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Important Note
BEYOND THE LAST STAR is the last volume in the Darkfire anthology series. We currently have no plans for another series.

Guidelines
These guidelines may be distributed freely to any venue. However, if you are reading these guidelines somewhere other than at "http://www.sff.net/books/guidelines.html", you should check there before continuing. We reserve the right to make changes in the guidelines from time to time, and the official version will always be at http://www.sff.net/books/guidelines.html . In particular, we will post a note there when the anthology is full (which will probably happen long before the official closing date).

General
No simultaneous submissions. No reprints. No fan fiction. Must be original stories.

Dates
Open submission starting December 1, 2001 and continuing until March 1, 2002, or until the anthology is full.

Payment
Payment is 5-10 cents per word ($25 minimum, $300 maximum per story) on acceptance for First World Anthology Rights.

Regular Mail Submissions
Snail mail submissions to

Beyond the Last Star
Sherwood Smith, Editor
[address forthcoming]
[check back on December 1]

NOTE: Include Self-addressed, Stamped Envelope (SASE) if you want a reply!

Email Submissions
Email submissions to darkfire@sff.net (plain ASCII text only). Snailmail subs preferred; email subs will be read last.

Format
Please format your manuscript using Courier or a similar typeface, double-spaced, with large margins. Include your email address on the first page. If your story is selected for the anthology, we will ask you to provide it electronically in MS Word or RTF.

Description
Stories for this volume should be set in the far far distant future -- so far distant that there is little connection with our present world. Therefore, almost anything goes in terms of setting and genre: BEYOND THE LAST STAR is for stories that take place in the universe after ours -- either metaphorically or literally -- on new worlds after the next Big Bang, in a fairytale universe, in a spiritual afterlife, or in new sort of life here.

Recent volumes in the series dealt with technological advances we might expect to see in the near or distant future rising from humanity's current situation. Think beyond that to what comes next -- changes of kind rather than changes of degree. Characters may be human, alien, machine, sentient suns (but be sure to explain how that works), or something entirely new.

If your story is SF, it should not focus on gadgetry directly or be derived from any of the standard tropes. If you do the next-step-in-evolution-is-psychic thing, avoid having your characters "blesh" or do "star dances" ... be original, be wildly creative, be brave.

If your story is fantasy and has damsels in distress, dragons, evil wizards, or otherwise goes back in time to a real or imagined milieu on Earth, make a nod toward the circumstances that allowed the same culture to rise again on a new world. If magic works, it had better have a mechanism and discernable rules.

If your story is horror, emulate King's APT PUPIL or DELORES CLAIBOURNE rather than his CHRISTINE or CARRIE. That is, go for drama and psychological horror rather than magic and unexplained (and unexplainable) things that just happen.

The successful submission will have strong characters, realistic challenges, and solutions that come from clear thinking or depth of insight. Tone and genre are open, but dystopian visions will be a tough sell for this book. Stories don't have to be suitable for READER'S DIGEST, but should have an element of hope: characters should show growth, and challenges should be resolved.

Author Submission Guidelines for IMAGININGS
Deadline: 15 June 2002.

Address to send stories to: Imaginings
PO Box 4976
New York, NY 10185-4976.
Any story sent via any other method than posted mail to this PO box will be rejected unread.

Length: Between 8000 and 15,000 words. Any story that is less than 8000 words or more than 15,000 words will be rejected unread.

Format: Typed/printed on white paper, double spaced, one-inch margins on all four sides. Each page must be numbered and include the author's name.

SASE: Each submission must include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Any story that does not include a SASE will be rejected unread.

Cover letter: This must include full contact information for the author -- name, address, and e-mail address -- and the story's word count.

Type of story: Stories must fall into the genre category of science fiction or fantasy. (Horror stories will be looked at, but only if they have SF and/or fantasy elements.) Stories must be original. No reprints will be accepted.

Payment: A flat rate of $950 per story (approximately 9.5A2 per word). Each author will also receive 10% of any royalty money received by ASI for sales of the book. All of ASI's royalties will be split evenly among the ten contributors.

Acceptances and rejections: Only ten stories will be accepted for the book. No story will be accepted for publication prior to 1 July 2002. (Rejections, however, may come at any time.)

For more information: E-mail imaginings@albeshiloh.com, check the faq.htm at http://www.albeshiloh.com/imaginings/ , or send a SASE to the above-listed PO box.

** Writer Residencies in Tasmania
The Tasmanian Writers Centre is pleased to announce Writers Residencies in Tasmania for Australian & International writers in 2002.

Following the interest and success of the Hobart City Residencies in 2000 & 2001, the Tasmanian Writers' Centre has confirmed support from a number of agencies to establish the Island of Residencies initiative.

The Tasmanian Writers' Centre invites Australian writers living in any Mainland State or Territory to apply for one of more of the following Writers Residencies. Each of the Residencies will be for 3 weeks and are located throughout Tasmania.
* The Bridport Writer¹s Residency on the north-east coast of Tasmania (March 2002)
* The Burnie City Writer¹s Residency on the north-west coast of Tasmania (March May 2002)
* The Hobart City Writers¹ Residencies at the Kelly Street Writers Cottage, Battery Point, for one interstate and one international writer (March Nov 2002)
* The Hydro Tasmania Writer¹s Residency, in the village of Wayatinah, near Tasmania s central plateau (March April 2002)
* The Meander Valley Residency for a Children s writer (March May 2002)
* The Parks & Wildlife Services Writer¹s Residency, for a writer who deals with environmental issues in his/her writing, at either Lake St Clair or Cradle Mountain in Tasmania (April May 2002). The winner of each Residency will be provided with:
* Return economy airfare from their home airport to Tasmania;
* 3 weeks accommodation at the place of residence;
* A cash contribution of $400 towards living expenses relating to the Residency;
* Payment of $400 as a Fee for each workshop developed and delivered to emerging and/or developing writers (note the Writer in Residence may be required to conduct up to two workshops during the Residency).
The winner of each Residency will be required to:
* Acknowledge the support of the Tasmanian Writers' Centre and the respective sponsoring agency in any publication or production arising from work undertaken or completed, in full or in part, during the successful applicant's residency in Tasmania;
* Make him or herself available on at least one occasion, if required, at an event to be specified by the agency supporting the particular Residency;
* Conduct up to two writing workshops, one in the host location, and a second in a location elsewhere in Tasmania
* All amounts referred to here are payable in Australian dollars.
Application Forms will be available on the TWC's website from 1 November 2001, but until then for more information about the Island of Residencies...Go to http://www.fearless.net.au/taswriters/residencies-2002.htm

Joe Bugden,
Director
Tasmanian Writers' Centre
1st floor, 77 Salamanca Place
Hobart 7000

IMPORTANT
Applications must be received by MONDAY 14 January 2002. Australian applicants must enclose one administration fee of $11 with their application. Note: Applicants may apply for one or more Residencies, but should ensure that their application contains information relevant to all Residencies applied for. Australian writers who have applied for a Residency through the Tasmanian Writers' Centre on at least 2 occasions previously are exempt from paying the Administration Fee. International applicants are exempt from having to pay the Administration Fee for those Residencies that invite international writers to apply.
Cheers,

Joe Bugden,
Director,
Tasmanian Writers' Centre
77 Salamanca Place
Hobart 7000

Ph/Fax: 61+3+6224 0029
e-mail: ed_taswriters@trump.net.au
Tasmanian Writers' Centre

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