CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

THE CHRISTMAS BETWEEN US

An International Anthology of Micro Fiction

Submissions Email: specialanthologyfreshwordsmag@gmail.com

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/freshwordsmagazine/announcements

Christmas is a time of arrivals.

And departures.

Of familiar voices around a crowded table. Of empty chairs. Of unexpected letters, forgotten promises, distant families and strangers who become part of our lives for a moment.

Somewhere, a child is waiting for Christmas morning.

Somewhere, an old man is decorating a tree for the first time in years.

Somewhere, two people are meeting again.

And somewhere, someone is spending Christmas alone.

There are stories hidden in every Christmas: in the laughter, the silence, the gifts we give, the words we cannot say and the moments that change everything.

For Christmas 2026, Fresh Words invites writers from around the world to submit their micro-fiction for an international anthology celebrating the many faces of Christmas.

We are looking for brief, memorable, imaginative and emotionally resonant stories that capture the spirit, contradictions, surprises and unexpected moments of the festive season.

THE THEME

THE CHRISTMAS BETWEEN US is deliberately open to interpretation.

Your story may involve Christmas traditions, family reunions, childhood memories, gifts, celebrations, romance, generosity or the magic of the season.

But it does not have to.

We are equally interested in stories where Christmas becomes a setting for something deeper: loneliness, forgiveness, loss, reconciliation, unexpected kindness, absurdity, regret, hope or an extraordinary encounter.

A story can make us smile without being sentimental.

It can break our hearts without being tragic.

It can surprise us without relying on a twist.

It can find something extraordinary in an entirely ordinary Christmas.

WE WELCOME

• Literary micro-fiction

• Contemporary fiction

• Magical realism

• Fantasy and speculative fiction

• Humour and satire

• Romance

• Family drama

• Psychological fiction

• Mystery and suspense

• Absurd and surreal fiction

• Nostalgic and reflective stories

• Dark Christmas stories

• Stories with unexpected or ambiguous endings

POSSIBLE STARTING POINTS

You may write about:

• A Christmas gift that arrives thirty years too late

• A family gathering that changes everything

• Someone spending Christmas alone

• A child who makes an unusual Christmas wish

• A stranger appearing at the doorstep

• An unexpected reunion

• A letter discovered beneath the Christmas tree

• A Christmas dinner with an empty chair

• A gift that should never have been opened

• A forgotten promise made one Christmas long ago

• A midnight train journey home

• A person who decides to give away everything they own

• A Christmas celebration in an unusual place

• A Santa Claus who has lost his way

• A family secret revealed during Christmas dinner

• A miracle that may or may not have happened

• A Christmas from the perspective of an unlikely narrator

• A future in which Christmas no longer exists

• A small act of kindness with unexpected consequences

• The last Christmas shared by two people

These are suggestions, not restrictions.

You may approach Christmas through any culture, country, tradition, climate or imagination.

Surprise us with a Christmas we have never encountered before.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Genre: Micro Fiction

Maximum length: 500 words per story

Number of submissions: Up to 5 stories per contributor (submit all stories in a single email).

Language: English

Deadline: 30 November 2026

Publication Date: 5 December 2026

Please submit only original work.

Previously unpublished work is preferred, although previously published work may be considered if the contributor retains the necessary rights.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for stories that make every word count.

A 500-word story should feel complete in its own right, not like the beginning of a much longer narrative.

We want stories that establish a character, create a situation, reveal something unexpected or leave the reader thinking long after the final sentence.

A twist is welcome, but a twist is not essential.

We value originality, atmosphere, memorable characters, strong storytelling, emotional depth, humour and imaginative use of the micro-fiction form.

We are not looking only for stories about perfect families, beautiful Christmas trees and happy endings.

Show us the Christmas that happens behind closed doors.

Show us the gift that was never opened.

Show us the stranger who knocked at midnight.

Show us the family that tried one last time.

Show us the person who discovered that the greatest Christmas present was not a present at all.

Make us laugh.

Make us wonder.

Make us feel something.

And above all, tell us a story we will remember.

SUBMISSION

Submissions Email: specialanthologyfreshwordsmag@gmail.com

Please send your submissions as a Word document or in the body of your email. Kindly send all your stories together in a single email.

Please include:

Title of each story

Author's name

Country

Short bio (50–100 words)

Email address

Email subject:

SUBMISSION — THE CHRISTMAS BETWEEN US

There is no submission fee.

RIGHTS & PUBLICATION

Fresh Words seeks non-exclusive first publication rights for accepted contributions. Copyright remains with the author.

