An irregular journal of weird fiction

That invites authors to write whatever they want

So long as it’s strange

why does strange pulp exist?

I created Strange Pulp in the fall of 2022 as a response to the rise of AI-generated art. Faced with a sudden avalanche of fake paintings and meaningless prose—all technically perfect and utterly soulless—I felt an urgent need to create art that was shamelessly specific, human, and flawed. I began writing short fiction—something I hadn’t done in over a decade—and publishing it on my newsletter, Strange Times.

This was one of the most frightening things I’ve ever done. It was also a shitload of fun.

After years of writing novels, it was intoxicating to conceive of something, write it, edit it, and have it out the door in a matter of weeks. It reminded me of how it felt to write fiction in high school, when I wrote not to please the marketplace or my agent, not for an editor or some imagined reader, but for myself. To be able to write a story while knowing that it would be published, and soon, provided the kind of security that writers of fiction very rarely have.

It’s something I wanted my friends to share.

the strange collective

When I invited my friends to publish stories in Strange Pulp, I gave no restrictions on length, content or genre, asking only that they send me something—

That is unpublished.

That is strange.

That they love.

Because the newsletter is free, I was not paying for these stories. I consider it vile to ask people to work for free—or worse, for exposure—so I suggested they start by sending me an old piece that they had written off as unpublishable. My goal was to give them the parts of publishing that I love—polishing prose, choosing a cover, watching a piece go into the world—without the terror, the headaches, the humiliation, the endless waiting around.

It was fun. And as long as it stays that way, we’re going to keep printing more.

Any author who publishes in Strange Pulp earns a lifetime membership in the Strange Collective. With this comes the right to publish at least one story per year in the journal for as long as it exists. If a Collective member’s submission satisfies the three criteria, I will publish it without hesitation. (While reserving a veto over anything that glorifies fascism or sexual violence or anything otherwise evil.) Authors reserve all rights to their stories and are not expected to do anything besides write and have fun.

Writers work best when they have security. It’s my hope that telling writers their work has a home, no matter what, gives them the freedom to write more things they love.

Want to Join?

If you’re interested in becoming a part of the Strange Collective, get in touch. Send an introduction and a favorite story and anything else I need to understand your work. We can’t take everyone, but I would be honored to read whatever you’ve created. And if Strange Pulp isn’t right for you, I’m always happy to provide support if you’d like to form a collective of your own.