Submissions

"Literary Fagin seeks difficult orphans!"

It might be the bastard child of Jane Austen and The Things From Titan, or maybe The Foundation Trilogy crossed with the Happy Hooker.

A tale about the secret kinks of cleaning products, or about cloning a famous artist's facial hair.

It's unclassifiable, quirky, and weird. Too experimental, too sexy. Too plain. Too fancy. Too much.

It won't stay in its crib. It throws tantrums when you ignore it.

Before trying the military academy for that freakish genre-bending gem of a story you've got, send it to Problem Child.

If you've got something you know is brilliant, but too weird or quirky or difficult or mixed-up to fit into a more traditional market, I'm interested in taking a look. I'm looking for the square peg. You know the one I mean.

I'm looking for stories that don't behave -- feel free to interpret that as you wish. My tastes are eclectic, and due to the nature of this project, I'm reluctant to dictate guidelines as to what I'm looking for, but I lean toward the edgy, sexy, and underground side of things. The first issue has a mix of odd sex stories, quirky speculative fiction, some stuff that fits both categories, plus a healthy dollop of unclassifiable weird shit -- and that's the way I like it, baby!

Problem Child will be primarily dedicated to short fiction, but I will consider poetry, and also essays and reviews. No word limit (but please don't send me novels), no genre limit, no content limit. Comics and b/w line art are also more than welcome, and I might even have room for a photo or two. I'll consider reprints but prefer original work.

I cannot offer any pay at this point beyond copies, glory (hah!), and gratitude. I promise, in return, to produce a zine you can be proud of, aesthetically and content-wise. (Artists take note: I will pay a small fee for cover art. Send me your samples and let's talk.)

Send your creative spawn my way, via email, or via snailmail to:

Lori Selke
PO Box 28104
Oakland, CA 94604