Accepted contributors will be notified after the editorial selection process.

The anthology may be published in digital and/or print editions.

DEADLINE

30 NOVEMBER 2026

PUBLICATION: 5 DECEMBER 2026

Before the presents are unwrapped.

Before the last carol fades.

Before Christmas becomes another memory.

Give us a story.

Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

CHRISTMAS IN ONE MINUTE

An International Anthology of One-Minute Plays

Email all submissions to: dramaanthologyfreshwords@gmail.com

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/freshwordsmagazine/announcements

One minute before midnight.

A child is still waiting for Santa.

Two strangers meet beside a Christmas tree.

Someone knocks at the door.

A family gathers around a table, but one chair remains empty.

A gift is opened. A secret is revealed. A miracle happens—or perhaps nothing happens at all.

What can happen in just one minute?

Fresh Words invites playwrights, dramatists and writers from around the world to submit original one-minute plays for a special international Christmas anthology.

We are looking for short dramatic works that create a complete theatrical experience within approximately sixty seconds.

The play may be heartwarming.

It may be funny.

It may be absurd.

It may be tragic.

It may be mysterious.

It may be philosophical, surreal or completely unexpected.

The only requirement is that something happens on stage.

THE PROMPT

CHRISTMAS IN ONE MINUTE.

Take the prompt literally—or don't.

Your play may take place during:

Christmas Eve

Christmas morning

A midnight Christmas service

A family dinner

A journey home

A winter night

A Christmas party

A lonely afternoon

A moment before or after a celebration

Or somewhere Christmas has never been celebrated before.

Your characters may be:

A child waiting for Santa

Two strangers exchanging gifts

A family with an unusual Christmas tradition

Someone who has forgotten what Christmas means

A person who receives an unexpected visitor

Santa Claus on his day off

An angel with a difficult assignment

Two people meeting after many years

Or someone who simply wants Christmas to be over.

The possibilities are endless.

WE WELCOME

• Comedy

• Dark comedy

• Absurdist drama

• Existential drama

• Family drama

• Christmas fantasy

• Romance

• Psychological drama

• Mystery

• Supernatural drama

• Tragic drama

• Experimental theatre

• Surrealism

• Monologue-based plays

• Two-hander plays

• Minimalist drama

A Christmas play does not have to contain Santa Claus, snow, presents or a Christmas tree.

It only needs to capture something meaningful, surprising or dramatically interesting about the season.

SIXTY SECONDS. ONE DRAMATIC WORLD.

The challenge is deliberate.

Your play should be performable in approximately one minute.

Within that brief performance, we want to see:

• Characters or a compelling theatrical voice

• A dramatic situation

• Conflict, tension, humour or discovery

• Dialogue and/or theatrical action

• A sense of movement

• An ending

The ending may resolve the situation.

Or it may leave the audience laughing, wondering or thinking.

A single exchange can become a complete play.

A silence can become a revelation.

A simple Christmas gift can change everything.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Genre: One-Minute Play / Short Drama

Number of plays: Up to 5 plays per contributor (in a single email)

Language: English

Deadline: 30 November 2026

Publication Date: 5 December 2026

Standard play formatting is preferred.

Please include the title and author's name on the first page.

Stage directions are welcome. Minimal sets and small casts are encouraged.

We encourage writers to think theatrically rather than simply compress a short story into a small number of words.

POSSIBLE PROMPTS

You may develop your own Christmas-related situation or begin with one of these ideas:

Santa Claus arrives at the wrong house.

Two people discover they have bought the same Christmas present.

A child asks an unusual question about Christmas.

Someone receives a Christmas card from a person who died years ago.

A family argues over who should play Santa.

An angel refuses to deliver one particular gift.

Two strangers are trapped in a shopping mall on Christmas Eve.

A man discovers that his Christmas tree is talking.

Someone makes a wish that comes true—but not in the expected way.

A family celebrates Christmas for the last time.

These are only starting points.

We want your interpretation.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are especially interested in plays that understand the difference between a short story and a short play.

Give us voices that need to be heard aloud.

Give us situations that can unfold before an audience.

Give us characters who reveal themselves in a few lines.

Give us humour that arrives unexpectedly.

Give us silence that means something.

Give us an ending that makes an audience sit quietly for a moment before deciding whether to laugh, cry or applaud.

Do not simply tell us that Christmas is magical.

Show us what happens when a little magic enters an ordinary life.

And remember: sixty seconds is not a limitation. It is an opportunity.

