OTHERSIDE
LightNews LightNews
banner
othersidespec.bsky.social
OTHERSIDE
@othersidespec.bsky.social
2.8K followers 72 following 470 posts
OTHERSIDE is a new quarterly magazine of speculative fiction, poetry, and art by queer writers and artists. Open now to submissions of nonfiction and reprints!

https://patreon.com/OthersideSpec · https://othersidespec.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
othersidespec.bsky.social
OTHERSIDE @othersidespec.bsky.social · 1d
OTHERSIDE is officially OPEN for fiction and poetry submissions 🪐🗡️

If you’re part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, send us your speculative fiction and poetry: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and everything in between!

📚 Open window: Jan 1-14
📑 See guidelines for details: othersidespec.com/guidelines/
White text atop a purple illustrated background. The OTHERSIDE logo is at the top. Below that, it reads: "FICTION: We are looking for unpublished speculative fiction (up to 4000 words) by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors. Sci-fi, fantasy, horror: we love it all! Simultaneous submissions are welcome! We pay 8 cents/word (USD). OPEN NOW! Find all the details at othersidespec.com/guidelines" White text atop a purple illustrated background. The OTHERSIDE logo is at the top. Below that, it reads: "POETRY: We are looking for unpublished speculative poetry by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors. You can submit up to three poems at a time, and simultaneous submissions are always welcome. We pay $50 per poem (USD). OPEN NOW! Find all the details at othersidespec.com/guidelines"
othersidespec.bsky.social
Thanks so much to all who played along with our guessing game! The results are in: we received exactly 180 submissions in 24 hours! 🎉 That means our winner is @wonderandawe83.bsky.social, with a guess of 189. Send us a DM if you’d like to redeem your prize: some OTHERSIDE stickers and bookmarks!
othersidespec.bsky.social OTHERSIDE @othersidespec.bsky.social · 3d
Over on our patron Discord, we're running a little contest... and we thought we'd bring that contest to Bluesky, too! So, here goes: we open to fiction/poetry submissions on January 1st. How many subs do you think we'll get in the first 24 hours? We have OTHERSIDE swag for the closest guess! 💫
January 2, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
duckprintspress.com
Want a low-stakes challenge to motivate you to read queer? Welcome to our 2026 Queer Book Challenge on @thestorygraph.com ! We’ve got a mix of prompts that we hope will motivate you to read a diverse range of books featuring queer characters. Join us! app.thestorygraph.com/reading_chal...

🌈📚
📚💙
A screen capture from the Storygraph in dark mode. Text reads The Duck Prints Press 2026 Queer Book Challenge! unforth_duckprintspress host. 10 participants (0 books). Starts 01 Jan 2026. Ends 31 Dec 2026. Overview: Love reading queer books? Love low-stakes challenges that help you decide what to read next? Then you've found the perfect 2026 reading challenge! If you read even one queer book - books with queer characters, or with queer relationships, or books by queer authors with subtextual queerness, or books that serve powerful queer vibes, or books that have allusions to queer experience, or, or, or - then you can win this challenge! Then, use the bonus challenges to help steer you toward more fun books. We hope you'll join us!
December 20, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
othersidespec.bsky.social
OTHERSIDE is officially OPEN for fiction and poetry submissions 🪐🗡️

If you’re part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, send us your speculative fiction and poetry: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and everything in between!

📚 Open window: Jan 1-14
📑 See guidelines for details: othersidespec.com/guidelines/
White text atop a purple illustrated background. The OTHERSIDE logo is at the top. Below that, it reads: "FICTION: We are looking for unpublished speculative fiction (up to 4000 words) by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors. Sci-fi, fantasy, horror: we love it all! Simultaneous submissions are welcome! We pay 8 cents/word (USD). OPEN NOW! Find all the details at othersidespec.com/guidelines" White text atop a purple illustrated background. The OTHERSIDE logo is at the top. Below that, it reads: "POETRY: We are looking for unpublished speculative poetry by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors. You can submit up to three poems at a time, and simultaneous submissions are always welcome. We pay $50 per poem (USD). OPEN NOW! Find all the details at othersidespec.com/guidelines"
January 1, 2026 at 6:31 PM
othersidespec.bsky.social
OTHERSIDE is officially OPEN for fiction and poetry submissions 🪐🗡️

If you’re part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, send us your speculative fiction and poetry: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and everything in between!

