Catherine Austen's Blog

There are a few days left for young writers in Quebec to submit their work to Quist, the youth writing magazine of the Quebec Writers’ Federation.

The deadline to submit to the 3rd issue of Quist is October 20th, so don’t dally. This great new litmag considers poetry, fiction up to 3500 words, creative non-fiction, art and comics. Eligible writers and artists must reside in Quebec and be between 14 and 21 years old. Read the full guidelines on the Quist submissions page.

Check out the first two issues while you’re on the Quist website. The magazine is free to read online, though donations are appreciated.

If you’re a young writer in Ottawa, you’re not eligible to submit to Quist but there’s another opportunity coming up for you: The Ottawa Public Library’s annual Awesome Authors Contest will be held again in early 2026. More to come on that when the contest opens — but you can get working on your stories, poems, and comics right now.

And check out my list of Young Writers’ Markets. Good luck.

I just updated my list of Short Fiction Markets, so it’s only fitting to add a post on where you can submit your stories this summer. There’s a lot of opportunity out there!

The following Canadian litmags are open for submissions in July and August.

This first batch is time-sensitive, with just a few days or weeks left in each magazine’s open submission period. So get writing your cover letters!

The Ampersand Review is open to stories up to 3000 words until July 31st. Augur will be open to speculative stories up to 5000 words throughout August. Carte Blanche is open to fiction up to 3500 words on the theme of “Transformation” until August 11th. Event is open to fiction up to 5000 words until August 1st. Freefall is open all summer to fiction up to 4000 wrods. Geist is open to ’90s-themed fiction up to 5000 words until August 1st.long con magazine is open to art-inspired fiction up to 3000 words until August 15th (just extended!). Room is open to women’s fiction up to 3500 words on the theme of “Science” until they reach their cap, which could be any minute now. sub-Terrain is open to fiction up to 3000 words until August 15th. The/tEmz/Review is open to fiction up to 10,000 words until July 31st. The Walrus is open to fiction up to 5000 words until July 31st. Yolk is open to fiction up to 4000 words until July 31st.

This second batch of magazines has no set deadline. Some are open year-round; others close occasionally. But all of them are open right now. So why wait? Get your submission ready.

Agnes and True is open to fiction up to 3500 words.Blank Spaces is open to fiction up to 3000 words.The Dalhousie Review is open to fiction up to 8000 words. Dreamer’s Creative Writing is open to fiction up to 2500 words. Fusion Fragment is always open to original speculative fiction. The Maple Tree Literary Supplement might be open — it’s hard to tell from the website. Nunum is open to flash fiction up to 500 words. Prism is open to fiction up to 4000 words. The Ex-Puritan is open to fiction up to 10,000 words. The Queen’s Quarterly is open to fiction up to 3,000 words. Riddle Fence is open to fiction up to 3000 words. The White Wall Review is open to fiction up to 6000 words.

Be sure to check the guidelines on each litmag website to make sure your work is a good fit and to learn their preferred formatting.

And remember that my lists are for fiction writers, and not even all of those — just the magazines I’m eligible to submit to. You might be eligible for other litmags that publish short stories from other demographics (like Ricepaper or Plenitude). And there are many other magazines that publish poetry or non-fiction. Search them out. Or find them handily listed on the National Magazine Awards website.

If you’re not ready to submit just yet, check out my full litmag list later in the year. There’s always something opening up.

Good luck!

Short Fiction Markets

(Coincidentally, none of the four magazines in my banner photo are open for submissions right now. TNQ is technically open but its submission cap has been reached. The Fiddlehead and Prairie Fire will open in September and The Humber Literary Review will follow sometime in the fall or winter.)

Visit each magazine’s website and subscribe to their newsletters to get the word on new issues, contests, and submission calls. And subscribe to a magazine or two, to support the enormous work required to bring a few good stories into the world.

I just updated my list of Short Fiction Markets, so it’s only fitting to add a post on where you can submit your stories this summer. There’s a lot of opportunity out there!

The following Canadian litmags are open for submissions in July and August.

This first batch is time-sensitive, with just a few days or weeks left in each magazine’s open submission period. So get writing your cover letters!

The Ampersand Review is open to stories up to 3000 words until July 31st. Augur will be open to stories up to 5000 words throughout August. Carte Blanche is open to fiction up to 3500 words on the theme of “Transformation” until August 11th. Event is open to fiction up to 5000 words until August 1st. Freefall is open all summer to fiction up to 4000 wrods. Geist is open to ’90s-themed fiction up to 5000 words until August 1st.long con magazine is open to art-inspired fiction up to 3000 words until July 31st. Room is open to fiction up to 3500 words on the theme of “Science” until they reach their cap, which could be any minute now. sub-Terrain is open to fiction up to 3000 words until August 15th. The/tEmz/Review is open to fiction up to 10,000 words until July 31st. The Walrus is open to fiction up to 5000 words until July 31st. Yolk is open to fiction up to 4000 words until July 31st.

