Sep 22, 2025
4 min read
(Updated 22 October 2025)
We are excited to announce that the window is open for submissions to the first edition of the GossamerWight Literary Magazine Anthology, 'Everyday Eerie'.
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Following requests, we have extended the original submissions window closure from the end of October to 11.59 pm (GMT) on Sunday 30 November.
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We have included poetry submissions now that Toby Cotton has joined our team as Poetry Editor.
About the theme
If we were to extend the theme title 'Everyday Eerie' to 'Everyday Eerie–When the Ordinary Turns Otherworldly,' then it becomes easier to grasp what we are looking for. Our theme invites story and poetry submissions that all share a common thread—turning the everyday, or ordinary, into the extraordinary... or the uncanny.
In writing your story/stories and poetry, we invite you to add subversive spice; to reimagine common tropes; to gift us with a tale of the unexpected.
Our theme, 'Everyday Eerie' is:
- Broad enough to enable a spectrum of single-genre or cross-genre (mixed) submissions–be that horror (mainstream or folk); weird/'New Weird'; the supernatural; speculative; dystopian; or fantasy–while giving you a clear theme.
- Uncanny focused: we invite you to take a mundane setting—such as a kitchen, a commuter train, a family dinner, a suburban street, a work location, etc.—and inject a subtle, unsettling twist that makes the familiar feel off-kilter... uncanny.
The 'Everyday Eerie' Anthology Soundtrack
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For example,
The thin veil: moments when reality flickers—e.g., mirrors that reflect another world, streetlights that dim only for certain people.
Domestic dread: e.g., how everyday rituals become rites of something darker.
Hidden histories: e.g., ordinary objects that carry forgotten, malevolent legacies.
Psychological uncanny: e.g., the feeling that something is almost right, but just off enough to unsettle.
Two further* genre-specific submission prompts
To give you some idea of what is possible, consider these two theme-related story prompts, with a cross-genre example included:
- Horror–'The Unseen Neighbour.' A new tenant moves into a cramped town or city flat/apartment and discovers that the thin walls hide a centuries-old ritual space. You might write a story where the everyday act of borrowing a cup of sugar from a neighbour turns into a bargain with something that has been watching the building for generations.
- Weird/New Weird–'The Algorithm That Listens.' An AI programme designed to optimise grocery deliveries starts recommending items that echo the secret fears of its users. You might write a story that shows how a simple shopping list becomes a conduit for an uncanny, world-shifting logic.
- Cross-genre example: horror + weird. If going for a cross-genre approach, imagine combining the elements of horror and weird in a story titled 'The Night Shift at the Museum.' A night-watchman/security guard discovers that an exhibit of everyday household artefacts animates after closing, each item in the exhibit reenacting the moment it was first used, with horror-infused consequences.
Your story could appear in me!
The cover for GossamerWight's 1st Edition Anthology. The theme is 'Everyday Eerie'.
Submission advice
Keep the word count limits in mind. Flash fiction submissions: ≤ 1,000 words. We advise you to focus on a single, sharp twist for a flash fiction piece, and establish your uncanny hook within the first 150-200 words. Short stories: ≤ 3,000 words; these can deliver a more layered world-building and character arc. In either of these two prose cases, your piece ought to be complete, i.e., self-contained. Poetry: no minimum word count; no set maximum at this time. To reiterate, flash fiction should be less than or equal to 1,000 words and short stories less than or equal to 3,000 words. For poetry, there is no word count ceiling at this time.
Remember, we are looking for an uncanny twist; something ordinary that looks or feels subtly 'off'–a detail that feels both familiar and off-kilter simultaneously, prompting a shiver of recognition. Ground your work in the ordinary (the everyday) before tilting it towards the 'otherworldly.' Play with perception–let your characters question what they know; doubt always underpins the uncanny.
What next?
The submissions window will remain open until Sunday 30 November, unless we announce an extension to the submissions period.
We advise those who might be interested in making one or more story submissions to read the general guidance we have provided under the Submissions tab, which, combined with the theme-specific guidance in this post, should be all you need to know.
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Grab your diary now and add this date... 30 November, with the note, "Must get my story and/or poetry submission(s) to GossamerWight before the window closes today!"
Ready to submit?
Great! Click on 'Submissions & Contact Portal' under the menu 'Submissions' tab and complete the form, ensuring you adhere to any theme-specific and 'Submissions Overview' information requests.
Spread the word!
Do you know of someone who might also be interested in this submissions opportunity? Copy and save the QR code below, and pass it on!
Pass me on...
... to anyone you think might also be interested in submitting. Thanks!
Finally.
Contingent on the success of our quarterly anthology releases, we envisage taking the best stories and poetry from each and combining them in an annual publication; this would be available for purchase online and in most high street bookshops.
Should you have questions, please contact the editor-in-chief using ghost.harmony854@passmail.net. Please state 'Submission query' in the subject line. Or, complete the contact form here. You may also send your story and poetry submission(s) using either of these two means.
With thanks and good luck!
James, Denver, Toby, and Miggy.
[Anthology soundtrack by DarkStreet].
*See our post here for the first two prompts.