The Raw Art Review

Fabulachia—Young Voices from Queer Appalachia seeks to give voice to the queer community in the region. 

 In a nation that feels increasingly red and blue, voices of dissent from deeply red states are ones in most need of amplification. In What You’re Getting Wrong about Appalachia Elizabeth Catte points out that West Virginia, the reddest state in America, has the highest concentration of transgender teenagers in the country. And though LGBTQ2IA identification across the region hovers at a relatively low 4%, that number is skewed by the fact that so many non-conforming individuals remain closeted and without access to the networking opportunities available in more progressive states. And though there are strong LGBTQ2IA communities in urban Appalachia—especially in places like Pittsburgh PA, Huntington WV, Charleston WV, and Covington KY, the recent rise of proto-fascist organizations like the Proud Boys, the rash of homophobic and transphobic legislation, and the increase of violence against the LGBTQ2+ community across the nation has made the attendance at, and even planning for, pride events and drag shows an inherently dangerous prospect, threatening to push such community fostering events underground and further atomize communities that already struggle to coalesce in a largely rural landscape.  

In spite of this, there remains a strong and vibrant queer community in Appalachia, voiced by authors and community organizers like Jeff Mann, Rachel Garringer, Gina Mamone, Mesha Marin, Neema Avashia, Carter Sickles, Silas House, and Savannah Sipple. These voices have made space and room for other emergent authors from the region to enter and thrive. And the younger generation is neither cowed nor complacent.  

This anthology aims to participate in this community building, attempting to seek out, collect,  introduce, and promote young queer voices (25 years and under) to each other, to the larger Appalachian queer community, and the nation at large. The plan is for a volume that is diverse in perspective, identity, and artistic approach—including fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, graphic literature, and hybrid forms (speculative nonfiction, autofiction, prose-poetry, etc.).  

Who is Eligible to Submit

 Any author under the age of 25 who is queer-identifying and either resides in Appalachia or has strong Appalachian roots. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email your questions to editor@therawartreview.com.

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Contest Terms

• There are no rules of form and content. The sole criterion for acceptance is the power of the emotional/psychological/physiological spiritual/ impact on editors reading the submissions. NOTE: We will attempt to adjust production to the formats of the writing and artwork within limits. 
• There are no trade-craft requirements for submissions.
• GOOD ENOUGH IS PERFECT.  UCP editors will not reject a manuscript based solely on typos, grammatical errors, or other errors of form.  We understand it is difficult to catch all typos. NOTE: we will presume a typo is volitional, so for the purpose of maintaining your intent for the writing or artwork, it is in your best interest to review carefully, get help from other readers, etc. 
• Acceptable formats for submitting a manuscript include Word and Word Compatible formats.  Adobe formats are acceptable if Word Processing formats are not possible.
• Review of submissions is blind. Please do not put your name or any other identifying information on your pages.
• Simultaneous submission is fine.
• Reading fee for the contest is $5.  NOTE:  UnCollected Press offers financial aid to those submitters for which the reading fee presents a hardship.  Please email us at editor@therawartreview.com to discuss financial aid.
• Previously published writing or artwork can be included in the book provided the submitter owns the rights to re-publish.  We are happy to recognize the original publisher on the back-matter page or at other summary locations in the book. 
• Deadline is March 31, 2025 - REMINDER - Acceptance is rolling and does not wait until the contest is over.
• Submissions are read and considered in the order that they are received.
• Please use Submittable for submissions. Submittable accounts are free to submitters, and the tool is great for organizing and tracking submissions. If this presents a hardship, please email us at editor@therawartreview.com.
• UnCollected Press is NOT a vanity or self-publication press.  We select submissions on merit-based criteria of both content and form.  We are looking for submissions that are beautiful and moving.  We want to publish those submissions.
• UnCollected Press will reject all manuscripts that in the opinion of the editors intends to promote racist, homophobic, misogynist, and other idealogies that target  hate speech toward any persons of any race, creed, color, and religion.