Scifaikuest
What We Want
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Scifaikuest is actually two magazines – one online and one print – specializing in scifaiku and other minimalist poetry forms; notably senryu, haibun, and tanka, as well as cinquains, fibonacci, etc. Both online and print magazines feature poetry and articles. We also publish original black-and-white illustrations, and original cover art.
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​Publishing Details
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Edited by Teri “Sakyu” Santitoro, both magazines are published quarterly in February, May, August, and November. ​Its format is perfect-bound trade paperback, 6×9, color cover and b&w interior. ​We recommend you check out our previous publications to get a better idea of what we’re looking for.
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​Submission Details
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Submit all poems in the body of the e-mail. ​NO ATTACHMENTS! Submit no more than ten poems at a time. Please do not overload us. We will probably accept no more than two poems from any single composer for each of the two zines.
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We now require poets to please SIGN EACH POEM that they send for consideration. Just type your name or pen name beneath each poem. Many of our poets are using pen names for their poetry and we will NOT be held responsible for mistakes regarding the use of such. Please indicate what kind of poem each one is as well; Scifaiku, Tanka, etc. ​Below we have listed some different kinds of poetry for your convenience and aid.
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​Scifaiku
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Scifaiku is a lot like haiku. The 17 syllables or 5-7-5 syllable guideline is NOT a strict requirement, but what IS required is that the total ku doesn’t read like a sentence. The captured moment should strike the reader with a flash of realization or surprise–if you’ve read something, and suddenly “get it” and you subconsciously think “Ah-hah!” or “oh wow!” That’s what scifaiku is supposed to do to you. As in haiku, punctuation and capitalization are not usually used in scifaiku, so no unnecessary punctuation or caps. In addition, scifaiku usually include a season, an action and a subject, whether actual or implied.
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​Haibun
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Haibun is another form of poetry which combines a prose paragraph and a haiku/scifaiku. The prose paragraph may explain the “ku” which follows it, or the “ku” may complement the paragraph, or together they may tell a story.
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​Senryu
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A senryu is a haiku-like poem of humorous or satirical nature dealing with human matters, rather than nature. Remember, however, it must be SF or horror in theme.
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​Tanka
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Tanka are typically 5-7-5-7-7 syllables, and are haiku-like in nature, although the syllable count will not be strictly enforced. Again, these must be SF or horror themed, and should adhere to the scifaiku rules.
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​Art
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Submit your illustration or cover as a jpg or png attachment. Please do not send anything larger than 200KB. Send only one illustration at a time. Note that we only buy a very limited number of art pieces per issue. Please be sure to include SCIFAIKUEST (and ART) in the subject line of your email.
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​Articles
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Submit your articles either in the body of the e-mail or as RTF attachments. Submit one article at a time. Please be sure to include SCIFAIKUEST (and ARTICLE) in the subject line of your e-mail. We’re looking for articles related in some way to one or more of the poetry forms we publish, or related to similar forms such as sijo. We’d like them under 1000 words. We’d like them written with the uninitiated reader in mind [okay, look at it this way: in order for the forms to continue to flourish, we must teach the next generations to appreciate them. ​Wakarimasu ka?]
And yes, we’ll consider longer articles. If in doubt, submit. As to content–for example, we’d love articles about the history of the forms, or short biographies of famous poets, or “how-to” compose. If you have another topic related to something within the scope of the magazine, submit it, please.
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​Guidelines for Illustrations
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We want illustrations and covers that reflect the meditative mood of the poetry. For black-and-white, simple pen-and-ink works well for us. We’d prefer stark, simple illustrations to those with lots of gray shading. If the illustration accompanies a poem, that’s even better.
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​Special Note: At most we will be accepting four b&w illustrations and two color covers/doors.
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​Payment
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We pay on publication. As indicated earlier, we offer minimal pay for now. As we grow, so will the rates. Right now, the rates are as follows:
​Scifaiku: $1.00 each
​Tanka: $1.00 each
​​Haibun: $2.00 each
​​Joined Poetry: $2.00 each
​​One-Breaths: 50 cents each
​​Kanshi: $2.00 each
​​Cinquains: $1.00 each
​​Fibonacci: $1.00 each
​​Other Poetry Forms: $1.00 each
​​Featured Poet: $15.00 total for all featured work
​​Articles: $6.00 each
​​Illustrations: b&w, $4.00 each; color cover or door, $12.00 each.
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​​If your work is published in the print edition, you will also receive a contributor’s copy. If your work is published either online or in print, and you wish to purchase a subscription to Scifaikuest, you will receive a modest discount.
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​How to Submit
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Submit your work to gatrix65@yahoo.com
​Please include a short bio tilted more toward you and less toward where you have been published. Put your contact information in your e-mail.​
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CONTACT INFORMATION EXAMPLE
Leonard Nimoy
6001 W. Centinela Avenue
Culver City, California, 90045
imnotspock@gmail.com
paypal (if any): muchloot@wallet.com
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​If your submission does not include your contact information, Hiraeth Publishing reserves the right to delete your submission unread and without notifying you.
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​Final Advice
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Please heed the guidelines. When in doubt, submit, or at least query. And please be patient…everyone involved here–you, me, the publisher–everyone has day jobs. We’ll try like heck to keep our response times down to one month. If it runs to two months, you might drop us a line.