📚 Open window: Jan 1-14
📑 See guidelines for details: othersidespec.com/guidelines/
White text atop a purple illustrated background. The OTHERSIDE logo is at the top. Below that, it reads: "FICTION: We are looking for unpublished speculative fiction (up to 4000 words) by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors. Sci-fi, fantasy, horror: we love it all! Simultaneous submissions are welcome! We pay 8 cents/word (USD). OPEN NOW! Find all the details at othersidespec.com/guidelines" White text atop a purple illustrated background. The OTHERSIDE logo is at the top. Below that, it reads: "POETRY: We are looking for unpublished speculative poetry by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors. You can submit up to three poems at a time, and simultaneous submissions are always welcome. We pay $50 per poem (USD). OPEN NOW! Find all the details at othersidespec.com/guidelines"
January 1, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
mruthrobinson.bsky.social
OTHERSIDE has been open for 20 minutes and we’re already reading submissions! Thank you to everyone who decided to ring in the new year by sending us your work—we can’t wait to read it all!

othersidespec.com/guidelines/
Submission Guidelines - OTHERSIDE
Submission guidelines for fiction and poetry submissions to OTHERSIDE, including opening dates and how to submit.
othersidespec.com
January 1, 2026 at 5:22 AM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
sarahclark.bsky.social
we're currently $341 short of our year end goal over at beestung 💛🖤

www.gofundme.com/f/beestung-y...
December 31, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
thetransfemininereview.com
Over 275 authors, editors, critics and diehard readers came together over the last month to vote on their favorite transfeminine books of the year.

It's my honor to present the 2025 TFR Reader's Choice Awards!

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who voted 🩷
The 2025 TFR Reader’s Choice Awards
Over 275 authors, critics, editors, and readers came together to vote on their favorite transfeminine literature of 2025.
thetransfemininereview.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
mruthrobinson.bsky.social
This year has been unrelentingly miserable. But the best thing—the thing that has sustained me—has been @othersidespec.bsky.social. After almost a year and a half of work, we officially launch in 2026… and we open to submissions at midnight! Make OTHERSIDE your first sub of the new year? 🌈 🪐 🗡️
Submission Guidelines - OTHERSIDE
Submission guidelines for fiction and poetry submissions to OTHERSIDE, including opening dates and how to submit.
othersidespec.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
othersidespec.bsky.social
Reminder, original fiction/poetry submissions open TOMORROW NIGHT, at 12:01am Eastern Time on January 1st 👀

Reprint submissions will temporarily close at the same time. Nonfiction will remain open! We can't wait to read your work. We're so excited for 2026 🪐🗡️

othersidespec.com/guidelines/
White text atop a purple illustrated background. The OTHERSIDE logo is at the top. Below that, it reads: "POETRY: We are looking for unpublished speculative poetry by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors. You can submit up to three poems at a time, and simultaneous submissions are always welcome. We pay $50 per poem (USD). Open January 1, 2026! Find all the details at othersidespec.com/guidelines." White text atop a purple illustrated background. The OTHERSIDE logo is at the top. Below that, it reads: "FICTION: We are looking for unpublished speculative fiction (up to 4000 words) by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors. Sci-fi, fantasy, horror: we love it all! Simultaneous submissions are welcome! We pay 8 cents/word (USD). Open January 1, 2026! Find all the details at othersidespec.com/guidelines."
December 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
othersidespec.bsky.social
Over on our patron Discord, we're running a little contest... and we thought we'd bring that contest to Bluesky, too! So, here goes: we open to fiction/poetry submissions on January 1st. How many subs do you think we'll get in the first 24 hours? We have OTHERSIDE swag for the closest guess! 💫
December 30, 2025 at 7:30 PM
othersidespec.bsky.social
Reminder, original fiction/poetry submissions open TOMORROW NIGHT, at 12:01am Eastern Time on January 1st 👀