This second batch of magazines has no set deadline. Some are open year-round; others close occasionally. But all of them are open right now. So why wait? Get your submission ready.

Agnes and True is open to fiction up to 3500 words.Blank Spaces is open to fiction up to 3000 words.The Dalhousie Review is open to fiction up to 8000 words. Dreamer’s Creative Writing is open to fiction up to 2500 words. Fusion Fragment is always open to original speculative fiction. The Maple Tree Literary Supplement might be open — it’s hard to tell from the website. Nunum is open to flash fiction up to 500 words. Prism is open to fiction up to 4000 words. The Ex-Puritan is open to fiction up to 10,000 words. The Queen’s Quarterly is open to fiction up to 3,000 words. Riddle Fence is open to fiction up to 3000 words. The White Wall Review is open to fiction up to 6000 words.

Be sure to check the guidelines on each litmag website to make sure your work is a good fit and to learn their preferred formatting.

And remember that my lists are for fiction writers, and not even all of those — just the magazines I’m eligible to submit to. You might be eligible for other litmags that publish short stories from other demographics (like Ricepaper or Plenitude). And there are many other magazines that publish poetry or non-fiction. Search them out. Or find them handily listed on the National Magazine Awards website.

If you’re not ready to submit just yet, check out my full litmag list later in the year. There’s always something opening up.

Good luck!

Short Fiction Markets

(Coincidentally, none of the four magazines in my banner photo are open for submissions right now. TNQ is technically open but its submission cap has been reached. The Fiddlehead and Prairie Fire will open in September and The Humber Literary Review will follow sometime in the fall or winter.)

Visit each magazine’s website and subscribe to their newsletters to get the word on new issues, contests, and submission calls. And subscribe to a magazine or two, to support the enormous work required to bring a few good stories into the world.

I’m pleased to have a new story freshly published in the latest issue of DarkWinter Literary Magazine.

DarkWinter Literary Magazine publishes fiction and poetry online, with new works every week. My story, “Everything Goes Wrong,” came out on Monday, and it’s my second story in their digital pages. (My story, “Social Animals” was featured last year.)

DarkWinter publishes short works by new and emerging writers, and they especially like pieces with a twist. All the stories in this fab litmag are under 2000 words (the poems are under 500), so you can fit them easily into your reading day. It’s free to read online, so check out DarkWinter.

If you’d like your story or poem featured in a future issue, check out the DarkWinter Literary Magazine guidelines and look for their next open submission call. (As well as the magazine, DarkWinter Press publishes novels, novellas, and collections of fiction and poetry — check out the DarkWinter Press guidelines.)

“Everything Goes Wrong” began with a point-of-view prompt: to address a killer in second person. The story doesn’t exactly comply — they’re prompts, not instructions, right? — but it is written in second-person and it is about a murder. Sort of. It’s the only story I’ve ever written in second person, and figuring out the narrative voice was intriguing.

I rarely use prompts, but I always enjoy the process when I do it. It’s kind of like yoga that way. And in some cases, like this one, the effort eventually snowballs into a story. So if you’re looking for a writing prompt, I recommend this one: write a story in second person where the “you” you’re addressing is a murderer. (Or sort of.)

Among my many files is another story I’m working on that began with a point-of-view prompt, this one to write in first-person plural. Yup, that’s “we.” It’s a super creepy narrative voice, unless you’re talking royalty (which has its own sort of creepiness). I highly recommend that one, too. Try it. As soon as you start out with “we,” you’ll get a little creeped out. And that’s always a fun writing experience.

I’ll be writing more stories this year, thanks to a creation grant the Canada Council for the Arts awarded me to complete and compile a collection of stories about aging. (“Everything Goes Wrong” is not about aging. It won’t be in this collection. Maybe the next one.)

Have a fabulous Friday.

I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

I’m pleased to have a new story freshly published in the latest issue of chouette.

The lovely chouette logo — so intriguing to use a mouse, the owl’s prey…

The third issue of chouette, Winter 2025, has just been released, and it has a theme: “bare.” Over 70 gorgeous pages of poetry, prose, and graphics that bare themselves in myriad vulnerable, emotional, gripping ways. I’ve had the chance to read the whole issue this week, and I’m so impressed, and so proud to be in its pages. Check it out — chouette is free to read online (though donations are appreciated!).

