Call for Stories for Found Family Anthology

 

For many, the winter holidays are a time of family gatherings, significant others meeting parents, and reminiscing with aunts, uncles, and cousins about childhood memories. The winter holidays can be a reminder of harsh rejection and shame. And with many holiday movies, books, and shows centering around love and rejection, the feeling of loneliness can be exasperated for those still in the closet or coming to terms with their identity.

 

For this anthology, we want to change that narrative—to give the non traditional  communities –LGBTQ+, Goth, polyamorous, “bohemian,” --hope that although a present moment may feel dark and gloomy, there’s always a family to be found and a sense of home, and sometimes real joy, which is what the holidays are truly about.

 

We’re seeking short stories which take place during the winter holidays—doesn’t have to be Christmas—which feature youth and adults who have found a sense of home within friends, coworkers, a community organization or perhaps even within oneself.

 

We seek to have stories which capture a holiday spirit unique to the nontraditional experience, centering around finding peace with one’s own identity and/or finding a family (or space) to call your own.

 

If you have a story of capturing a moment of peace and a feeling of belonging, that’s perfect. Have a story where a holiday didn’t go as planned, but your character(s) friend’s turned it around and made it a moment to always remember? Send it in. Even a story centered around the complex relationship between a parent and their child struggling to understand each other will work. Stories dealing with intersecting identities and the way in which they interact are also welcomed.

 

The anthology will be published by Riverdale Avenue books in both epub and print December 2021 (print if time allows). All authors will receive print and digital copies, as well as a $10 advance upon publication.

 

Please send double-spaced word doc submissions of up to 5,000 words to  submissions@riverdaleavebooks.com with the word “Found Family Anthology” in the address line by December 10, if not before.