The Aftermath
Barrelhouse: The Aftermath
Barrelhouse wants submissions on The Aftermath theme for their online issue. “Stories often focus on the climactic events in one’s life, but after these points of intensity, the world goes on. What happens when the adventure is over? How do you live your daily life after being abducted by aliens? What do you fill your days with after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize? What happens in the sequel to a story that doesn’t need one? This spring, Barrelhouse is calling for short stories, poetry, creative nonfiction, and art that measure moments in and after abnormal times. The ways we can feel elated, apathetic, tortured, or fixated on the events that shape us. What does it look like once the afterglow has faded?” They will close mid-March or when they reach a submission cap, whichever is earlier.
Deadline: 15 March 2026, or when filled
Length: Up to 5,000 words for prose, 3-5 poems
Pay: $50
Details here and here.