I am so excited to be editing an anthology I’ve had in mind for a long time. Women of the Weird West will be coming out from Brigids Gate Press in 2027, and I can’t think of a better partner for this project!
We already have a fantastic line-up of authors, listed below, with more to be announced soon!
The limited open submission call will be open April 1, 2025. In particular, we are hoping for more flash fiction, drabbles and poetry. The full submission guidelines are below.
To stay updated on this project and other releases, subscribe to my monthly newsletter here.
Authors Announced So Far
- Eugen Bacon
- V. Castro
- Nicole Givens Kurtz
- Donna J.W. Munro
- Stephanie Rabig
- Rebecca Rowland
- Tammy Salyer
- Mathilda Zeller
Submission Guidelines
Women of the Weird West
Publisher: Brigids Gate Press
Editor: KC Grifant
Release Date: Planned for June 16th , 2026
What We Are Seeking
Traditionally, women authors have been vastly underrepresented in westerns and weird westerns, so this anthology will highlight diverse women-identifying authors and non-binary authors and their speculative western short stories.
We are looking for original Weird West stories. These should be generally set in what approximates the “Old West” location and timeframe (North America circa late 1800s) and should have a strong speculative element, such as horror, fantasy and/or sci-fi.
We are most interested in pulpy, unexpected, character-driven stories and are open to some weird westerns set outside the typical historical time period and setting (e.g., space westerns) as long as there are strong Old West aesthetics and inspiration.
The goal of this anthology is to showcase a diverse group of Old West stories beyond the typical archetypes. We strongly encourage women, women-identifying and nonbinary writers of all backgrounds to submit regardless of writing experience. We are interested in showcasing emerging writers as well as established writers for this anthology.
Potential Inspirations/vibes
Prey, The Warrior (TV series), The Harder They Fall, Godless, Power of the Dog, The Winds, The Quick and the Dead, Back to the Future 3, Dead in the West, Jonah Hex, The Dark Tower, Deadlands, The Good, The Bad & the Uncanny: Tales of a Very Weird West
Submission Window
April 1, 2025 through April 30, 2025
Word Count
Stories: Up to 5,000 words. No minimum length. 2,000 words is an ideal target.
Poems: Up to 32 lines
Drabbles: 100 words
Compensation
Stories: 10¢ per word
Poems: $50
Drabbles: $50
Paid via PayPal
One complimentary paperback copy of the anthology
One complimentary epub of the anthology
Please Do Not Send
-Stories that include child abuse/pedophilia.
-Stories that are racist, homophobic, transphobic, or that promote hate rhetoric of any kind. (Stories dealing with these themes in sensitive and thoughtful ways are fine.)
-Extreme sex/violence or graphic details included solely for shock value. There are plenty of publication avenues for splatter horror and extreme horror; this is not one of them. Think rated R or PG-13, not rated X.
-Copyrighted characters or fan fiction. Stories that feature historic figures in the public domain is fine.
-AI or generative AI-assisted stories.
There are certain types of stories that will be hard sells, mostly because they have been done too often:
-Stories featuring overused historic characters (e.g., Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp). If you want to draw from history, please have a very fresh take or go for lesser-known historic figures, like Thorny Rose, the Bandit Queen, Buffalo Calf Road Woman, etc.
-Stories with Old West components that have been overdone and/or are problematic, such as the prostitute with the heart of gold; indigenous healer; haunted burial ground; Wendigos.
-Stories that contain only male characters. For a “Women of the Weird West” anthology, we are hoping to spotlight interesting, complex women characters.
-Stories that use harmful stereotypes or are not thoughtful about portrayals of land theft, indigenous groups and marginalized people. Accepted stories with indigenous characters or elements will be reviewed by a sensitivity reader.
Reprints
No
Simultaneous Submissions
Yes
Multiple Submissions
No
Additional Information
The anthology will include a mix of stories from invited contributors and an open call, with around 25% of the anthology’s accepted stories from the open call.
Formatting Guidelines:
1. Standard manuscript format (double-spaced, 12pt, Garamond).
2. Word format (.docx)
3. Your work must be an attachment, do not include in the body of the email.
4. In the body of your email, please include a short author bio and any applicable content warnings.
KC Grifant 