Chouette is a new Montreal-based online literary magazine run by four fab editors who say they’re “drawn to pieces that concern themselves with the little things—the day-to-day minutiae that make our nests.” Authors in this winter’s issue come from all over the globe. If you’d like to be in a future issue, check out their guidelines online and keep an eye on the website for new submission calls later this year.

Though this is my newest publication, I wrote “November” from a VERY old draft. (Like decades old. Who-wrote-this? old). I found the old manuscript in a file last year, while purging papers, and I saw a way to rewrite it, re-envisioning it from my older (more jaded?) point of view. I cut the word count by two-thirds, stripped the original story’s romantic worldview, and changed the narrator’s character by asking, What if she was really, realistically, selfish? What would her unexpected encounter with this achingly vulnerable young person feel like to her? The result is a sad story, and one that bares both of its protagonists. I’m so pleased that it’s included in chouette‘s “bare” issue.

I have two more stories forthcoming in 2025 — I’ll blog about those when the time comes. And I’ll be writing many more stories this year, thanks to a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. I was just awarded a creation grant to write and compile a collection of stories about aging. (“November” is not about aging. It won’t be in the collection. Not this collection….) I’ll blog more about the grant this Spring. For now, a huge thank you to the Canada Council for the Arts.

Happy Spring! (Or as best as you can manage in the current political climate….)

I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

The Ottawa Public Library’s Awesome Authors Youth Writing Contest is open for entries! Young writers of the nation’s capital, we want to read your stories, poems, and comics. Send them in before midnight on February 28th for a chance to win prizes and publication.

The Awesome Authors contest is open to Ottawa youth writing in English or French, in two age groups: 9-12 and 13-18. There are seven submission categories: short story; nouvelle; poetry; poésie; comic; bande dessinée; and book cover. Ambitious writers and artists can submit one of everything!

I’ll be judging English fiction in the 9-12 age category again this year — and I want to read your story.

Other judges this year are Apollo the Child; Amelinda Bérubé; Pierre-Luc Bélanger; and Éric Péladeau. (Yes, it’s the same awesome crew as last year — why mess with a good thing?) Check everyone out on the Ottawa Public Library’s YouTube channel.

All judges are offering free writing workshops to help you get started, at library branches across the city. Find the full schedule and registration links on the OPL Events page. My short story workshop will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, February 8th, at the Stittsville branch. I hope to see you there.

The contest deadline is well over a month away, which gives you lots of time to make your writing shine. Be sure to read all the rules before submitting. (Don’t go over the 1000-word limit!) Details are on the Awesome Authors page of the Ottawa Public Library website.

Check out the winning pieces and covers from past years anthologized in Pot-pourri, published annually by the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association.

Your work could be in this year’s anthology. Good luck!

I’m pleased to have a new story freshly published in the latest issue of The /tƐmz/ Review.

The /tƐmz/ Review is an online literary journal from London, Ontario, celebrating its 29th issue this week. It’s free to read online — so check out my story, “Night Life.” (And all the other pieces, too!)

I’ve had several stories published this year: in DarkWinter and the Humber Literary Review in the spring, and in the Fiddlehead and The /tƐmz/ Review this fall. I have two more stories forthcoming in 2025 — I’ll blog about those when the time comes.

My latest story, “Night Life,” is a spiral into madness (my favourite story structure!) sparked by grief. It references violence and suicide, so it’s not for everyone, but I hope you’ll read it. I’m thrilled to see it in The /tƐmz/ Review. It’s my first time in their pages. They publish an eclectic mix of fine writing — and you can read the whole issue for free. (They publish chapbooks, too. They’re extremely dedicated.)

Canada lost a couple of writers’ magazines this year (Mystery Magazine folded; Broken Pencil closed; the Windsor Review and the Minola Review are still on hiatus, and the Antigonish Review and longcon also appear to be on hiatus since 2023). Heavy sigh. I’m glad to see The /tƐmz/ Review still going strong. It’s a labour of love putting a litmag together, and I’m hugely grateful to this editorial team for including my work in their pages.

If you also write short fiction, check out my updated Canadian LitMag List and submit something today. If you write poetry or prose, The /tƐmz/ Review is open for submissions now, until the end of January, for their 30th issue. Good luck! And happy holidays!

(BTW, the photo on this blog banner is actually of the Gatineau River, near me. You can find photos of Ontario’s Thames and England’s more famous Thames on the web. I try to use all my own photos on this blog. I might have some old photos of England’s Thames in a box in my closet, but I’m too lazy to look.

I’m pleased to have a new story freshly published in the latest issue of The /tƐmz/ Review.

