Steam-Powered 2: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories

Steam-Powered 2: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories is an anthology of steampunk stories that feature lesbian-identified protagonist and which strives to be inclusive of underrepresented (and often misrepresented!) identities in steampunk and lesbian fiction.

Although “steampunk” is a fairly broad genre, we are interested in the following:

* Stories set in the past and present as we know them, or in an alternate past or present, as well as a future in which 19th Century technology dominates.
* Stories that involve 19th Century steam technology or retro-future technology that does not involve steam. For example, if your story is set in the Gobi Desert, the lack of water may make this technology look different than it would in a society that has enough water for steam technology to be feasible. For a good idea of what I mean here, please read this essay by Steam-Powered 1 contributor Amal El-Mohtar: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/10/towards-a-steampunk-without-steam.
* Stories that explore and critique 19th and early 20th Century notions of colonialism, empire, race, sex and sexuality.
* The editor also has a strong preference for stories set outside Victorian England and the United States, stories that feature women of color protagonists, stories that feature protagonists from the lower or working class, stories with disabled protagonists (including those with cognitive disabilities and mental illnesses), and stories whose protagonists are not Christian. This is not to say that more ‘typical’ steampunk stories are unwelcome, just that they will be a harder sell.
* While Torquere Press publishes several romance and erotica titles, stories need not have romantic or erotic elements.

We are not interested in the following:

* Stories that exoticize, misrepresent or demonize lesbians, people of color, people with disabilities, or any culture or religion. (look up “cultural appropriation” for an idea of what we mean here).
* Stories with anti-lesbian clichés (such as the lesbian who would really enjoy heterosexual sex, if she met the right man)
* Stories with villains whose sole motivation for being bad is a mental illness or “being crazy.”
* Poetry
* Fan fiction (stories featuring characters that are not copyrighted to the author)

Submission Period: February 1 – March 30.
Word Count: 3,000 – 10,000 words (though shorter stories may be considered). **PLEASE query with your story idea first to save both you and the editor time.
Payment: $35 per story.

If your query is accepted, submit stories in .rtf or .doc format to JoSelle Vanderhooft at upstart.crow@gmail.com. Please title your submissions as [Author's Last Name]: Steam-Powered II Submission, and use standard manuscript format that includes your full name (and pen name if applicable), address, phone number and email.