SUBMISSION

Email all submissions to: dramaanthologyfreshwords@gmail.com

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/freshwordsmagazine/announcements

Please send your plays as a Word document or PDF.

You may submit all your plays in a single document or in the body of your email.

Include:

Title of each play

Author's name

Country

Short bio (50–100 words)

Email address

Email subject:

SUBMISSION — CHRISTMAS IN ONE MINUTE

There is no submission fee.

RIGHTS & PUBLICATION

Fresh Words seeks non-exclusive first publication rights for accepted plays. Copyright remains with the author.

Selected plays may appear in the anthology in digital and/or print editions.

Contributors will be notified after the editorial selection process.

DEADLINE

30 NOVEMBER 2026

PUBLICATION: 5 DECEMBER 2026

Sixty seconds.

One stage.

One Christmas moment.

Make every second count.

Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

CHRISTMAS IN A HAIKU

An International Christmas Haiku Anthology

Email all submissions to: specialanthologyfreshwordsmag@gmail.com

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/freshwordsmagazine/announcements

A candle flickers.

Snow falls outside the window.

Somewhere, a bell rings.

Christmas is often associated with decorated trees, falling snow, glowing lights, gifts and celebrations. But Christmas can also be found in quieter moments:

an empty chair at the table, a letter arriving unexpectedly, a child waiting for morning, a distant carol, a familiar voice, a meal shared, a memory returning, the silence of a winter night.

Fresh Words invites poets from around the world to submit haiku and senryu for a special international Christmas anthology.

We are looking for poems that capture the spirit, atmosphere and many faces of Christmas through image, emotion, nature, memory, humour, wonder and the unexpected.

THE THEME

CHRISTMAS IN A HAIKU is open to many interpretations.

Your poem may be:

• Joyful

• Peaceful

• Nostalgic

• Spiritual

• Reflective

• Melancholic

• Humorous

• Playful

• Magical

• Philosophical

• Atmospheric

• Quietly moving

You may explore Christmas as a religious celebration, a cultural tradition, a family gathering, a childhood memory or a deeply personal experience.

Your poem does not need to mention Christmas.

Sometimes a single candle is enough.

Sometimes a child's laughter is enough.

Sometimes the first star in the evening sky is enough.

POSSIBLE IMAGES

Writers may explore:

• Christmas trees

• Stars and moonlight

• Candles and fireplaces

• Snowfall and winter mornings

• Christmas lights

• Bells and carols

• Wrapped presents

• Stockings and Santa Claus

• Reindeer and winter animals

• Gingerbread and festive meals

• Children waiting for Christmas morning

• Empty streets and decorated windows

• Churches and midnight services

• Family gatherings

• Distant relatives

• Old photographs and childhood memories

• Loneliness during the festive season

• Generosity and kindness

• Hope, peace and forgiveness

• Winter landscapes

• The passing of the year

• The contrast between celebration and solitude

These are suggestions only.

We welcome poems rooted in different climates, cultures, landscapes and Christmas traditions. Christmas does not look the same everywhere, and we are interested in the many ways its spirit is experienced around the world.

HAIKU & SENRYU

We welcome both haiku and senryu.

Traditional approaches to haiku are welcome, including attention to season, nature, imagery, juxtaposition and the fleeting moment.

We also welcome contemporary and experimental approaches.

For writers submitting senryu, human relationships, family gatherings, festive expectations, irony and gentle humour are especially welcome.

We encourage poems that create an experience through a few carefully chosen words rather than explain an idea.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Genres: Haiku and Senryu

Number of haiku: Up to 10 haiku per contributor in a single email.

Format: Haiku may be typed in the body of the email or attached as an MS Word document or PDF.

Language: English

Submission Deadline: 30 November 2026

Publication Date: 5 December 2026

Email all submissions to: specialanthologyfreshwordsmag@gmail.com

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/freshwordsmagazine/announcements

We encourage concise, image-driven haiku rather than explanatory, sentimental or overly abstract pieces.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are not simply looking for Haiku that tell us Christmas is beautiful, joyful or magical.

Show us Christmas.

Show us the last light glowing in a neighbour's window.

Show us a child asleep beside an unopened present.

Show us the old man humming a forgotten carol.

Show us the empty chair at the Christmas table.

Show us the warmth of a candle against the longest winter night.

Show us the unexpected kindness of a stranger.

Let the reader discover the meaning of Christmas in the image, the silence and the moment.

SUBMISSION

Please send your poems as a Word document or in the body of your email.

