Foglifter is a biannual compendium of the most dynamic, urgent queer and trans writing today. It’s a space where LGBTQ+ writers celebrate, mourn, rage, and embrace.
Foglifter welcomes daring and thoughtful work by queer and trans writers in all forms, and we are especially interested in cross-genre, intersectional, marginal, and transgressive work. We want the pieces that challenged you as a writer, what you poured yourself into and risked the most to make. But we also want your tenderest, gentlest work, what you hold closest to your heart. Whatever you're working on now that's keeping you alive and writing, Foglifter wants to read it.
What does that look like? Check out some writing we love from our recent issues:
- “Seven Dates” by Elliot Gish
- “Whirlpool” by Meg Cass
- “Zulum,” by Fargo Tbakhi
- “INWARD ASPECT,” by Chekwube Danladi
- “Magical Faggot as Cinematic Study,” by Dez Deshaies
Editorial Statement
We provide a path to representation for a broad selection of LGBTQ+ voices, centering queer and trans literary artists of color, youth, elders, and those beyond traditional LGBTQ+ cultural centers so that our readers and audiences can see their own experiences authentically represented through queer and trans literary arts.
We believe that queer and trans people must curate our own artistic discourses and we curate with a commitment to not perpetuate harm in our communities and recognize our responsibilities as editors to uplift the voices of queer and trans people while not punching down on those of us who live at the intersection of multiple oppressed identities.
Writers in Need Fund
Foglifter is excited to launch the Writers In Need fund to support sliding-scale payments for our contributors. While we have been deeply fortunate to be able to compensate contributors for their important and incredible writing with a modest honorarium, Foglifter recognizes the many intersections of our queer and trans artistic communities, and that members of our community may be differently impacted by financial insecurity and historical disenfranchisement. This fund is an attempt to address those inequities. Please see the Submit page on our website for details.
Guidelines
Title your submission with the title of the work(s) you are submitting (separated by commas).
Include a 50-word or less bio (with pronouns after your name, please!) in your cover letter. (If accepted, we will request an author photo; JPG or PNG files are best.)
We accept the following unpublished unsolicited submissions:
- 3 to 5 poems (max 5 pages)
- up to 7500 words of fiction or nonfiction (up to three flash fiction pieces)
- up to 20 pages of cross-genre work, text-image hybrids, or drama
All submissions must be uploaded as one DOC or DOCX file using the following titling convention: First_Last_Foglifter (i.e., Audre_Lorde_Foglifter)
- We accept simultaneous submissions; however, please withdraw your piece immediately if it is accepted elsewhere (or, if you only need to withdraw part of a submission, send us a message in Submittable).
- Only one submission per genre is permitted each reading period.
- We do not accept previously published material.
- We welcome translated work in all genres, provided rights have been secured before submission. (Both author and translator will receive an honorarium.)
- If we've recently accepted your work, please wait two reading periods (1 year) to submit again.
- Contributors receive two copies of the issue in which they appear and a $50 honorarium (via PayPal).
Submission periods are:
- March 1 to May 1 (Fall Edition)
- September 1 to November 1 (Spring Edition)
- We are always open for cover art! Reach our production manager Alice Lee at production@foglifterpress.com. (For all other submissions, please use the applicable form below.)
In response to rapid gentrification and displacement of QTBIPOC+ literary artists in the San Francisco Bay Area, and in celebration of these communities’ revolutionary history, Foglifter Press, RADAR Productions, and Still Here San Francisco joined forces to create a poetry chapbook prize for local emerging queer and trans Black writers, indigenous writers, and writers of color. Each year, one chapbook author is awarded publication, a $1,500 prize, and $1,000 to support their book tour/promotion.
Judges:
- Edward Gunawan, author of 2023 Start A Riot! winning chapbook The Way Back
- Aja Lenae
- Tiara Amar
Eligibility:
- Submitter is a QTBIPOC+ literary artist
- AND is a current resident of the larger San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Napa, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Solano, Marin, San Mateo, Sonoma counties)
- AND does not have a previous full-length poetry book publication
Manuscript Details:
- Poetry (Literally anything that falls under the verse genre—prose poetry, hybrid, etc. We want all your wild experiments!)
- 25 pages max
- Remove all identifying information, including acknowledgments. There should be one title page with the name of the chapbook only.
- Microsoft Word doc preferred; PDF also accepted
Important Dates:
- Submissions: September 1 to November 1, 2023
- Results Announced: Spring 2024
- Chapbook Release: June (Pride Month) 2025
Foglifter is looking to add a Managing Editor to our small, all-volunteer staff!
- Foglifter's Managing Editor is an integral part of our organization, responsible for much of the back-end administration that allows Foglifter to function as seamlessly as possible day-to-day. A good candidate for this role is a hyper-organized, systems thinker who isn't easily flustered. They enjoy working behind the scenes, quietly making sure that fellow Foglifter staff have what they need to concentrate on their roles without getting bogged down in admin tasks. This person should want to know "how the sausage is made," and be ready to dig into the nitty gritty of every part of the org, from submission systems to web updates. They'll see any roadblock as an opportunity to learn how to do that particular thing even better.
The responsibilities are as follows:
- The Managing Editor assists the EIC by completing the admin components of all leadership tasks. They assist the EIC in executing Foglifter's long-term organizational goals, as outlined in the Strategic Plan (SP). They assist EIC in managing the strategic planning process at regular intervals and updating living SP document. They help the EIC organize/plan Foglifter's yearly board/staff retreat. They provide support for EIC-led fundraising efforts (EOY giving, Give OUT Day, etc), with help from the Development Director, Community Engagement Manager, and Board. They organize editorial meetings (create/update monthly agendas, help the facilitator as necessary, and create Zooms). They are responsible for managing internal and external Google calendars. They are also in charge of our Google Drive (keeping all timely content updated). They administer our Submittable account, creating all Projects/forms, managing the team, and troubleshooting when necessary. They are the point of contact for Foglifter's external email (via website). They keep track of and submit to all journal/press award submissions (CLMP Firecracker, Whiting, Pushcart, Lammy, Best American, etc.), and keep submission resource sites updated.
The estimated time commitment for this role is 8–10 hrs per week. It includes a yearly honorarium of 4K.
Residence is the San Francisco Bay Area is not required, but would be ideal.
Multi-marginalized individuals are encouraged to apply.