Poetry submissions due March 6th, 2026.
Art submissions due April 13th, 2026.

For issue 11 of Fruitslice, we are curating work that engages with the theme of Trans*. We are interested in the expansive life of the word as a modifier, an identity, and a way of understanding the world. Rather than strictly defining Trans*, we want to spend time with its innate contradictions, uses, and edges. The asterisk functions as an acknowledgement of multiplicity.

Trans* can name movement, process, and relation. It can describe a path and a crossing, as well as destination or arrival. It can live in the in between, the not quite, the ongoing, and at the same time indicate certainty. Trans* invites us to linger in the liminal. 

The word Trans* has the power to disrupt the idea that things must remain in their assigned lanes. It moves across, through, and beyond fixed edges and borders. We live in a world that strictly, and often violently, enforces norms of behavior, identity, and belonging. When the world insists, “this is how to be,” Trans responds, “not necessarily.”

Within our in-house style guide, we specify that when writing about Trans women, the word Trans should be followed by a space before the word woman. We avoid collapsing the terms into a single word because we do not want to imply that a Trans woman and a cis woman are fundamentally different categories of being. Trans is a descriptor, not necessarily a completely separate gender. A Trans woman lives fully under the umbrella of womanhood. In this way, Trans* reveals the expansiveness of the category “woman” and the multiplicity already contained within a label that is often treated as narrow and fixed.

Trans* opens a window onto a vastness that many people fear.

Why are we so resistant to new possibilities?

Why is our world so afraid of Trans*?

In the case of Trans woman, the modifier here names a relationship rather than a state of motion or an in-between condition. It describes the relationship between one’s womanhood and the systems that once misnamed or misassigned her. This situates gender in relation to power, medicine, law, history, and language. Trans* indicates that a crossing occurred, but it does not render the destination provisional or the identity perpetually unfinished. At least no more so than any human identity, which is always shaped by time, experience, and the ongoing fact of being alive.

Engaging with Trans* for this issue does not require writing directly about identity, though it can. We are interested in work that explores systems, structures, language, or experiences shaped by Trans*.

As a prefix, Trans* appears everywhere once you start looking. We TRANSmit signals, TRANSlate meaning, TRANSform matter, TRANSition careers, cities, and selves. Trans* can mark the passage between states, whether by road, cable, protocol, body, or interface. Or, consider the word TRANSparency, which describes how something behaves in the presence of light. In politics and institutions, transparency is demanded as a virtue. To be transparent is to be legible, examinable, or accountable. Here, Trans* is an exposure. 

Trans* does not point to a single meaning but rather it multiplies meaning. 

Fruitslice Submission Guidelines

Publication Schedule & Submission Details

Publication Dates: Fruitslice publishes quarterly on the solstices (March, June, September, and December).

Submission Fee: There is no fee to submit your work.

Payment: At this time, we are unable to offer payment for published work. For more information about our long-term goals around compensation, please check our FAQ.

What We’re Looking For

Editorial Focus: We welcome a wide range of creative work. For detailed information about the types of content we’re most excited to receive, pleasevisit our FAQ section. We especially encourage submissions beyond poetry.

Word Limit: We ask that submitters keep written pieces under 1500 words. For fiction submissions only, we will now accept pieces up to 2250 words. (Please note: This is the only exception to our standard word limit.)

Mediums: We accept all printable mediums. If you’re unsure whether your piece fits, feel free to submit.

No AI Submissions: We do not accept any AI-generated or AI-assisted work. For more information about this policy, please visit our FAQ section. 

Submission Rules

Cover Letters are encouraged but not necessary. We appreciate hearing how your work connects to our theme.

Proofreading: Please thoroughly proofread your work. Submissions with numerous errors risk rejection as we have limited editing resources.

Author Identity: Fruitslice exclusively showcases work created by members of the LGBTQA+ community. This commitment to providing a dedicated space where Queer voices are centered is fundamental to our mission. While we maintain this policy, we respect that identity is personal and nuanced; we trust contributors to determine whether they align with our community focus.

Formatting Requirements

For All Submissions

• File Naming: LastNameFirstName_PieceTitle

Written Work

• Format: .doc or .docx only (NO PDFs)
  • If you are submitting poetry or other written work in which the exact form or shape of the words is integral to the piece, and you’re worried that a .doc or .docx file will ruin the formatting, you are welcome to include a PDF as a visual reference. However, you must still submit a .doc or .docx file alongside it.
• 12pt font, double-spaced for prose
• Include a note about how your piece relates to the theme in the Submission Form or in a cover letter

Visual and Hybrid Works

• Resolution: Minimum 300 DPI for print quality
• Artist Statements: Optional, around 500 words

For Page Layouts/Spreads Only

This information is only for visual pieces that are meant to take up a whole page or spread. If your piece does not fall into these categories, you can ignore the instructions below. 

Gutter: Add at least 0.7″ to inner margin for binding

Dimensions:

Single Page: 5.50″ x 8.50″ (Trim Size)

Spread: 11.00″ x 8.50″ (Trim Size)

Bleed Area: Extend all edges by 0.13″ beyond trim size

Total with bleed (single page): 5.76″ x 8.76″

Total with bleed (spread): 11.26″ x 8.76″

Quiet Area (Safe Zone):

Top: 0.25″

Right: 0.25″

Bottom: 0.25″

Left: 0.50″

Addition Information

Compliance: Submissions that disregard these guidelines may be automatically rejected.

Questions? Please check our FAQ section first. If you need more help, email us at submissions@thefruitslice.com.

Thank you for considering Fruitslice as a platform for your work!