Sunstroke Press Call for Chapbook Submissions

Sunstroke Press’ summer reading period is now open. We’re committed to publishing a diverse selection of work in contemporary poetry, fiction, nonfiction and the visual arts.

In an effort to further establish our foundation as a publisher, submissions for the Summer 2026 reading period must meet the following criteria:

• Solo authored chapbooks only—no group works
• Authors must be based in the United States
  • As we build a base in New York City, we have a strong preference for New York City-based talent. However, this is neither a requirement, nor a barrier in our overall search. We welcome submissions from anywhere in the country.
• Manuscripts must be complete at the time of submission

We welcome chapbook submissions in the following categories:

• Poetry (20-32 pages)
• Short fiction/nonfiction, novellas (20-90 pages, 5,000-20,000 words)
• Photo and art chapbooks (visual storytelling, comics, graphic novellas, documentary photography, art) (20-40 pages)

Here is the ever-growing list of what we want to publish! The ideas listed below are not requirements for your manuscript, so don’t feel the need to make any unnecessary changes before sending it over to us. They are suggestions based on what we want to accomplish as a publisher.

Qualities

• Strong narrative and distinctive voice
• Queer, trans and women-centered perspectives
• Character-driven storytelling
• Work that leans towards the weird
• Interplay between personal and collective memory (e.g. archival, oral or family history)
• Perspectives from and narratives set in regions underrepresented in publishing (e.g. South/Southwest U.S., Hawai’i, Alaska, rural Midwest, the border/borderlands, South/Southeast Asia, Africa, etc.)
• Emotionally resonant and grounded in lived experience

Themes & Styles

• Evocative and subversive portrayals of intimacy (platonic or romantic)
• Girlhood, womanhood and trans stories told in fresh, boundary-pushing ways
• Found family narratives and complex family sagas
• Reimagined folklore, mythology and fairy tales
• Speculative fiction and literary sci-fi/fantasy
• Environmental storytelling
• Gothic and experimental literature
• Lyric and narrative poetry
• Archival-based projects
• Photo stories about Gen Z, personal narratives or otherwise
• Aesthetic remixing, connecting the past to the present through visual language

Learn more here: https://sunstrokepress.com/submit/