Every year in September, Cast of Wonders celebrates Banned Books Week, an annual international event celebrating the freedom to read and raising awareness of the immense social value of free and open access to information.

Unwanted, Unheard: Challenging the Silence

In the last year, we’ve seen countless attempts to silence the voices of others. Tennessee’s “drag ban“, the sacking of university staff associated with Diversity, Equality and Inclusion activities in Florida, and the disinvitation of queer erotica author Chuck Tingle from the Texas Library Association literary conference are just a few examples that speak to a concerted political effort to close down and undermine inclusive voices. In the SF world, we have our own examples of appalling behaviour: YA author and 2022 Astounding Award finalist Xiran Jay Zhao was ruled ‘ineligible’ for the 2023 award on specious political grounds, and a number of other authors (esp. those published in China) saw their works discounted from the longlisted nominations for no clear reason.  The casual manner in which the privileged perpetuate discrimination is something that many of us need to be on guard against in our own actions.  Sadly, this year has also seen far worse atrocities perpetuated against the innocent in the ongoing conflicts around the world, particularly in Gaza, and the silence of the West presents deep questions of culpability here. Isabel J. Kim’s Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole is a powerful call to action, and very much sets the stage for Cast of Wonders’ call for 2024 Banned Books submissions.

For Banned Books Week 2024, we want to see stories that challenge collective silence, that show the risks and consequences of inattention and inaction. We want the voices of the silenced and unwanted to be centered, in stories that demand to be heard.

At Cast of Wonders, we welcome stories that portray the full spectrum of human experience. We don’t challenge stories; we want stories to challenge us! Cast of Wonders looks for stories that evoke a sense of wonder, have deep emotional resonance, and have something unreal about them. We aim for a 12-17 age range: that means sophisticated, non-condescending stories with wide appeal, and without gratuitous or explicit sex, violence, or pervasive obscene language.

Preference for this submission window is under 5,000 words with an absolute limit of 6,000 words. Flash submissions under 1.5k are also very welcome!

Submissions must adhere to Cast of Wonders guidelines, and our standard rates apply (8c/word for original fiction, $20/$100 for reprints depending on length).  Submissions will be accepted from April 15-30 through our Moksha Portal – we can’t wait to read what you send in!