Whether you consider them to be classic or neo noir, femme revenge, new voices, or something else entirely: the stories we aim to publish in Dark Yonder are all honest and insightful, written by creators driven to share their unflinching take on the world we live in today. Call our fiction bleak, or dark, or nihilistic. Call it brave, or gut-wrenching, or the inconvenient truth. Dark Yonder is a literary magazine that elevates the voices of those often overlooked in our society, giving readers a glimpse of other realities.

First and foremost: we’re looking for great stories and unique voices. That means a plot. It means a beginning and an end. Bonus points for surprising the reader. It means offering a new take on an old situation—or a classic take on an entirely new situation. It might mean going out on a limb with what you see as your truth. Most of all, though, we are looking for stories about the real world around us. Yes, you can have elements of sci-fi, horror or other genres, just keep it grounded in the here and now. We believe the most powerful stories examine the darkness we live with each and every day.

There are no setting requirements, but all stories submitted must be loosely categorized as “neo-noir.” We’re not looking for your grandfather’s noir fiction. We’re looking for new, unique voices and interpretations of dark literary fiction (crime, horror, speculative lit, etc) that fit into our rapidly evolving world. Everyone is well versed in the fiction that America is raised on; we’re looking for fiction that takes us… yonder