Include:

• Author's name

• Country

• Short bio (50–100 words)

• Email address

Email subject:

SUBMISSION — CHRISTMAS IN A HAIKU

There is no submission fee.

RIGHTS & PUBLICATION

Fresh Words seeks non-exclusive first publication rights for accepted poems. Copyright remains with the author.

Selected poems may be published in digital and/or print editions of the anthology.

Contributors will be notified after the editorial selection process.

DEADLINE

30 NOVEMBER 2026

PUBLICATION: 5 DECEMBER 2026

Before the bells fall silent.

Before the lights come down.

Before another year becomes a memory.

Send us your haiku.

Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine

CALL FOR GUEST EDITORS

International Poetry & Flash Fiction Anthologies

Fresh Words – An International Literary Magazine

• Website: Fresh Words Announcements

• Contact & Applications: freshwordsmagazine@gmail.com

Fresh Words is expanding its international horizons. To celebrate diverse literary traditions and amplify global voices, we are launching a series of language-specific seasonal anthologies in late 2026.

We are seeking experienced, detail-oriented, and dedicated Guest Editors to curate and manage these upcoming volumes. Editors are required for both our Poetry (Haiku and Tanka) and Flash Fiction anthologies in the following languages:

• 🇩🇪 German (Poetry & Flash Fiction)

• 🇵🇱 Polish (Poetry & Flash Fiction)

• 🇪🇸 Spanish (Poetry & Flash Fiction)

• 🇯🇵 Japanese (Poetry & Flash Fiction)

If you possess a keen editorial eye for contemporary literature, a deep appreciation for short-form storytelling and micropoetry, and strong connections within your target language's literary community, we invite you to collaborate with us. Applicants may choose to edit the poetry anthology, the flash fiction anthology, or both for their respective language.

Role & Responsibilities

As a Guest Editor, you will help shape the creative identity and vision of your language’s anthology. Your core responsibilities will include:

• Theme Development: Collaborating with the Fresh Words team to adapt our seasonal themes to suit specific linguistic and cultural nuances.

• Curation & Selection: Reviewing and selecting original poetry or flash fiction (up to 300 words) submitted in your target language.

• Editing & Proofreading: Providing light structural edits and proofreading to ensure high literary standards while preserving the author's unique voice.

• Community Outreach: Actively promoting the call for submissions within regional writing networks, literary organizations, and localized social media channels.

• Editorial Preface: Authoring a brief, engaging introduction to anchor the final published volume.

Requirements

• Language Proficiency: Native or bilingual fluency in the target language, coupled with a strong working command of English for administrative and structural communication with our core executive team.

• Editorial Experience: Prior experience in editing, publishing, translating, or working within a literary magazine or creative writing environment is highly preferred.

• Project Management: A proven ability to strictly adhere to formatting guidelines, editorial deadlines, and content policies.

• Literary Passion: A demonstrated commitment to mentoring emerging writers and expanding global literary landscapes.

Timeline

• Application Deadline for Guest Editors: December 25, 2026

• Guest Editor Selection Announcement: January 15, 2027

• Public Submission Window Opens: Late February 2027

• Anthology Publication: Late Autumn / Winter 2027

 Compensation & Benefits

• Prominent Billing: Your name and biography will be featured prominently on the cover, title page, and within the editorial preface of both the print and digital editions.

• Global Promotion: Extensive feature and promotion across all Fresh Words social media platforms, website channels, and newsletter distributions.

• Professional Networking: An exceptional opportunity to helm an international project and build meaningful, lasting connections with contemporary global writers.

• Please Note: Fresh Words is an independent, non-paying market. This is a volunteer, project-based collaborative role.

 How to Apply

Please submit your application to freshwordsmagazine@gmail.com with your subject line formatted exactly as follows:

Guest Editor Application – [Language] – [Poetry/Flash Fiction/Both] – [Your Name]

In the body of your email, please include:

1. Genre Preference: Clearly state whether you are applying for the Poetry anthology, the Flash Fiction anthology, or both.

2. Cover Letter: A brief statement (1–2 paragraphs) outlining your interest in the role and your editorial vision for the anthology.

3. Literary Biography: A short bio (approx. 200 words) written in the third person, highlighting relevant publication, translation, or editorial experience.

4. Portfolio/Links: Links to your personal website, past editorial projects, or professional social media profiles (if applicable).

Join us in building bridges across languages, where small poems and short stories continue to hold enormous truths.

Application Deadline: December 25, 2026

Fresh Words

Where small words hold big magic.