Announcing the Autumn 2024 ToC!

The ToC for our Autumn 2024 issue (coming November 10!) has arrived!

ISSUE 10 COVER - FINAL

In our tenth issue, twenty-two artists appreciate the emotional state of post-abandonment. Sasquatches, mermaids, forgotten street dwellers, siblings and jobseekers all feel sadness, longing, and despair. But although abandonment may feel like a death knell, we shouldn’t underestimate its positive power: Sometimes, things are left behind for reasons.

If you’re feeling left behind as the grayer days of autumn darken into winter, 34 Orchard’s Autumn 2024 issue may offer the camaraderie and light you seek.

Cover Art: Between Worlds – Sonali Roy

Attn Attn – Nichole Lightner

Connection – Yash Seyedbagheri

Things We Did on the Internet – Beth Boylan

Dolphin – T.L. Antoff

Medium Fries – Jilian Elisabeth

When I Scramble Eggs – Jacqueline Jules

Our Parents’ Children – Mia Scattergood

Shantytown – Gordon Linzner

The Day After – Claire Francis Collier

A Stranger in Winter – Rob Francis

The Dark Reflection – Melina Ekic

No Sanctuary – David H. West

Meeting Mary Bloody Thighs in a Convenience Store in Arkansas – Josie Levin

Let Him Roll – Sarah Bradley

When Nature Calls – Craig Thornton

Gardens – Kevin J. Fellows

Mother, Father, Us – Miel MacRae

The Museum – Gregory L. Norris

For Only an Hour – Susan Brush Jonas

Selling the House – Rasha Abdulhadi

Footprint – Kyle E. Miller

Arrives here https://34orchard.com/issues/ on our issues page on November 10!

Like your existential cosmic/weird? HPLFF has what you’re looking for!

HP Lovecraft Film Festival 2024 Banner

Hello, 34O readers…it’s Kristi (Founding Editor).

Cosmic, at its core, is existential. Cosmic literature deals with many heavy themes, including the knowledge that should not be known, the futility of the human existence, and the consequences of generational trauma (and that’s just naming a few). Much of what we publish in 34 Orchard—although we publish all genres, not just cosmic—deals with these themes, so we think the H.P. LOVECRAFT FILM FESTIVAL & CTHULUTHON—which we’ve loved for years—would be of interest to our readership who might like their existential cocktails laced with a bit of shinyweird. We’ve seen a LOT of really excellent, thought-provoking, emotional content in this festival’s line-up year after year.

That said, the KICKSTARTER FOR THE H.P. LOVECRAFT FILM FESTIVAL & CTHULUTHON 2024 IS NOW LIVE! This year’s theme is Dunwich Harvest Festival and includes several hours of short and feature-length films, Q&A’s with filmmakers, and panel presentations.

The virtual option—happening on a computer or phone near you!—is from October 18-22, while the in-person option at the historic Hollywood Theater in Portland, OR is October 4-6.

Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hplffpdx/h-p-lovecraft-film-fest-and-cthulhu-con-harvest-in-dunwich

One of the big honors for me this year is that I was asked to participate in 2024’s Challenge from Beyond, which will be published in the annual Microfiction Contest Winners volume! If you get your tickets through Kickstarter, the book is one of the add-ons.

The Kickstarter only runs through September 22nd, so be sure and hurry and get your package and exclusive goodies now! YES, TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE after the Kickstarter, but why wait? You can only get the goodies through the Kick, folks! If you DO decide to wait, be sure to sign up for their mailing list so you know when they’re available: https://hplfilmfestival.com/

Back to School: Upcoming Can’t-Miss Writing Classes from Almond, ASF

Lately I’ve been feeling restless and wanting to take some writing classes—we all know that, as writers, not only is it like having homework for the rest of our lives, we’re never done learning.

I’ve signed up for Steve Almond’s Almond Joy: A Trio of Classes to Kickstart Your Writing courses at Writing Co-Lab below, and wanted not only to share the opportunity out there with our 34 Orchard followers (many of you are writers), but also to tell you that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND his new book—Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories.

Almond - Truth is the Arrow

One of the reasons our readers love 34 Orchard is that in its pages they find something with which to connect—and Steve’s book is right in line where that’s concerned. No matter where you are in your writing career, I can guarantee you’ll find something in here that makes you stand up and scream, ‘yes! I GET that! That’s ME!’ Steve’s style is irreverent and forthright and so much fun to read as well; in addition, there’s a real focus on the writing journey and how to connect with your inner passion (because that’s really what makes writing sing—nobody likes to read emotionally dead stuff, am I right?)—it’s evident in the subtext. I’m careful about what I recommend, the same way I’m careful about what we publish—it’s got to be GREAT or the answer’s no. This book? This is a must-read, and a must-have. You can pick it up here.

