introduction
Last revised: March 24, 2020. Submissions are closed while we explore our options.
Please read the details of our submission guidelines, then submit to afteralexei [at] gmail [dotcom].
After Alexei began as a single flash fiction reprint. Issue Zero was a bifold print on damaged 11x17 copy paper. The idea was a punk-styled DIY zine which we would mail to our Christmas card list. (We must not send many Christmas cards, because there are still a few copies left. Drop us a line if you’d like one.)
We want to publish your magic realism, contemporary fairy tale, horror, experimental, literary fiction or poetry. Anything matte, varnished or odd. Please adhere to the soft maximum of 1,200 words. Contact us before submitting anything longer.
We are looking for top-shelf prose or creative nonfiction, in flash format. If it’s too short for the Booker Prize but otherwise swims in the same pond, perfect! We want your memorable characters, your turns of phrase, your stunning first sentences and verbal time signatures. Polished editing is a must but if, after that, it still sounds like writing, please rewrite. We’re not squeamish but crass violence and gore will not do. We love found poetry, Markov chains and blackout poetry, but it’s best if you divulge those sources up-front. We promise not to tell anyone.
We encourage diversity of submission in all its forms. Unfortunately we cannot pay for unsolicited publications. If we contact you for reprint rights, we will pay market rates.
We will never charge for regular submissions, nor offer paid editorial services or expedited responses. No pay to play. Your work will be free for all readers to access.
However, websites and cover layout aren’t free, so we will sell an ebook version of every issue with content unavailable in the free, embedded version (think interviews, reviews, essays and visual arts). We ask for one-year exclusive publishing rights for only that additional content.
Still with us? Then keep reading!