Publishing : Which literary magazines are best for transgressive fiction submissions?

Hey Dan,

Our own Richard Thomas would be the best person to speak to about this. 

http://litreactor.com/team/richard-thomas

Richard has a lot of experience with submitting shortstories to the marketplace and will be unveiling a new column called 'Storyville' here later this month.

In the meantime, he just completed a writing residency and may be on the boards soon to answer questions like this.

Also, I encourage anyone reading this that knows answers to questions like this to please submit them to our Resources section: http://litreactor.com/workshop/resources

We're trying to really build that section up as a definitive source of help for writers.

Hey guys,

Well, let me see if I can shine a light on this.

Transgressive IMO means anarchy or chaos, an uprising against the rules of society, man, business, etc. This wiki link really gets into some excellent detail:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgressive_fiction

BUT, while Duotrope.com is a fantastic site, and a resource that I use all of the time, trying to pin down a story that is trangressive, where to send it? Very difficult.

I'd try to fine the nearest majore genre that is similar. Does your story lean towards horror? Then I'd try some places like Shimmer, Shock Totem, ChiZine or Shroud. Does it lean towards crime? Then I'd try Crime Factory, Ellery Queen, Alfred Hithcock, Needle, Big Lucks, Spinetingler, etc. If it's on the literary side, I'd try Juked, Hobart, Barrelhouse, 3:AM, Bat City Review, Cream City Review, The Pinch, Black Clock, Gargoyle, etc. And if it's just cool and quirky, maybe even experimental, try Annalemma, Dark Sky, Caketrain, GUD, Camera Obscura, Harpur Palate, PANK, redivider, etc.

Here's a link to my ongoing list, you can always peruse this, but it covers a wide range of genres and sub-genres from horror, sf and fantasy to literary, magical realism, and crime:

http://whatdoesnotkillme.com/2009/07/28/richards-submissions/

Best thing you can do is try to read what's out there, and see what style is closest to what you're doing. It's tricky, and takes time, and a bit of money too, but well worth it. Also, go to AWP if you can, the next conference is here in Chicago (March 2012). The bookfair really gives you a sense of the massive, but finite, scope of the literary world today.

Hope this helps.

@brandon-TNB doesn't really publish a lot of fiction.

@dan-thanks

@bradley-yes, for sure guys, BDTDAEATC is fantastic, and I owe Bradley for pointing me towards Opium with a story I sent them, it was my first story I ever published.

Thanks, Richard.

Actually I recently decided that the next issue of Bust (which should be out next month) will be the last issue that I'll be working on as the Editor-in-Chief. I have someone who is most likely taking over, and if that doesn't work out, I'll look for someone else. Although I'll continue to work on it to assist the new "head honcho" with things that she's inexperienced with until I'm no longer needed, along with most likely updating the journal's website whenever necessary.

Thanks.