Reprint submissions will temporarily close at the same time. Nonfiction will remain open! We can't wait to read your work. We're so excited for 2026 🪐🗡️

othersidespec.com/guidelines/
White text atop a purple illustrated background. The OTHERSIDE logo is at the top. Below that, it reads: "POETRY: We are looking for unpublished speculative poetry by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors. You can submit up to three poems at a time, and simultaneous submissions are always welcome. We pay $50 per poem (USD). Open January 1, 2026! Find all the details at othersidespec.com/guidelines." White text atop a purple illustrated background. The OTHERSIDE logo is at the top. Below that, it reads: "FICTION: We are looking for unpublished speculative fiction (up to 4000 words) by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors. Sci-fi, fantasy, horror: we love it all! Simultaneous submissions are welcome! We pay 8 cents/word (USD). Open January 1, 2026! Find all the details at othersidespec.com/guidelines."
December 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
smallwondersmag.com
For Boxing Day, can we offer you a cover for Issue 31? Subscribe to get it on New Year’s Day! smallwonders.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy...
The cover for Small Wonders issue 31. A person with long purple hair floats in space, their body curves to cup a solar system in their lap. The issue’s pieces are by Gwendolyn M. Hicks, Julia Rios, Wendy Nikel, Adrian Ward, Michelle Koubek, Guan Un, Eliza Dermendzhiyska, Eva Papasoulioto, and Katherine Quevedo. Art is by Anastasia Rzyhkova.
December 26, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
neonhemlock.bsky.social
I’d be grateful if folks followed this project on Kickstarter 🖤

Aiming right now to go live in January, depending on when I get all my materials ready.

We have some exciting invited authors and @mspencerdraws.bsky.social is on board for interior illustrations.
December 24, 2025 at 4:28 PM
othersidespec.bsky.social
Starting January 1st, we'll be busy reading your submissions of original fiction and poetry... but this week, the OTHERSIDE team is recharging! Here are a few of the books, shows, games, and more keeping us busy lately. What about you? Any recs for us?
Atop a blurry purple background, a white header reads "what we're reading." Eight book covers are pictured. The books are My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie, Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner, Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias, Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid, The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke, and Uncertain Sons by Thomas Ha. Atop a blurry purple background, a white header reads "what we're playing." Six video game covers, cropped into squares, are pictured. The games are Coral Island, Hollow Knight, Against the Storm, Hades II, Once Upon a Katamari, and Palia. Atop a blurry purple background, a white header reads "what we're listening to." Six album covers are pictured. The albums are Everybody Scream by Florence and the Machine, Fear of Music by Talking Heads, Moisturizer by Wet Leg, Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan by The Mountain Goats, the Atomic Blonde soundtrack, and Īsas vasaras, garas ziemas by Sudden Lights. Atop a blurry purple background, a white header reads "what we're watching." Four show or movie covers are pictured. These are Heated Rivalry, Wicked for Good, Predator Badlands, and Pluribus.
December 27, 2025 at 4:01 PM
othersidespec.bsky.social
Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season! There’s only one week left in the year—which means we are ONE WEEK away from opening to fiction and poetry submissions on January 1st!

Get your original fiction and poetry ready ✨

othersidespec.com/guidelines/
Submission Guidelines - OTHERSIDE
Submission guidelines for fiction and poetry submissions to OTHERSIDE, including opening dates and how to submit.
othersidespec.com
December 25, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
neonhemlock.bsky.social
Also there are 11 more days to submit your queer speculative stories already published in 2025!

The editors love reading far and wide, so please especially consider submitting work from journals and anthologies they might not be aware of.

www.neonhemlock.com/were-here
we're here — neon hemlock
www.neonhemlock.com
December 20, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
popsci.com
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.

And trans lives are grounded in reality.

We see y'all. No matter what.

www.popsci.com/science/tran...
First-of-a-kind study shows encouraging data for trans kids who socially transition
Ninety-four percent of participants in a new study stood firm in their trans identity after five years, and "detransitioning" is rare.
www.popsci.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
othersidespec.bsky.social
Queue update: we're reading a little slower over the holidays. You likely won’t get a response from us until the final days of the year as our team takes a break this week!

