[Alternating Current Press]: Hear & Now: An Anthology on Deafness

This is a one-time anthology created by Alternating Current Press. Please know what it is before submitting.

We’re seeking poetry, fiction, hybrid, and nonfiction that touches on d/Deafness in some way (however slight) that is WRITTEN BY d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing writers. The genre and style is purposely left very open, so d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing writers can bend the theme to mean what they want it to mean for their own purposes.

We especially want to hear from marginalized and underrepresented authors, and we are an LGBTQUIA2+ safe-space. Accepted poems, artwork, flash, and hybrid that leans toward poetry receives $10; accepted short stories, essays, and hybrid that leans toward longform prose receives $20. All selected pieces receive publication in the anthology and a complimentary digital copy of the finished anthology.

Submissions close: December 31, 2025

Pieces selected: Within 6 months

Publication: 2026/2027

• The genre and style is purposely left very open, so d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing writers can bend the theme to mean what they want it to mean for their own purposes. All styles considered.
• Work must be WRITTEN BY d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing writers.
• The anthology currently has a deadline of December 31, 2025; we may extend as necessary for filling the volume. Acceptances and declines will be notified as they are read.
• No word-count or line-count limits.
• You may submit multiple pieces in a single document file.
• All work must be in English and must be the author’s own. Single work by multiple authors considered. We do not consider A.I.-generated works.
• These submissions are not read incognito. It doesn’t matter if your identifying information is (or isn’t) inside your submission file, as long as your Submittable contact information is correct.
• If you need to adjust a submission, please use the Request to Edit option through Submittable. Please don’t request to edit for minor flaws, however—all accepted work will go through an editing process and will have the chance to be updated before publication, and your work will not be disqualified for a missing comma.
• All authors must be at least 18 to submit.
• Simultaneous submissions allowed. You do not have to withdraw a piece that is accepted elsewhere, as long as you still own the reprint rights after first publication.
• Previously published pieces are considered, as long as you still own the reprint rights.
• Submit via Submittable only. We do not accept email submissions. Please note that we have rolling deadlines that sometimes close at the end of one month and reopen at the beginning of the next month to help us regulate flow. If the portal isn’t open, please don’t email us; just come back later.
• There is no submission fee for this category, but please group all your pieces into a single document and a single submission instead of submitting multiple pieces individually. This helps us stay below Submittable's cap for free submissions each month.
• We will send a response to every submission, and we try our best to respond within 6 months. Form response only, unless we are interested in publishing your work. We are regretfully unable to provide feedback. If you have not heard back after 6 months, please feel free to follow up (kindly), but more than likely, we’re just running behind, so thank you for your patience.

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