Submissions

Guidelines last modified on March 24, 2013.

Submissions News
We have a high need for poetry for all upcoming issues. We are also interested in prose poetry and works that combine or alternate between prose and verse.

We are currently looking for stories and poems for our Summer 2013 issue. The theme for this issue is Watchers: Stories of Angels and Demons. We have already accepted a number of fine stories that take an oblique and unconventional approach to the theme; for our few remaining fiction slots, we are looking for stories that forge a clear connection with angel lore, including tales of the Grigori/Nephilim, Lilith, incubi/succubi, and fairies.

All other submissions will be considered for Autumn 2013.

Who We Are
Mirror Dance is a free online magazine of fantasy in all its sub-genres, including magic realism, urban fantasy or contemporary fantasy, sword and sorcery, fantasy-of-manners, and stories with mythological or folkloric themes. We are especially interested in publishing secondary world stories, and stories from diverse ethnic, racial, and religious viewpoints. As a member of the Outer Alliance, we actively seek fiction with LGBTQA themes, and characters who challenge traditional concepts of gender.

We publish dark fantasy and will consider science fantasy, but we do not accept submissions of science fiction or non-supernatural horror. During the hiatus of our sister publication, Lacuna, we will also consider historical fiction and alternate history as long as it contains some speculative element.

Though lack of funds prevents us from paying for submissions, we hope that publication in Mirror Dance will provide you with profitable exposure and a positive publishing experience.


What We Publish
Mirror Dance publishes four issues per year, and each issue typically includes five short stories, four poems, and one art or nonfiction piece. The Summer issue, published June 1, centers on a broadly defined theme: past themes include Secrets and Curiosities, Spirits and Hauntings, Villains and Antiheroes, and Changes and Discoveries. The Winter issue, published on December 1, focuses on flash fiction, narrative poems, and pieces that blur the lines between poetry and prose. The Spring and Autumn issues, published March 1 and September 1, are open to all types of submissions.

Fiction of all lengths, including flash, novelettes, and self-sustained novel excerpts, will be considered; there is a preference for stories under 6,000 words, and significantly longer stories must be suitable for serialization. We value unique voices and beautiful but readable prose styles. We prefer stories with dynamic, fully-developed characters and richly detailed settings, and are especially interested in PoC and LGBTQA characters.

Poetry of all lengths will be considered, from haiku to epic narratives. We value strong imagery, precise word choice and a tight, specific focus. Poems must have an identifiable fantasy or mythic element.

Nonfiction such as book reviews, author interviews, and articles or essays is greatly needed. Suggested topics include analysis of published fantasy fiction and poetry, recommended reading, advice or observations on writing and publishing fantasy (if you’re qualified to give such advice), and articles on history, weapons and martial arts, animals, fashion, mythology and folklore, or culture that would appeal to fantasy readers.

Art must be suitable for a young adult audience and contain an identifiable fantasy or mythic element. We would be interested in conducting Artist Spotlight interviews, including several samples of your work and a link to your portfolio; query the editor at the e-mail address below for more information.


How to Submit
Please send your work in a .doc, .docx, or .rtf document, or pasted in the body of an e-mail, to markenberg at yahoo dot com*. Include your name and contact information, the title of your submission, and its word count in your e-mail.

Important: use the subject line “Mirror Dance Fiction Submission – [Title].” Replace [title] with the title of your submission, and change “fiction” to “poetry,” “nonfiction,” or “art” as appropriate. For all other communications, include “Mirror Dance” in your subject line. Do not use unspecific subjects like “submission” or “fiction submission.” I also edit the historical fiction e-zine Lacuna and I must be able to tell at a glance where to direct each submission.

*Please note that Mirror Dance is edited by M[egan] Arkenberg, not “Mark Enberg.” Apologies for the confusing e-mail address.


Other Considerations
No simultaneous submissions. Please do not send us work that is currently under consideration elsewhere. If your story becomes unavailable after you’ve submitted it to Mirror Dance, please notify us immediately.

Please respect language. Atrocious spelling, grammar, and punctuation in your e-mail or your submission itself are grounds for a rejection. A few small typos are acceptable; carelessness is not.

Reprints will be considered; please include previous publication details in your e-mail. We prefer stories that aren’t currently available in a free-to-read online venue, such as your blog, another e-zine, or a critique site that is not password-protected.

In the case of original fiction, we are asking for first web rights exclusive for three months. Authors should be aware that publication on any website means that they are forfeiting first publication rights, which diminishes a story’s value and limits the number of markets that will consider it for further publication.

All work published in Mirror Dance will be archived unless the author requests otherwise. The author may request that the work be immediately removed from the website at any time after the first three months of the story’s publication.

Mirror Dance aims to respond to all submissions within a month, though response times may run up to six weeks. If you are concerned about the length of a response time, please feel free to query the editor at the e-mail address above.

Thank you for your interest in Mirror Dance! I look forward to reading your submission.