'Noice Anthology' - Submission Guidelines
Everything You Need to Know
Table of Contents (link headers)
Fiction
Poetry
Visual Art, Comics & Illustration
Music & Audio
Hybrid & Experimental Work
Submission Guidelines
‘ Noice ‘ is a community-powered charity anthology about love and art as resistance. We’re collecting fiction, poetry, visual art, music, narration, and hybrid work centered on connection, sanctuary, chosen family, and survival across borders—literal and metaphorical.
Every accepted piece will be published here as its own free, public post. Contributors keep full rights to their work.
All contributors will donate their work—this is an unpaid, volunteer-run charity anthology. 100% of proceeds support immigration justice organizations
fighting family separation and violence.
If you received a welcome email when you subscribed, you’ve already seen a brief version of these guidelines. This is the complete reference.
Our Timeline
Submissions open March 1, 2026
Submissions close April 21, 2026
Work begins publishing online May 21, 2026
Anthology launch + print window opens June 20, 2026 — World Refugee Day
Print window closes July 20, 2026
If we receive more work than one print volume can hold,
we will set up a second volume in late 2026.
The Theme: Love and Art as Resistance
We’re looking for work that explores love and art as forms of resistance against oppression, marginalization, dehumanization, and hostile systems.
What resistance looks like:
Connection that defies systems designed to isolate or separate
Sanctuary spaces—created, defended, offered
Chosen family protecting each other from hostile forces
Love surviving surveillance, displacement, or state violence
Care as an act of defiance against systems that demand cruelty
Belonging and home-making in hostile territory
Beauty and creation as refusal to be erased
Contexts we welcome: This anthology is not limited to one kind of resistance or one marginalized community. We welcome work that explores:
Immigration, borders, and displacement
LGBTQ+ identity and rights in hostile environments
Disability justice and mutual aid
Racial justice and anti-racism
Anti-authoritarian resistance
Any experience of marginalization where love and art become acts of survival and defiance
We chose to fundraise for immigration justice because right now, in this political moment, immigrant families are under direct attack and need concrete support.
World Refugee Day (June 20) provides a meaningful anchor for this work. But love and art as resistance takes many forms, and we want this anthology to reflect that breadth.
What we are NOT looking for:
Trauma porn (exploitation of suffering for shock value)
Savior narratives (stories that center privileged rescuers over marginalized communities)
Work that centers oppressors sympathetically
Hopelessness without resistance or agency
Work that is substantially AI-generated
Work that celebrates violence, racism, xenophobia, hatred, or any form of oppression
If you’re unsure whether your idea fits, send us a message. We’re happy to discuss.
What We Accept
Fiction
Word counts:
Flash fiction: 500–1,000 words
Short stories: 2,000–5,000 words
Novelettes: up to 8,000 words
Genres accepted: Love has many faces—romantic, familial, communal, chosen family, friendship, self-love, love for place and home. All are welcome here.
Contemporary fiction
Romance (contemporary, historical, speculative)
Erotica (consensual, agency-focused)
Literary fiction
Speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, alternate history)
Magical realism
Family drama
Coming-of-age / YA (age-appropriate)
Horror (if it fits the theme)
Genre-bending and hybrid work
Own voices: When writing about experiences of marginalization—immigration, LGBTQ+ identity, disability, racial justice, or any other lived experience of oppression—we strongly encourage submissions from writers with that lived experience. This is not a requirement, and we welcome all voices. But authenticity matters to us.
If you’re writing from outside a marginalized experience, your work should demonstrate genuine understanding, respect, and attention to avoiding harmful tropes.
Poetry
Any length, any form, any style.
(We love epic ambition, but pieces under 200 lines are easier to publish effectively—if your epic poem is longer, reach out and we’ll discuss.)
Visual Art & Illustration
High-resolution files (we’ll discuss technical specs when you submit). This includes:
Standalone pieces published as their own posts
Illustration for specific stories—interested in collaborating with a writer? Find partners in the #collaborations channel on our Discord.
Cover art candidates
Sequential art or comics
Photography
Digital art
Mixed media
A note on print: The print anthology will include QR codes linking to visual work that accompanies specific stories, as well as art pieces that cannot be reproduced in print. This means your work can be part of the print edition if you so wish, even if it can’t appear on the page directly.
Music & Audio
Original music and audio pieces are welcome—songs, soundscapes, and audio experiments of all kinds.
Music and audio works will be published in two places: as their own standalone posts on the Noice platform, and as episodes of the Noice podcast feed. We’ll work with you on format and embedding.
Interested in collaborating with writers (original scores, audio adaptations, soundscapes for specific stories) or other artists (video, visual accompaniment)?
Find partners in the #collaborations channel on our Discord.
Narration
We encourage narrators to participate.
If you’d like to record a reading of an accepted fiction or poetry piece, we welcome audio submissions for narration once acceptance of the piece is confirmed.
Narrations will be published as podcast episodes and embedded directly on the written work’s original post, so every reader can find them.
Voice requirement: Only human voices will be accepted for narrations. AI-generated voice work will not be published, regardless of quality or editing.
If you’re interested in narrating, find writers looking for collaborators in the #collaborations channel on our Discord—or reach out after acceptance decisions are announced.
