all about human truths.
BESTIARY
Spring Peeper, Screech Owl, House Mouse, River Otter, Earthworm, Zigzag Spider
HERBIARY
Trillium, Reishi, Yarrow, Dandelion, White Willow, Apple
Thank you for reading our newsletter.
We hope we have inspired you with the amazing writing and readings.
We’ll see you next month.
Happy writing and reading.
TRASH CAT LIT 