The Sunday Scaries

Horror is life. You come in kicking and crying, lots of blood and screaming involved. 

Then it gets worse. 

Jokes aside, horror is everywhere, and that includes The Rumpus. As editor of Sunday Scaries, I want to bring readers the best contemporary horror fiction has to offer. The genre can be very entertaining, but it has also always been a place to explore society and culture, to talk about politics, to explore identity, to protest against the status quo, and to chronicle history. Give me your zombies, ghosts, demons, werewolves, vampires, and cryptids, but also your grief, pain, fears, creepy encounters, and struggles. I want horror that punches, that says something. 

A great story is a great story because of what is says and does, not because the genres it plays with, so as long as it fits the narrative and it helps you accomplish your goals, I don't shy away from anything. Yes, give me funny or spicy horror if that's what moves you. As someone who reads, reviews, edits, and writes horror for a living, I know how gruesome things can get, but I will not read stories that use sexual abuse or child/animal abuse just for shock. 

The Rumpus has always published diverse work, and the same will be done here. BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and neurodivergent writers are encouraged to submit. Si pones un poquito de español en tu cuento, no no asustamos. Same with French, Navajo, Hindi, or Mandarin. You get the point. 

If you find yourself wondering about things like tone, voice, and themes and would like to read some authors whose work I love, here's a (ridiculously) short list: 

Tananarive Due. Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Stephen Graham Jones. Paul Tremblay. Rachel Harrison. Kathe Koja. Victor LaValle. Brian Evenson. T. Kingfisher. Mariana Enríquez. Agustina Bazterrica. Laird Barron. John Langan. Josh Malerman. Cassandra Khaw. Hailey Piper. Nalo Hopkinson. Eric LaRocca. Nathan Ballingrud. Nat Cassidy. Alma Katsu. Bernardo Esquinca. John Hornor Jacobs. Sarah Gailey. Chuck Wendig. Chesya Burke. Rose Keating. Stuart Neville. Erin E. Adams. Vincent Tirado. Johnny Compton. Eliza Clark. Monika Kim. Jennifer McMahon. Premee Mohamed. Sarah Langan. Gerardo Sámano Córdova. Iain Reid. Bethany C. Morrow. Mónica Ojeda. Gus Moreno. 

Horror is bigger, better, and more diverse than ever. I look forward to seeing what comes my way! We’re looking for original, unpublished stories (this includes personal blogs, newsletters, and social media) that fits within the horror genre and isn't afraid to speak its mind. If this is your work, please send it my way (one story at a time, 5,000 words max) via Submittable here.

I hope to respond to your submission within three (3) months. Please do not query before three months have elapsed. I won't ask for exclusive submissions, but if you get a piece accepted elsewhere, please notify us immediately. 

We pay $500 for prose submissions after publication.

Thanks for reading and happy writing. 

Gabino  Iglesias, Sunday scaries Editor