Call for Submissions: FISH EATS LION REDUX

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

FISH EATS LION REDUX: MORE NEW SINGAPOREAN SPECULATIVE FICTION

2022 will see the ten-year anniversary of the groundbreaking publication of Fish Eats Lion: New Singaporean Speculative Fiction. This anthology was one of the catalysts that opened the door of acceptability for speculative fiction in Singapore, leading to an exponential boost that continues to this day.

To celebrate this decadal milestone, I have decided to assemble a follow-up anthology, Fish Eats Lion Redux, to be published in late 2022 by Epigram Books. Anchor contributors include Cyril Wong, Daryl Qilin Yam, Inez Tan, Meihan Boey, Ng Yi-Sheng, Nuraliah Norasid, Shelly Bryant and Victor Fernando R. Ocampo.

GUIDELINES

As with the first book, I am looking for new and innovative original short speculative fiction (which includes science fiction and fantasy, as well as any associated subgenres, such as magic realism, space opera, steampunk, post-apocalypse, etc.), in English. There also needs to be a Singaporean connection:

• your protagonist is Singaporean (i.e. born or naturalised in Singapore),
• your protagonist (Singaporean or otherwise) is living in Singapore at the time of your story (i.e. Singapore is the setting), OR
• your story’s themes are inspired by life in Singapore.

As long as your narrative contains at least one of the above elements, you’re encouraged to write whatever story you choose.

And please do not feel limited to just writing about our current era; challenge yourself to write a story set in Singapore’s recent or distant past, or in the near or far future (keeping in mind how recent events, and especially the Covid-19 pandemic, will have an impact on days yet to come). Also, the fantastical/science-fictional element must be integral to your story (i.e. the story wouldn’t make any sense if you took it out). A good list of clichéd SF story premises to avoid can be found at TV Tropes.

In addition, you don’t have to write a story especially for the anthology (although I hope you’ll take up that challenge), but your submission must be previously unpublished in any form.

Remember that the book’s subtitle is More New Singaporean Speculative Fiction; if your story is not new, Singaporean, speculative or fiction, it will not be eligible.

Singaporean citizens and permanent residents will be prioritised, though submissions are open to anybody in the world.

LENGTH

Stories are recommended to be between 3,000 and 5,000 words, with a maximum of 7,500 words.

PAYMENT

We are offering $50 SGD and two (2) contributor copies of the published anthology, as well as a discount on further copies.

SUBMISSION

The deadline is 15 February 2022, midnight SGT; any submissions sent afterward will not be considered. Please consult the Get Published page on Epigram Books’ website for formatting and punctuation. Send your story in DOC/DOCX format as an attachment, along with cover letter, to jason@epigram.sg; submissions sent in other file formats, or as text in the body of the email, will be deleted unread.