Coming Soon!

Volume 15 Halcyon

will open for submissions

Fiction: October 1 - 31, 2026

Poetry: November 1 - 30, 2026

Writing about dystopia is easy. There is a sense of its inevitability in the future of humanity that we writers feel compelled to warn everyone about, in the hopes we’ll avoid these obvious pitfalls.

So far, it has not worked. Some might argue we’ve only made that future appear cool and edgy, more inevitable.

Can we imagine something better?

Halcyon.

Adjective

a. characterized by happiness, great success, and prosperity : golden. —often used to describe an idyllic time in the past that is remembered as better than today

b: calm, peaceful

c: prosperous, affluent

(Source: Merriam Webster)

This issue’s musical inspiration, Halcyon by Orbital, harkens back to the carefree days of the 1990s rave culture.

What We’re Looking For

We like work that makes us think. Stories where things happen. We prefer work that incorporates our theme, but won’t turn down a great piece that doesn’t.

Fiction

We are interested in stories that take place in:

• Utopian worlds

• Idyllic times in the past

• An idyllic future

• The world as it is

And anything else you can imagine that links back to our theme!

We accept short stories up to 5,000 words. We generally publish only 2-3 longer stories (4,000+ words) per issue. We will consider one short story per author per submission period.

For flash, please send up to three pieces under 1,000 words each.

Each piece should be submitted as a separate file.

Poetry

Poets are welcome to explore the theme of Halcyon in any manner they see fit.

Submit up to 3 poems, with each poem in a separate file.

General Guidelines:

• Double-spaced 12-pt Times New Roman, with a first line indent and 1” margins all around. We accept Word (.docx or .doc) or Acrobat (.pdf) files only.

• Our first reading is a blind review. Submit manuscripts anonymously, with all identifying information removed.

• Submit for one genre only per submission period.

• We do not accept memoir or AI generated work. Creative nonfiction, lyrics and reprints are by invitation only.

• Your submission should include:

  • A short (3-4 sentence) biographical paragraph explaining who you are as an author. Include any websites/social media links.

  • The total word count and the genre (if it defies genre, note that too).

We aim to respond within six weeks, although it is not always possible. Authors retain all rights to their work; we simply ask that you not publish it elsewhere during the first six months the Lit Jo issue is out.

Who can send us work? Everyone. Anyone. The more the merrier. We read all work with hopes of finding a masterpiece, and we select work solely on the basis of craft. You do not have to live in Santa Barbara to be published in the journal, but let us know if you’re from the area or have a connection to the place.

We accept simultaneous submissions, but let us know if your story is accepted elsewhere. We are not currently in a position to offer compensation for publication.