Storytelling has been a cornerstone of society since time immemorial, and one of the most lauded forms is ballads and bardic poetry, the art of telling grand tales in verse and rhyme. We’re seeking submissions that blend poetry and short stories into wondrous ballads of myth, magic, and adventure.

 

Think Edgar Allan Poe’s Nevermore, Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and Homer’s The Iliad. Epic quests in couplets, whispered legends in free verse, modern folklore in stanzas. We long for rhymes that could be recited by a wandering bard, whispered in the dark of a haunted hall, broadcast over the last radio in a dying city, or etched into the hull of a ship bound for unknown stars.

​

The story can be in any genre: space opera, gothic ghost story, whimsical fantasy, penned in the form of a poem. We want pieces that sing on the tongue and linger in the mind.

​

Guidelines:

• Narrative poetry 300 - 2,000 words (flexible if it serves the story).

• Clear story from start to finish, with strong characters and emotional arc.

• Vivid imagery and immersive worldbuilding.

• No extreme gore or explicit sexual content (implied or thematic darkness is acceptable)

• Must be original, not previously published work. No Generative AI-assisted work.

• Simultaneous submissions ok.

• Up to 3 pieces per author can be submitted (same email is ok, but pieces should be in separate attachments).

• Accepted authors receive $5 per accepted piece and a physical copy of the work.

• First worldwide print and digital publishing rights, exclusive for 6 months from publication date. 

• Submit in 12-pt Garamond or Times New Roman, docx preferred, to ChaosInkBooks@gmail.com - subject: Of Ballads and Bards Submission