Submissions for the Riptide Journal’s 14th Volume, Collisions, are now open. The journal’s editorial team are looking for short fiction of up to 3500 words, with submissions open until Monday 30 August.

The Theme

In 2017, researchers announced that two stars in the Cygnus constellation would collide in 2022, causing an explosion so bright that it would be visible from Earth with the naked eye. In 2018, researchers elsewhere noted an inconsistency in the calculations that resulted in part from an unfortunate typo. The stars, it turned out, were maintaining their mutual orbits and any collision would be many years, or lifetimes, away.

For volume 14, Riptide invites short stories that take their inspiration from collisions minute and stellar. Narratives might animate clashes, crashes, conflicts, revisions, calculations, near misses, or shared interests and atmospheres. A collision could be an eventuality of error and errantry; it could be a beginning. Whatever your approach, and on whatever conceptual scale you wish to work, Riptide welcomes your submissions.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit short stories of up to 3500 words to riptide@exeter.ac.uk by 30 August 2021 with a brief bio (ca. 100 words). Submissions must be in Microsoft Word and sent as an attachment. We will consider only one story per author. The issue will appear in early 2022. Submissions are free.

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