OUR READING PERIOD RE-OPENS 1 SEP 2026

OUR READING PERIOD RE-OPENS 1 SEP 2026

Building a Catalogue

As a non-profit publisher in Singapore, AFTERIMAGE is invested in giving a platform to literary works written by Singaporeans or in Singapore. In addition to this mandate, we’re committed to publishing poets at every stage of their development, and are also set on debuting new voices in print as much as we can across the calendar year of 2025 and 2026.

We’d like to publish across the genres of poetry and creative nonfiction (as well as translations of poetry and creative nonfiction into English) across the following formats:

  • Frequency: >3 per year
    Format: Print, E-book

    We intend the standout titles of our catalogue to be AFTERIMAGE’s line of standalone collections, released in parallel to RENDITIONS, our line of reprints that aim to re-introduce and revitalise Singapore’s rich literary lineage of poets. We envision each of these publications to shape the scene and bring something vital and new to Singapore’s literary landscape.

  • Frequency: Ad hoc
    Format: Print, E-book

    Our chapbooks are intended to be textual curios released in time for the holiday season: a compelling and conceptual mid-length selection of work we consider lean, of-the-moment and making a statement.

  • Frequency: 12 issues per year
    Format: E-newsletter

    OFTHENOWis our monthly magazine / newsletter capturing what we’re up to while also publishing pamphlet-sized writing composed by new voices.

    Subscription on Substack is free; full access to paywalled sections is granted after a minimum donation of $2!

  • Frequency: 1 per year
    Format: Print, E-book

    Named after a compound word we found in Arthur Yap’s poem “the circle”, our ALLTHETIME folios present a curated compilation of three poets across the generations whose work we feel are in conversation with one another.

Submission Guidelines (26 Aug 2026):

Our reading period will re-open 1 Sep 2026 for a 5-month period, ending 31 Jan 2027, 2359 hours. All manuscripts are to be emailed to publishing@singlitstation.com, and will be considered for publication in 2028 and beyond.

Any manuscripts we receive before 1 Sep 2026 (that we didn’t ask for) will most likely be ignored. As the team is extremely lean, only successful manuscripts are guaranteed a reply. However, we do invite everyone to re-submit their work if they have not received a response from us, or were offered partial publication via our newsletter OFTHENOW. Do also send us a follow-up e-mail, checking in on the status of your manuscript, if you haven’t heard from us after 30 Apr 2027, 2359 hours.

To prepare your manuscript for submission, do take note of the following requirements in your e-mail to us:

  • A subject header using the following format: SUBMISSION ([Genre]): [Title of Manuscript] ([no. of poems / words]). For e.g.: SUBMISSION (Poetry): Lorem Ipsum (10 poems).

  • A working file of your manuscript, formatted in any manner you wish, so long as the work is legible, accessible and editable by the editorial team. To all poets: do be conscious of the fact that our books are printed in a very standardised format of 5 by 7.5 inches; do also, wherever possible, use spaces in lieu of tabs.

  • A .pdf copy of your manuscript, for use as a backup copy or second reference on any questions / formatting peculiarities we might run into.

  • A cover letter containing 1) a description of who you are and your current literary / artistic plans, 2) a synopsis of your manuscript, 3) a pitch about how your work aligns with our vision and mission as a publisher, and 4) a disclaimer if you are submitting / have submitted the same work elsewhere.

Each manuscript we receive will be first sorted according to its stated genre, and then according to the total length of your manuscript. Here’s a summary of how we’ll do this:

Poetry

Based on the total number of poems¹ you submit to AFTERIMAGE, the editorial team will consider your submission for the following avenues of publication:

  • 5–9 poems: our OFTHENOW magazine

  • 15–19 poems: our ALLTHETIME folio series²

  • 25–30 poems: chapbook³

  • >40 poems: collection

¹ We welcome submissions of poetry in translation, though we will also require you to 1) include the work in its original language in your manuscript, and 2) present proof of permissions secured from the copyright holder to publish your translation.

² An additional requirement for our folio series is that you will have to be (1) a poet without a full-length, standalone collection of poetry already published or forthcoming for publication and (2) contain material that satisfies our current curatorial obsessions… what this means is that anyone submitting these amount of poems will most likely end up in OFTHENOW or be asked to write more for publication in print, if we’re interested in publishing them.

³ An additional requirement for our chapbooks is that they have a clear, conceptual and project-based bent; sometimes, this might even cause you to write between genres or taking on a more hybridised, multimedia approach. Anything sounding remotely generalised or broad will not appeal to us for this specific format—we would in fact encourage you to write more poems so that they might qualify for publication as a full-length collection instead.

Creative Nonfiction

Based on the total number of words³ you submit to AFTERIMAGE, the editorial team will consider your submission for the following avenues of publication:

  • 2,000–4,000 words of creative nonfiction: our OFTHENOW magazine

  • 20,000–30,000 words of creative nonfiction: chapbook⁴

  • >40,000 words of creative nonfiction: collection⁴

³ We also welcome submissions of creative nonfiction in translation, with the same additional requirements for submissions of poetry in translation. We will need you to 1) include the work in its original language in your manuscript, and 2) present proof of permissions secured from the copyright holder to publish your translation.

⁴ Like our poetry chapbooks, we also want our nonfiction chapbooks to be clear, conceptual and have a project-based bent. Show us what you got!

Fiction

Okay, fine, we hear you, fiction writers. You’ve been feeling left out. So we’re letting you in… a little bit. We’re opening space for short fiction in the 2028 issues of OFTHENOW.

  • 2,000–4,000 words of fiction: our OFTHENOW magazine⁵

⁵ We’re looking for fiction that’s weird, fun, and unconventional; stories that can be lyrical, imaginative and boundary-breaking, even as they reckon with narrative. It can be a single short story you send our way, a series of flash-fictions, a montage of micro-narratives. Surprise us.

Other categories:

  • Translations: Bring us something we’ve never seen before. We want our translated titles (in poetry or creative nonfiction) to strengthen community links and deepen our understanding of the human spirit. And of course: they gotta provide an invigorating, entertaining, life-affirming read. Send your submissions via publishing@singlitstation.com; for more info, read our footnotes in the “Poetry” and “Creative Nonfiction” sections above.

  • Anthologies: Open to all genres and all manner of subjects and topics, we envision our anthologies to turn niche topics into necessary reading, and inspire debate and deep thinking through pertinent issues. Pitch us something real via publishing@singlitstation.com with a project proposal instead of a manuscript—this should include a pitch / synopsis, a timeline, a budget and a list of writers / topics. The more detailed you are, the more seriously we will consider it.