Submit work for the next issue between today and Monday 31 May. Details of the theme and guidelines are below.

The next issue of Popshot will be on the theme of…“Family.”

We have just finished putting together the Growth issue (thank you to all who submitted, the magazine will thump through letterboxes and appear on newsstands soon), allowing us to open the doors for new submissions.

Our next theme is ‘family’ and we are interested in writing that looks broadly at all types of families, whether conventional or unconventional, biological or otherwise.

Writers might want to look at real or imagined families, the pressures and pleasures only people who have raised you can inspire, toxic families, perfect families, accidental families, and the tests to these supposedly unbreakable bonds, and what they might result in. As ever, you can address the theme head-on or tangentially. Your short stories, flash fiction and poems can relate to the present, can shoot us into the future, back into the past or into an alternative, absurd or fantasy universe.

Successful submissions must display excellent writing, creative flair and originality. We are looking for a mixture of humour, social commentary, honesty and thrilling storytelling. We welcome all genres and writing styles so long as they follow our guidelines for submission (for more on which, click here).

Submissions for the Autumn issue are open until 9am GMT on Monday, 31 May 2021.

The Family Issue will be published in August 2021.

Guidelines for submission:

• Poems: 12 to 40 lines
• Short stories: 1,000 to 3,000 words
• Flash fiction: 100 to 1,000 words

Three entries maximum. Entries over the word count will not be considered.

To discover more about Popshot, pick up a copy from WHSmiths or another reputable newsagent (during lockdown this might be more difficult, but here are a few other ways you can safely find it). You can subscribe to either hard copy or digital editions. Four issues are published per year showcasing the best emerging fiction writers.

To see your writing published and illustrated, head to our submit page for the full guidelines. Include the issue and form of your work in the subject line (i.e. Family – Poetry). We are open to original contributions from anyone, anywhere in the world.

At Popshot towers we have just wrapped up the Growth issue, which will be on sale from 6 May.

Drop us a line at hello@popshotpopshot.com

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