Hybrid & Experimental Work
Tell us what you’re making. If it fits the theme, we’ll figure out how to publish it.
Submission Requirements
What to include:
Your work as a document, image file, or audio file — submit edited, polished work ready for publication. We will not be doing heavy editing for grammar, spelling, or structure, though our editor may suggest light revisions before publication.
Your name and/or pen name for attribution — pen names are absolutely accepted and will be used exactly as you provide them.
Where we should link you (Substack, website, social media) — or let us know if you prefer no link. We respect that some authors prefer anonymity.
Print preference — let us know if you’re okay with your work appearing in the printed anthology, or if you prefer online-only publication. Both are fine.
A brief note (1-2 sentences) about your connection to the theme or why you’re submitting this piece. (optional)
Submit through our Google Form: (live on March 1st)
We confirm receipt of all submissions within 48 hours, and acceptance of the work by May 7th, 2026.
Rights and Publication
You will keep full rights to your work. By submitting, you grant us:
Non-exclusive publishing rights on the Noice Substack platform
Non-exclusive publishing rights in the printed anthology editions
Non-exclusive rights to publish audio work as podcast episodes
What this means:
Your work will appear on our platform and (unless you opt out) in the print anthology
You can cross-post or share the Substack post containing your work anytime after it’s published on our platform
You can republish the work itself on other platforms after the anthology volume containing your work is released .
If you opted out of print publication, you can republish after your work goes live on our Substack.
If you want to republish before these dates for specific reasons, contact us.
Print publication: We will endeavor to publish all accepted written work and as much visual art (properly formatted) as possible in printed format. This may require multiple volumes.
The organizers will choose and assemble works for each anthology volume based on thematic coherence and production constraints.
QR codes in the print edition will link to audio, visual, and multimedia work that ties in with specific pieces or cannot be reproduced on the page.
Beyond Writing: Other Ways to Contribute
This anthology needs more than stories. You can offer your time and experience as:
Sensitivity readers — readers with lived experience in the marginalized communities being depicted (immigration, LGBTQ+ identity, disability, racial justice, etc.) who can ensure work is authentic and free of harmful representation.
Editors — developmental editing for longer pieces, copyediting across the anthology.
Narrators — audio recordings of accepted fiction and poetry for podcast publication. Only human voice recordings will be accepted.
Illustrators — we need cover art for the anthology, and we welcome illustrators who want to create work for specific stories.
Cover designer — one person or a team to create the anthology’s visual identity and promotional materials.
Promoters — help spread the work through your platforms and communities.
Musicians and audio artists — original work on the same terms as written submissions.
How Publication Works
Every accepted submission is going to be published on this platform as its own post—free and public.
Each post will include:
The work itself
A short bio and links
Information about the anthology and our charity partners
A direct donation link (when available)
For written work: any associated narration, music, or audio as an embedded podcast episode
Audio and music will be published both as standalone posts and as episodes of the Noice podcast feed, so they’re discoverable by readers and listeners through both channels.
Our Fundraising Model
We are currently finalizing our partnership with our chosen immigration justice organization. All updates about partners, fundraiser details, and donation mechanisms will be shared through this platform as they’re confirmed.
What we are aiming for:
A digital ebook: The complete anthology available through a dedicated fundraiser page. Purchase = direct donation, tracked and receipted.
A limited print edition: Purchasable June 20–July 20, 2026 only. The print edition will include QR codes linking to audio narrations, music, and visual work associated with specific pieces, as well as artwork that cannot be reproduced in print.
Ongoing free digital publication on this platform, with permanent donation links.
Transparency: We will share clear information about where money goes, how much is raised, and what it supports. You’ll know exactly what your work is funding.
Editorial Standards
Quality: We’re looking for work that’s polished, purposeful, and emotionally resonant. This is a professional publication supporting a serious cause. Submit your best work.
Editing: Submit edited, publication-ready work. Our editor may suggest light revisions for clarity or flow, but we do not have capacity for heavy developmental editing or line-by-line grammar corrections.
Sensitivity reading: We prioritize sensitivity reading for work depicting marginalized experiences (immigration, LGBTQ+ identity, disability, racial injustice, etc.) and will match pieces with sensitivity readers who have relevant lived experience whenever possible. Authors must be willing to incorporate feedback when sensitivity reading is provided.
Authenticity over exploitation: Work can explore resistance in many contexts—not all pieces need to center a specific marginalized experience. But for work that does center experiences of marginalization, those stories should center humanity and agency—not use marginalized experiences as emotional backdrop or trauma tourism. Show survival, defiance, and connection—not just suffering.
Hope and resistance: We want work that acknowledges reality while centering survival, connection, and defiance. Not despair without agency.
Final decisions: The organizers and editors have final say on which work is accepted for publication. Acceptance decisions are not subject to appeal, though we’re always happy to discuss feedback directly.
FAQ
Read our FAQs HERE
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
By submitting to Noice, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, which outline how we handle submissions, publication rights, and your personal information.
These are linked at the bottom of every page.
The Organizers
Morgan A.Drake — Epic Fantasy & Dark Speculative Fiction Author
Ed the Editor — Editor & Speculative Fiction Author
For questions and inquiries send us a message.
Share This Project
Know a writer, artist, musician, narrator, or reader who believes in love and art as resistance?
Get them involved!