Reprints close Jan 1, BUT original fiction/poetry open that same day! Nonfiction will stay open for the foreseeable future!
Submission Guidelines - OTHERSIDE
Submission guidelines for fiction and poetry submissions to OTHERSIDE, including opening dates and how to submit.
othersidespec.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
khoreo.bsky.social
Issue 5.4 is out now! ❤️‍🔥 A wintry, gothic issue underpinned by disasters and dark transformations. Head over to our website to buy a copy & read the latest issue: www.khoreomag.com

This incredible cover is by Mary Ainza 🧡
Image of the cover of khoreo magazine issue 5.4. The cover of the magazine is an illustration of a person cocooning and turning into a moth.
December 15, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
lgbtqreads.bsky.social
Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Adult Fiction: January-June 2026

Trying something different this year and breaking up by genre, so if you're looking for SFF/H, Crime Fiction, or Graphic Novels, just keep scrolling! (Yes, some of those distinctions are a little fuzzy. I did my best.) Romance will still be…
Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Adult Fiction: January-June 2026
Trying something different this year and breaking up by genre, so if you're looking for SFF/H, Crime Fiction, or Graphic Novels, just keep scrolling! (Yes, some of those distinctions are a little fuzzy. I did my best.) Romance will still be getting its own post, though, so do keep an eye out for that in the coming days! Literary/Upmarket Fiction…
lgbtqreads.com
December 15, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
clarkesworldmagazine.com
Very disappointed in the new Nebula Award eligibility information from SFWA that allows partially-generated works to be on the ballot. See 9.11.2.
www.sfwa.org/complete-neb...
This shouldn't be difficult. #noAI
11 In order to be eligible for any award, the work must include at least one (1) credited writer. Works that are wholly written using generative large language model (LLM) tools are not eligible. Works that used LLMs at any point during the writing process must disclose this upon acceptance of the nomination, and the nature of the technology’s use will be made clear to voters on the final ballot.
December 19, 2025 at 7:09 PM
othersidespec.bsky.social
We have fulfilled most backer rewards from our Kickstarter! However, there are 10 surveys still to be filled out—and Ash is politely asking you to fill it out so we can send you stickers!! And trust me, they are VERY cool stickers!
December 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
alocasiamag.bsky.social
Cover reveal time! Announcing ALOCASIA: 99 Queer Writers on Plants and Nature, coming in early 2026 🌱💚

Cover design by @alban-fischer.bsky.social, illustrations by @lichenritual.bsky.social
December 9, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by OTHERSIDE
chillsubs.bsky.social
Putting this out here so you can say, "I submitted to them before they were rich and famous." Which is obviously a super realistic goal for a lit mag.

Find the list here: www.chillsubs.com/lists/20-in-...

#writingcommunity
20 Lit mags founded in 2025 that we think will be the next big thing • (s)crawl magazine - Horror-focused lit mag amplitying marginalized voices • Strange Pilgrims - Real, surreal, & brutally beautirul writing • Gather - A writing table for gutsy, bold poets • Tough Poets Review - Funny, smart, unpredictable, & startlingly honest • Strange Hymnal - Literary magazine of mystery, ritual, & obsession • Sonder Literary - Queer and youth-run zine focusing on equality and whimsy • 149 Review - Fresh, original, thought provoking work • Rawhead - Exploring the many forms resistance takes • FLARE Magazine - Spotlighting chronic illnesses, mental health, & disabilities • Blood+Honey - Experimental and avant-garde work that challenges & provokes • Tractor Beam - Radical visions of hopeful futures on Earth • OTHERSIDE - Quarterly magazine of speculative work by queer creatives • MENACE - Work that encapsulates the dark, the transgressive, the gross • shoegaze literary - A third space for dreamy, distorted alternate realities • Sardine Can Collective - Secret cult of tish girls • Little Fruits Magazine - Your ripest work: tart, rotten, dripping with sweetness • Lullaby Machine - A digital rest stop dedicated to the lullaby • The Aftershock Review - After trauma, there is still poetry • Outskirts - A new home for misfit poetry and prose • Mouthful of Salt - Amplifying the stories that won't stay quiet
December 17, 2025 at 2:15 PM
othersidespec.bsky.social
We are juuuust over two weeks away from opening to fiction and poetry submissions on January 1—which means SOMEHOW the year is almost over!! We can’t wait to read your stories and poems ✨
Submission Guidelines - OTHERSIDE
Submission guidelines for fiction and poetry submissions to OTHERSIDE, including opening dates and how to submit.
othersidespec.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM