letters to the gods left in fireplaces

A queer lit magazine where the forbidden thrives.

What is this lit magazine about?

Letters to the Gods Left in Fireplaces is a queer and disabled-run and independently published online literary magazine that focuses on marginalized storytelling... in the form of short fiction, poetry, comics, and illustrations. Erotic, often grotesque, and always taboo, each issue is intended to be chance for creators of Adult fiction and art to get freaky in a queer and dark fiction-friendly space.

Once each individual issue is completed and published, there will be a short one-month window in which that issue can be purchased physically. After that period of time, it will only be available for digital purchase.

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to the team at letterstothegodsteam (at) gmail (dot) com.

Background photo by amirhossein on Unsplash.
Created by Ezra Arndt in 2025.

Issue No. 01

Call for submissions opening/closing dates are still in the works.

The theme of the first issue is a queer and eroguro twist on your favorite type of monster.

FAQ

Why monsters?

Long version: Monsters in general are a cornerstone of literature, and it's no surprise that marginalized folk flock to them. The idea of finding belonging when you "don't belong" in a predominantly cisgender/heterosexual/white/neurotypical/able-bodied society hits home for a lot of people. Even as a child before I had any language for how different I was from my blood-family and many of my peers, I found comfort in stories of vampires (the more monstrous the creature, the easier it was for young neurodivergent me to relate to) and a worn graphic novel of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (the artist's name is lost to the void of my ADHD-addled long-term memory. Apologies). Mingling with that sense of belonging was an curious and fast attraction to those cursed creatures of unholy and unnatural creation.Short version: Monsters can be so hot within the safe confines of fiction, and I know that a lot of people agree with me on that. So, here I am, asking for monster filth.

Why eroguro?

I'd love to see eroguro (short for "erotic-grotesque-nonsense" and focuses on eroticism, sexual corruption, and decadence) as it's not something I've personally seen very often in the publishing community as of late. Or maybe I haven't been looking in the right places until recently. Either way, I think it's cool as hell.Here's a few posts on to give you the basic idea of what eroguro is with the origins of "ero guro nansensu" and another deep dive into it here as well.

What else would you like to see?

This is not a necessity, but if you know me and my tastes in fiction, you know I'm never against stories drenched in religious trauma/drama as long as it fits the anthology's theme. It would be very cool to see what creators from a non-white or Westernized [North American] Christian background would come up with for this project. I will always welcome points-of-view not normally seen in Western media.

Submission Information

All submissions should have your submission's title, author name, email, and any content/trigger warnings at the top of your MLA (12 pt. font in Times New Roman and double-spaced) formatted document. Google Docs is preferred but I can work with Word documents. For visual media, your submissions must be a PNG or JPG and no more than 300dpi/14MB per entry.Pieces previously published elsewhere (i.e., a website or blog) are fine as long as the rights have reverted to you and/or it is acceptable with your publisher and you can send me confirmation if it is.Send your email to [email protected] with the subject line being [issue's theme], [your pen name], [entry title]" by [deadline info to come soon]. If you decide to submit more than one piece (you may submit up to three), please send them in separate emails. The submission window will open on [also still figuring this out].Here are the length specifications for your submissions below.

  • Flash fiction: under 1,000 words

  • Short stories: 1,000 to 7,500 words

  • Novelettes: 7,500 to 17,500 words

  • Poetry: 100 to 7,500 words (lines can be on the left, center, and right for formatting, so please set up your poetry with that in mind)

  • Comics must be able to fit on a 6x9 book page and can be up to twenty (20) pages long (the dimensions applies for illustrations as well). Please, reach out if your comic goes a little bit over as that won't immediately knock your project out of running for consideration.

Remuneration will be paid in a portion of royalties equivalent to the number of participants in each issue for the lifetime of whatever issue the accepted and published contributors are in (I.E., if there are 10 contributors in one issue, the royalties will be split into payments of 10%). This process will be done through Draft2Digital's payment split option and/or via Stripe Connect. Since this is the first issue, we can discuss the options as a group to see what works better.

The less inhibitions you have while writing the better. But please, no bestiality (monster-fuckery is allowed but if you're worried that you might be crossing the line, please contact me), graphic infanticide (this is based on a personal squick. I am willing to read this, but please let me know ahead of time in your submission email), or erotica centering on minors (romanticizing pedophilia is not allowed but if you have a piece exploring the trauma of being in one of those situations, please contact me first before deciding whether or not to submit it). I would like to add that being a racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, genocidal TERF is really not cool, so please, think about whether you're the right person to be telling this story.Basically, when in doubt, contact us at letterstothegodsteam (at) gmail (dot) com.

Background photo by amirhossein on Unsplash.
Created by Ezra Arndt in 2025.

Staff

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to the team at letterstothegodsteam (at) gmail (dot) com.

Editor-In-Chief:

Ezra Arndt

(they/them/theirs)

Ezra is an author and a vampire enthusiast currently dwelling in Chicago, IL, USA. When not writing or cuddling their cat, they can be found drawing their stories’ characters with the end goal of teaching themself how to draw smut.

Assistant Editor:

Postion Open!

The position to be an assistant editor for a recurring or one-off position (whichever you choose on a case-by-case basis) is open. You'll be an extra pair of eyes to help me proofread any poetry and prose, and double-check the final product's formatting. There may be assorted admin tasks I may ask you to help with for each issue's publication to run smoothly, but we can discuss any of that before any impending deadlines.Until the day comes when this project continuously earns enough to pay staff a regular and fair wage, remuneration for your work will be a cut from each issue's earnings, just like all other contributors. If it helps to know, I am not taking any higher cut than anyone else.

Background photo by amirhossein on Unsplash.
Created by Ezra Arndt in 2025.