The /tƐmz/ Review is an online literary journal from London, Ontario, celebrating its 29th issue this week. It’s free to read online — so check out my story, “Night Life.” (And all the other pieces, too!)

I’ve had several stories published this year: in DarkWinter and the Humber Literary Review in the spring, and in the Fiddlehead and The /tƐmz/ Review this fall. I have two more stories forthcoming in 2025 — I’ll blog about those when the time comes.

My latest story, “Night Life,” is a spiral into madness (my favourite story structure!) sparked by grief. It references violence and suicide, so it’s not for everyone, but I hope you’ll read it. I’m thrilled to see it in The /tƐmz/ Review. It’s my first time in their pages. They publish an eclectic mix of fine writing — and you can read the whole issue for free. (They publish chapbooks, too. They’re extremely dedicated.)

Canada lost a couple of writers’ magazines this year (Mystery Magazine folded; Broken Pencil closed; the Windsor Review and the Minola Review are still on hiatus, and the Antigonish Review and longcon also appear to be on hiatus since 2023). Heavy sigh. I’m glad to see The /tƐmz/ Review still going strong. It’s a labour of love putting a litmag together, and I’m hugely grateful to this editorial team for including my work in their pages.

If you also write short fiction, check out my updated Canadian LitMag List and submit something today. If you write poetry or prose, The /tƐmz/ Review is open for submissions now, until the end of January, for their 30th issue. Good luck! And happy holidays!

(BTW, the photo on this blog banner is actually of the Gatineau River, near me. You can find photos of Ontario’s Thames and England’s more famous Thames on the web. I try to use all my own photos on this blog. I might have some old photos of England’s Thames in a box in my closet, but I’m too lazy to look.

I’m pleased to have a new story freshly published in this season’s Fiddlehead.

Cover Image: Erica Beyea

The Fiddlehead is one of Canada’s oldest litmags, established in 1945. It’s published quarterly, in print, out of the University of New Brunswick. And it’s always a beautiful read.

I’ve had a couple of stories its pages, including “Mr. Boots” in 2017 and “The Squabbit” in 2019.

My new story, “Everything Hangs by a Thread,” is a speculative piece about art and aging and one woman’s unorthodox method of embracing the former and avoiding the latter. Here’s an excerpt:

(I love that artist character — it doesn’t feel like I made her up; it feels like she lives in the Pontiac woods somewhere north of me, revelling in life. You’ll have to read the story to learn just how much revelling she does. The suburban visitors don’t stand a chance against her.)

I hope to publish a collection about aging one day. (I’m not yet 60. I have a bit of time.) That’s the theme of many of my recent stories: how the inevitable comes as a shock.

In the meantime, it’s a treat to have my stories published individually in journals like this, among dozens of contemporary pieces by diverse writers. Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction — I do love a good litmag.

If you also write short fiction, check out my Canadian LitMag List and submit something today.

If you write poetry, now’s the time to submit to The Fiddlehead’s annual Poetry Contest.

And if you read fiction or poetry, why not subscribe to The Fiddlehead?

I hope you have a chance to read this issue. Join the editors and contributors at the virtual launch on November 21st. See you there!

I’m pleased to have a new story freshly published in this season’s Fiddlehead.

Cover Image: Erica Beyea

The Fiddlehead is one of Canada’s oldest litmags, established in 1945. It’s published quarterly, in print, out of the University of New Brunswick. And it’s always a beautiful read.

I’ve had a couple of stories its pages, including “Mr. Boots” in 2017 and “The Squabbit” in 2019.

My new story, “Everything Hangs by a Thread,” is a speculative piece about art and aging and one woman’s unorthodox method of embracing the former and avoiding the latter. Here’s an excerpt:

(I love that artist character — it doesn’t feel like I made her up; it feels like she lives in the Pontiac woods somewhere north of me, revelling in life. You’ll have to read the story to learn just how much revelling she does. The suburban visitors don’t stand a chance against her.)

I hope to publish a collection about aging one day. (I’m not yet 60. I have a bit of time.) That’s the theme of many of my recent stories: how the inevitable comes as a shock.

In the meantime, it’s a treat to have my stories published individually in journals like this, among dozens of contemporary pieces by diverse writers. Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction — I do love a good litmag.

If you also write short fiction, check out my Canadian LitMag List and submit something today.

If you write poetry, now’s the time to submit to The Fiddlehead’s annual Poetry Contest.

And if you read fiction or poetry, why not subscribe to The Fiddlehead?

I hope you have a chance to read this issue. Join the editors and contributors at the virtual launch on November 21st. See you there!