I’m confident these classes of Steve’s are going to be just as awesome. I studied under him at a conference in Miami (back in 2009) for a whole week, and it was amazing. There are things I learned in that class that I still use actively today, so I’m eager to attend these sessions! It’s $259 (with the fee) for all three sessions, or just $95/each. The classes will meet on Zoom Tuesdays September 3, 10, and 17.

If you’re interested, you can sign up for it at this link (it’s limited to 30 students, so hopefully it’s still available): https://www.writingco-lab.com/classes/almond-joy-a-trio-of-classes-to-kickstart-your-writing-with-steve-almond

I also plan to sign up for American Short Fiction’s MFA for All series. I’m particularly excited about the one on Point of View. Those are $360 for all three, or $150 per. Full information, course descriptions, and sign-up options are here: https://americanshortfiction.org/mfa-for-all/

I hope to see some of you in class!

Kristi

Fans of 34O might enjoy…

If you love scary abandoned (several pieces also 34 Orchard vibe and two, in fact, are from past 34O contributors), you’ll love Monsters in the Mills, which is now available in instant e-book and paperback pre-order. Here’s the scoop:

MONSTERS IN THE MILLS PROMO COVER

Behind graffitied fences or obscured by woods, the abandoned mills of New England watch. For thrillists and historians, urbexers and developers, or just the average passer-by. Omnipresent and looming, the mills lure the innocent to their mysteries, secrets…and terrors.

 The We are Providence writers hunt what lurks among the crumbled bricks and strangling sumac. A widower on a demolition crew wakes the revenants. A musician rents a foundry’s rehearsal space…and otherworldly tenants are practicing on him. A lonely girl combs the ruins to find an unsettling friend; a bitter punk moves into a refinery where her bestie vanished, and a criminal breaks into a cloth factory to discover a sentient—and sinister—machine.

These eighteen terrifying tales suggest when abandoned mills beckon, it’s best to ignore them.

After all, they’ve come to collect their due.

You can get the ebook instantly or pre-order the paperback here: https://bit.ly/4bhZmWa

SPECIAL OFFER! Take a photo of yourself with the paperback and email it to me at 34orchardjournal@gmail.com – and I’ll mail you a limited edition custom-made laminated, durable souvenir bookmark (I hand make these; they’re not the stuff you get online. Trust me, these’ll last you FOREVER).

ToC:

“The Children at the Spindles,” Mary Robles
“The Web,” Joshua Rex
“Under the Frozen Sky,” Brennan LaFaro
“Darkness Repeats,” L. E. Daniels
“Mill Dues,” Jason Parent
“The Cleaner,” Victoria Dalpe
“The Circle,” Christa Carmen
“In the Belly of the Mills,” Elizabeth Devecchi
“The Gourmand,” Mr Michael Squid
“The Spinning Mule,” Paul Magnan
“Gourd Guy,” Rick Claypool
“Strike,” Jessica P. Wick
“Blackstone,” Steven P. Belanger
“The Medians of Providence,” Errick Nunnally
“Cinched,” Kristi Petersen Schoonover
“We Created a God Monster,” Gage Greenwood & Kylee Jones
“Kiss of Death,” Ricardo D. Rebelo
“The Devolution of Doyle,” Aron Beauregard

 

ISSUE 9 IS HERE!

In our Spring 2024 offering, artists from everywhere take stock of every aspect of waiting: its anxiety, its despair, its loneliness. Its hope, drive, and passion. Its anticipation … and its futility.

This issue’s strong international showing proves that waiting can be a torturous constant no matter who we are, how we were raised, or where we are from; it is a state that is just human. As we look ahead into the rest of 2024, it might be worth it to examine what we’re waiting for, why … and consider if it’s really worth it.

Issue 9's cover, featuring "When the Light Dies" by Keith Molden.

The downloadable PDF is designed so that it can be printed on double-sided paper for easy reading like a print magazine. As always, the issue is free, but there is a donation link should you choose to contribute.

Click here to get your copy!

If you like what you’ve read, spread the word!

