khōréō magazine

khōréō is a new quarterly magazine of speculative fiction. We are dedicated to diversity and elevating the voices of immigrant and diaspora authors.

We publish fiction, genre non-fiction, and art; our stories include fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it — as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explores migration. Examples include themes of immigration, diaspora, and anti-colonialism, as well as more metaphorical interpretations of the term. 

Any act of migration, whether voluntary or forced, requires a recalibration of self-identity. We are defined, after all, by the environment that surrounds us: people, language, food, smell, sound. To change any one of them may be disorienting; to change them may leave us adrift. What better medium to explore this sensation than speculative fiction, where the author must create a new world for the reader to inhabit?  

We are currently closed to submissions. Our reading periods are October, January, April, and July. We open on at midnight on the 15th day of each listed month and close at ~3am Eastern on the 15th day of the following month.

The following submission types are temporarily closed:

Fiction - Flash

This queue is for FLASH stories: 1,500 words or fewer. Any stories submitted here will be considered for our regular issues, published quarterly. As always, simultaneous submissions are welcome. khōréō is looking for speculative fiction: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explore some aspect of migration, whether explicitly (themes of immigration, colonialism, etc.), metaphorically, or with a sly nod and a wink. Most importantly, we’re a new magazine and we’re still finding our identity: therefore, as long as there's a speculative element to your story, please don’t self-reject because you’re not sure if your work is a good fit. We won’t know until we see it, so please give us a chance to look! khōréō is dedicated to diversity and amplifying the voices of immigrant and diaspora authors and artists. We welcome, but do not require, a brief description of the author’s/artist’s identity in their cover letter. We invite you to submit if you identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. We especially encourage BIPOC creators who identify as the above to submit their work.

Currently Closed to Submissions

Fiction - Short Story

khōréō is looking for speculative fiction 1,501-5,000 words: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. IF YOUR STORY IS <=1,500 WORDS, PLEASE USE THE FLASH QUEUE. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explore some aspect of migration, whether explicitly (themes of immigration, colonialism, etc.), metaphorically, or with a sly nod and a wink. Most importantly, we’re a new magazine and we’re still finding our identity: therefore, as long as there's a speculative element to your story, please don’t self-reject because you’re not sure if your work is a good fit. We won’t know until we see it, so please give us a chance to look! khōréō is dedicated to diversity and amplifying the voices of immigrant and diaspora authors and artists. We welcome, but do not require, a brief description of the author’s/artist’s identity in their cover letter. We invite you to submit if you identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. We especially encourage BIPOC creators who identify as the above to submit their work.

Currently Closed to Submissions

Translation - Pitch

khōréō welcomes pitches for speculative fiction in translation up to 3,500 words: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explore some aspect of migration, whether explicitly (themes of immigration, colonialism, etc.), metaphorically, or with a sly nod and a wink. Most importantly, we’re a new magazine and we’re still finding our identity: therefore, as long as there's a speculative element to your story, please don’t self-reject because you’re not sure if your work is a good fit. We won’t know until we see it, so please give us a chance to look! To pitch a translation, submit a brief description of the selected short story and a short paragraph of its literary and cultural context, a short bio of both the original author and the translator, and a sample translation. The sample would ideally be an excerpt of the story in question or another work in a similar style or genre up to 200 words, or an existing fully translated short story. Please confirm in the cover letter that the work is available for translation. If accepted, we will commission the full translation into English. khōréō sees the act of translation as a kind of movement across borders. As such, we encourage, but do not require, the author and/or translator to identify as immigrant or diaspora. This definition includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. We especially encourage BIPOC creators who identify as the above to submit their work.

Currently Closed to Submissions

Translation - Short Story

khōréō is looking for speculative fiction in translation up to 3,500 words: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explore some aspect of migration, whether explicitly (themes of immigration, colonialism, etc.), metaphorically, or with a sly nod and a wink. Most importantly, we’re a new magazine and we’re still finding our identity: therefore, as long as there's a speculative element to your story, please don’t self-reject because you’re not sure if your work is a good fit. We won’t know until we see it, so please give us a chance to look! Please submit the work translated into English. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL FOR TRANSLATION, PLEASE USE THE TRANSLATION - PITCH QUEUE. You may submit a work that has been published in the host language or remains unpublished; however, the translation into English should not already be published elsewhere. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. If submitting as a translator of another author's work, please note whether the author/the rights holder has confirmed that the work is available for translation. We would appreciate a brief description of the author’s/translator's identity and the cultural/literary context of the original author in the cover letter. khōréō sees the act of translation as a kind of movement across borders. As such, we encourage, but do not require, the author and/or translator to identify as immigrant or diaspora. This definition includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. We especially encourage BIPOC creators who identify as the above to submit their work.

Currently Closed to Submissions

Non-fiction

khōréō is a new quarterly magazine of speculative fiction. We are dedicated to diversity and elevating the voices of immigrant and diaspora authors. We publish fiction, genre non-fiction, and art; our stories include fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it — as long as there’s a speculative element. For non-fiction, that means that we're looking for essays and analyses that explore the umbrella genre of speculative fiction. We’re especially interested in writing and art that considers stories from the perspective of migration. Examples include themes of immigration, diaspora, and anti-colonialism, as well as more metaphorical interpretations of the term.

Currently Closed to Submissions