Annie Carl Will Edit a Science Fiction / Fantasy Anthology of Disabled Authors
Forest Avenue is excited to announce a forthcoming anthology of science fiction, fantasy, and speculative short stories by disabled authors for publication in 2023. The anthology will be edited by bookseller Annie Carl. Submissions will be accepted through Submittable beginning in January 2022. The collection will be published in paperback and ebook formats.
Our focus is celebrating and spotlighting disabled authors within these genres. If you do not self-identify as disabled, please do not submit. If you’ve written a literary story with a touch of genre, send it our way. Horror isn’t our primary focus, but if you’ve written a story that borders on horror, we’d be happy to take a look. We are seeking stories of 5,000 words or less. Flash fiction is welcome. We will consider reprints, but hope to feature at least 75 percent new material.
The disabled community is intersectional and we want this project to reflect that intersectionality. We are especially eager to see stories from disabled folx of color and queer folx. Neurodivergent writers are welcome to submit if they self-identify as disabled. Authors may choose to put their diagnoses in their bios and/or cover letters, but it’s not necessary. If you submit to this anthology, you are claiming that identity for yourself and we will consider your story based on its merits.
The opening of the submissions window will be broadcast on Forest Avenue Press’s website, social media, and on Submittable. To be added to a notification list for when the submissions go live, please email disabledscifianthology (at) gmail (dot) com.
Editor Annie Carl was born with a rare spinal birth-defect (lipomeningomyelocele) and is a Stage IV Non-Hodgkins survivor. She owns and runs The Neverending Bookshop in Edmonds, WA. She is the author of My Tropey Life: How Pop Culture Stereotypes Make Disabled Lives Harder. When not running an award-winning bookstore, Annie reads massive quantities of science fiction, fantasy, and romance; pole dances; knits; and hangs out with her goofy family and friends.
Forest Avenue Press launches its latest SFF anthology, Dispatches from Anarres: Tales in Tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin, edited by Susan DeFreitas, on November 16. City of Weird: 30 Otherworldly Portland Tales, edited by Gigi Little, continues to sell well five years after its publication date. Forest Avenue Press is distributed by Publishers Group West, a division of Ingram.
