As the world around us continues losing it, what small joys do we cling to for comfort and some semblance of normalcy? We here at sploosh! propose that you consider the humble toast. Whether you like yours with butter or kaya or jam, or as part of the Ya Kun Set A Inflation Index; ask yourself: how does a warm, unremarkable, but perfectly crusty breakfast slice still serve your sanity and satiety in this chaotic day and age?

If you’re more of a party kind of pal, fear not – we also welcome toasts of the more inebriating variety. Drum up the celebratory vibes and consider what you’d like to make a toast to this year: the ceasefire in Gaza, the legalization of same-sex marriage in Thailand (and Liechtenstein), SG60, the fact that sploosh! is not dead, or maybe just the fact that 2025 is a nice square year (the only year in the 21st century to be a square number).

For our fourth issue, sploosh! invites works of merriment, miscellany and mundanity. Send us your booze and your essays and your odes to whatever you please, and send us your #cozy #brunch #slice-of-life writing. (Or both!)

Open call runs from 1 March to 31 May.
 

Submission Guidelines :

1. We consider the following poetry (up to 40 lines) , fiction or creative nonfiction (up to 5000 words), art/ media 

2. Only previously unpublished works will be accepted.

3. We pay S$10 per poem (up to 40 lines), S$20 per fiction or creative nonfiction (up to 5000 words), S$20 per multimedia piece

4. Submit your work (maximum of 5 pieces) in .docx or .pdf format. Multimedia pieces may be submitted in .jpg or .jpeg formats. Submit one document containing your bio of up to 100 words, and one document containing your works. The latter should not contain your name or any other personal details.

5. Note on AI use: If you have used generative AI in creating your works, we ask that you include a disclaimer at the top of the document containing your works.

6. We do not publish any material that might contravene Singapore laws. This includes material that is likely to cause offence on the grounds of race, religion or gross indecency.

In the fifth edition of Manuscript Bootcamp (Poetry), six finalists will have their work critiqued by a selection of Singapore’s most preeminent and influential poets. As always, Bootcamp will take place over an intense weekend, designed to take our finalists through the stages of (poetic) revision, thinking through core aspects of poetic technique while also learning to identify the through-lines of their poetry collections. 

The 2025 edition of Manuscript Bootcamp will be open for submissions of poetry manuscripts from 1 Mar to 30 Apr, 2359 hours, for a Bootcamp on 6-7 September. For more info on our selection critera, visit: <afterimage.press/bootcamp>

OPEN: Issue 5 Call for Submissions

RE: _____

New year, Re:birth. Re:peat. Now is a re:cursive moment when history re:coils and re:lapses. Crisis seems permanent; the old regimes and the robots are back, re:booted. The latter is AI. Yet we re:ad and write to re:flect; to re:view; to re:sist and to re:dress.

Old tropes, histories, movements and injustices abound, but are strangely re:maindered. Some are re:kindled, others re:interpreted. We want to encounter untimely re:coveries; dreams of re:stitution; opportunities for re:consideration. We seek re:generation at a tangent; to re:turn…to what exactly? Beyond the re:vival of ancient wounds and grievances, we seek re:newed and re:invented iterations of who, when, what and how we are.

For PR&TA Issue 5, we are interested in creative and critical responses to RE: _____ .

The journal invites submissions of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, visual work, reviews and research articles, particularly if they feature a Southeast Asian focus or re:sonance.

Extended submission deadline: 10 April 2025

As with our inaugural Issue, all submissions should be complete with a brief Critical Praxis. For an example, see here.

Submission guidelines for genre, length and cover letter are found here on our website.

Where possible, our Editorial Manager will alert you if your submission is incomplete, but we will not be able to process updated submissions after the deadline.