Open Calls

SUSPECT Submission Guidelines

SUSPECT, as in “we suspect this work has qualities of greatness." As in looking from the ground up, and not top down. As in “incredulity towards metanarratives" (Lyotard) in favor of microhistories, subversive perspectives, and marginalized identities. We SUSPECT that a SUSPECT like you has something SUSPECT to say. Say it.

We seek poetry, literary fiction, essays, and any kind of writings that do not fall into these categories, written or translated into English by authors who identify as Asian. We also publish reviews of books by Asian authors and interviews with Asian writers and artists. Translators must provide documentation of authorization to translate and publish from the writer whom they are translating.

Submit a story or essay (1,500 to 6,500 words), or 3-5 poems (maximum 10 pages), with a brief cover letter, in MSWord format to Sharmini Aphrodite at suspect@singaporeunbound.org. For flash fiction, submit 2-4 pieces with a combined word count of at least 1,500 words. We aim to reply within a month. Simultaneous submissions are fine with us, but please inform us if your work is accepted elsewhere.

We are open for submissions all year round, except in December. Submissions in December will be deleted and not be read. The special "Eco-" themed portfolio remains open in December. Please submit only once every six months; more frequent submissions will not be read.

We pay USD100.00 for an accepted contribution. We ask for the non-exclusive right to publish your work (1) on the website of SUSPECT accessible globally, and (2) in subsequent print anthologies. We also ask contributors not to republish the Work in any form within six months of publication in SUSPECT.

SUSPECT grew out of SP Blog, the blog of the NYC-based literary non-profit Singapore Unbound. Started in 2016, Singapore Unbound envisions and works for a creative life for everyone through the arts and activism.

Gaudy Boy Manuscript Submission

From Latin gaudium meaning “joy,” Gaudy Boy publishes books that delight readers with the various powers of art. The name is taken from the poem “Gaudy Turnout” by Singaporean author Arthur Yap, about his time abroad in Leeds, UK. Similarly inspired by such diasporic wanderings and migrations, Gaudy Boy brings literary works by authors of Asian heritage to the attention of an American audience. Established in 2018 as the imprint of the NYC-based literary non-profit Singapore Unbound, we publish poetry, fiction, and literary non-fiction. To submit a fiction or literary non-fiction manuscript, please query Jee Leong Koh at jkoh@singaporeunbound.org with the completed book proposal below. For poetry manuscripts, please submit to our annual Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Contest (submission period: February 15 to May 15). Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.