PLEASE READ THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES & FAQs CAREFULLY

Submissions are now open for issue #5 of catflap, Outburst’s acclaimed annual publication of smart new queer writing with a disco heart.

Catflap is a space for exciting queer thinking, beyond the academic and where pop culture meets queer ideas and feral tenderness. We want queer writing where queer isn’t just an identity, but a crafty method, a sideways strategy, a horny practice in writing and life. We expect the unexpected and we’re excited by your excitement: whether that’s in your use of language; your subject matter; or the connections you make between personal and political — public and private — nows and thens — heres and theres — reality and imagination.

catflap #5 is edited by author So Mayer and will be launched with a special event as part of  Outburst Queer Art Festival 2025, November 14 – 22.

catflap is a print only publication, distributed internationally by Public Knowledge Books. Issues 2, 3 and 4 are now available in 33 bookshops, arts centres and galleries across the world. A full list of stockists is available here.

WHAT YOU CAN SUBMIT

1. Completed essays of 1500-5000 words
2. Two or three poems (max)
3. Essay pitches

The deadline for completed submissions (essays or poems) is midday on Monday June 30.

The deadline for essay pitches is midday on Monday June 9.

We accept pitches for essay submissions from writers who can provide examples of previously published work (physical or online). If your pitch is selected, you will have until June 30 to submit a first draft.

Writers submitting a pitch must provide a single PDF which includes a brief artist bio, a pitch of up to 300 words, and 3 links to previously published work. Please read the FAQ below for full information on submitting pitches, as we won’t accept pitches that fall outside the guidelines.

All catflap submissions must be the original work of the author and not previously published elsewhere in part or in full, in printed or digital format. Intellectual property of the work will remain with the writer; however, Outburst Arts reserves the right to be the sole publisher of the work for a minimum of two years from the date of publication.

All selected contributors will receive a fee.

Email your work in Word or PDF format only to hello@outburstarts.com with the email subject line CATFLAP SUBMISSION 2025.

Please note that we don’t accept links to download submissions from Dropbox, Googledrive, Onedrive, etc. You must attach your submission to your email.

FAQs

What kinds of writing are you looking for?

A great way to understand the vibe of catflap is to check out previous issues, which you can find in bookstores and galleries locally and internationally, and also via our online shop. If you’re in Belfast, Paperxclips has copies for you to browse.

We want the poems and essays that are ready to burst out of your catflap and into the world. We’re here for the ideas and images that feel too wild, too weird, too fired-up, too tender, too gorgeous, too radical, too queer for anywhere else. Whether you’re pure ragin’, on a rager, always thinking about OutRage, or simply outrageous, send us your rage for our shared queer world. Dazzle, disrupt & delight us.

How unexpected?

We’re looking for great queer writing, so we’re unlikely to accept submissions that are predominantly visual – but we are excited by great queer writing about visual arts, film and performance, and these can include illustrations.

Do you accept fiction or short stories?

Nope, just essays and poetry. We love hybrid or experimental essay forms – for example lyric essays, autofiction, creative non-fiction – so the lines can blur a little.

Do you accept writing from anywhere in the world?

Yes! Outburst Arts and catflap are based in Belfast (Northern Ireland/ North of Ireland) and while we have a strong focus in catflap on writers and artists from this region, usually up to half of the publication is from writers beyond this place.

Do you accept writing in languages other than English?

catflap is predominantly an English language publication but we do accept English translations of work originally written in another language. If the work is published, we will include a version in the language in which it was written.

What’s your policy on AI?

catflap will not accept genAI submissions or translations because commercial genAIs are environmentally destructive theft machines. If you use legitimate assistive AI apps such as Otter for speech-to-text transcription, translation, or other access needs, for our information please include a short statement with your submission, naming the apps used and how you’ve used them.

I’m a University student who has written essays for class but I’ve not been published online or in a physical publication. Can I submit a pitch?

No. Pitch submissions are only for writers who have had their work published in physical publications or online, and can provide examples of this. If you are a university student who hasn’t been published yet, you can still submit a fully completed work by the regular deadline, June 30.

How does the pitch process work?

By MIDDAY on MONDAY JUNE 9, send us a single PDF or Word document that includes:

• a short artist bio
• a pitch of up to 300 words
• a provisional title and a projected length for the final essay (min. 1500 words – max. 5000 words)
• 3 links to previously published work (pieces up to 3000 words).
  • For work published offline, please send us legible photographs or PDFs of the work in print; for work published online behind a paywall or on defunct sites, please send legible screenshots or PDFs.

After we receive all your pitches by MIDDAY JUNE 9, we’ll review them and respond within 3 working days. If we take your pitch, you will receive a detailed response from the editor, and have ONE MONTH to complete the essay by JULY 10.

By JUNE 30, the editor will expect to see a first draft to discuss and OK, before final submission on JULY 10. Completed submissions will then be reviewed by the editor, and will require a quick turnaround from the author for any changes needed.

I want to submit but I’m struggling to get started… What should I do?

Here’s a line for you to begin with: “I have a part of your body on my mouth.”

Who’s this new editor?

So Mayer (they/them) is a writer, editor, bookseller, film curator and organiser. You might have come across some of their collaborative editorial projects such as queer SFFH smut anthology Unreal Sex, co-edited with Adam Zmith for Cipher Press; Silver Press’s anthology of Ursula K. Le Guin’s feminist essays Space Crone, co-edited with Sarah Shin; Club Des Femmes’ online magazine of queer feminist pop culture, Culture Club; or Catechism: Poems for Pussy Riot (in English and Russian), co-edited with Sarah Crewe and Madailín Burnhope for English PEN. Their most recent books are Truth & Dare, a collection of speculative non-fiction from Cipher, and A Nazi Word for a Nazi Thing, a pocket essay about queer cinema against censorship, from Peninsula Press. Find out more at somayer.net.