Some Sad News…

We have just been informed that Ray Daley—author of the story “You Have Summoned a Demon,” which will appear in our Spring 2024 issue, releasing tomorrow—has passed away.

We first met Ray when we published his piece “All Clued Out” in our Autumn 2021 issue (Issue 4). Aside from its technical excellence, the story’s subtext deals with the universal anxiety that sometimes, yes, the worst can happen to each of us. Its world is beautifully rendered, we see its narrator in ourselves, and we’re viscerally struck by its bang-up of a twist ending.

Ray was meticulous about his work, and took much joy in not only his writing, but in sharing others’ writing and pieces he loved with others. He was quite accomplished, with at least one hundred pieces published in a myriad of speculative publications.

Sadly, it is always true that nothing gold can stay. Ray will always be part of the 34 Orchard family, and a piece of his passion will always stay with us. It’s a 34O tradition to have a release cocktail/mocktail hour on Zoom. At this issue’s event, we will raise a toast in his memory. We offer our deepest condolences to his family and friends, and we are grateful that we got to know him and could share some of his work with the world.

We’ll miss you, Ray. We hope that wherever you are, there is a room full of the books you love most, an endless supply of paper and pens, and finally plenty of time to finish that Hitchhikers fanfic you’ve been working on for decades.

Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Founding Editor

 

Announcing the Spring 2024 ToC!

The ToC for our Spring 2024 issue is here!

In this issue, twenty-one artists take stock of the nature of waiting: its anxiety, its despair, its loneliness. Its hope, drive, and passion. Its anticipation … and its futility. Featuring work from not just the US, Canada, and the UK, but also Argentina, Bangladesh, India, Japan, and the Philippines. You won’t want to miss it!

Issue 9's cover, featuring "When the Light Dies" by Keith Molden.Cover Art: When the Light Dies – Keith Molden

D-Day – Norie Suzuki

Revenge – Dan B. Fierce

Lake Effect – Jason P. Burnham

There – L.T. Ward

First Day Jitters – Donna J.W. Munro

Humans Suppress and History Reveals – Sonali Roy

The Man in the Gray Suit – Fariel Shafee

You Have Summoned a Demon – Ray Daley

Search Underway for Missing Submarine Bringing Tourists to Titanic – John Jeffire

Stillbirth – Jaclyn Eccesso

Suyuntu – Christine Lajewski

Skyline – Jennifer Fanning

Hot on the Trail – Josh Schlossberg

The Seduction – Elizabeth Falcon

Halloween Notes from Bloody Mary of the Philippines– Caroline Hung

The Ghosts at Yazá Bridge – Andrea Ferrari Kristeller

Family Heirloom – Christopher Emmerson-Pace

Last Stop – Brenna Monaghan Behel

Eleven Ways the World Could End – Jack Powers

Unidentified Climbing Object – Angelique Fawns

Arrives on our issues page on April 25!

Exciting 34 ORCHARD announcement!

34 Orchard receives between 1200-1500 pieces of work to consider each submissions window. It’s mind-blowing and awesome, and having that much to choose from helps us be even more selective. We never dreamed we’d be this popular!

That said, we’re thrilled to announce that both of our 2024 issues—Spring 2024 and Autumn 2024—have been filled. We will not be open in July for our normal summer reading period, and instead, will open again in January of 2025.

Our guidelines page is here: https://34orchard.com/guidelines/

We look forward to reading your work in 2025!

Our 2024 submissions window is now closed.

Our January 2024 submissions window is now closed. We received approximately 1500 pieces of work to review, and we are moving as quickly as we can.

If you submitted and haven’t yet received a response, you will receive one no later than February 28. If you need to reach us in the meantime to withdraw your piece or you have a question, you can drop us a note at 34orchardjournal@gmail.com.

 

 

 

34O gets lucky and curl up with Issue 8 today!

I’m THRILLED to announce that 34 Orchard got lucky today–we are Duotrope’s featured listing (Duotrope, for those of you who don’t know, is a website where writers can search for markets to submit their work). For just TODAY ONLY (1/6/24), you can see our awesomeness on Duotrope’s front page here: https://duotrope.com/ and their X(Twitter) feed here: https://twitter.com/Duotrope

In the meantime–if you’re in the Northeast, snow is afoot! Need some reading material? Check out our latest issue, Issue #8, packed with ghost stories here: https://34orchard.com/issue-8/. Happy weekend!

34 ORCHARD Issue 8 goes GREAT with a nice glass of wine!