CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Gilded Dirt, issue iv
After a long subaquatic slumber Gilded Dirt has returned to the surface with the BERMUDA ▲ SADCORE issue ! Drifting ashore this summer !
As though transmitting from within the ‘vile vortex’, the plaintive music of Weyes Blood serves as a warning to treat the open ocean with reverence. Between the reluctant mermaid of Seven Words, the amphibious starlet beckoning her audience underwater in Movies, the waterlogged chorals of In Holy Flux and the whirlpool of classical collisions on Front Row Seat – the real (and make-believe) horrors and wonders of the sea are never far from sight.
Taking cues from the imagined wreckage recovery of 2019’s Titanic Rising, we invite you into the doldrums in search of treasure; glimpses of a phantom vessel, underwater cities in rust, abandoned sea forts, devotional letters cast adrift, living fossils, vampiric squid, titanic fauna and any trace of life after all in the sunken catacombs.
We are looking for submissions of poetry, flash fiction and flash essays on the topic of..
aimless drifting..
“aliens” of The Abyss..
Andromeda + Cetus..
Andromeda (750% Slower)..
billionaire hubris..
bottled messages..
coral skeletons..
deep-sea gigantism..
figureheads + apotropaic magic..
flotsam and jetsam..
Ghost of Maiden’s Peak..
ghost ships..
immortal jellyfish..
Jewels of the Sea (1961)..
Lake Lachrymose and its leeches..
lure of the siren..
Mary Celeste’s mythical mise en scène..
mutiny -and- bounty..
Ocean of Tears..
octopus cities..
Sailers Delight
(sea)bedroom pop..
Sea Punk..
Seven Words speculation..
St. Elmos fire..
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch..
The Jacuzzi of Despair..
The Milky Sea Effect..
whale-fall ecosystems..
x marks the spot..
You can submit under ONE of the following categories:
Flash essays / nonfiction: up to 500 words
1-3 pages of poetry in any form
Flash fiction: up to 100 words
All submissions must be sent as a .doc file. If you have nonstandard formatting you may additionally send a pdf. Submissions which do not adhere to word count will be disregarded. No need to send a full bio but a brief cover letter is appreciated.
Submissions should be sent to: gildeddirt.zine@gmail.com with subject heading ‘SUBMISSION: [CATEGORY]’. Categories are either ESSAY/POETRY/FICTION.
Please name your files: NAME_CATEGORY_DATE
Deadline: 12th April 2024
We aim to respond to all submissions within 2-3 months.
Gilded Dirt is a free e-zine edited by Douglas Pattison and Maria Sledmere. Unfortunately, we cannot offer payment to contributors. You can view past issues at
mariaology 