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Submit to Illino!
What kind of work are we looking for?
This cycle, we’re looking for submissions that push the bounds of language and indigenous stories! What does it mean to really represent African thought in English? What does it mean to expand local folklore, proverbs, and riddles through your writing? If your work is linguistically innovative, if it plays on commonly told stories, or if it sits on the fringe of familiar and new, then send it our way! Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Here’s some of our work that plays around with language and folklore:
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All Genres are Welcome!
Final Notes
Compensation
Compensation for work starts at $20.
Submission Formatting
Learn more about how you can format your short story submission using this online article
Please contact us with any questions you have
We look forward to receiving your submission!
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The Smell of Dead Things is a psycho-philosophical look at a young woman’s life, shaped by the traumatic impact of violent childhood abuse. After her father’s death, she struggles to build a new life. However, one night, the line between past and present spontaneously blurs, and she descends into insanity. In a fit of madness, she returns to her father's house to exorcise the evil that has clung to her. But can there be a fouler darkness than the stench of attachment? The Smell of Dead Things probes the metaphysics of trauma, individuality, and freedom.