2027 Fault Zone: Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Call for Submissions: July 7 - October 31
We invite you to dig deep and explore the forces that shake us awake, rattle our nerves, and roll into our consciousness. Consider the cracks in foundations, families, and identities.
Your work might depict a sudden upheaval in your personal or professional life, a rapid shift in focus, or untimely aftershocks that threaten further instability.
We encourage you to weave your interpretation of the theme throughout your work or expand on an aspect of it.
Whether you write fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry (structured or unstructured), we’re looking for pieces that delight, inspire, and move us.
Submitting works rooted in California, especially our own northern segment of the state, is encouraged, but it’s not a requirement.
Only members of the San Francisco Peninsula branch of the California Writers Club
are eligible to submit their work to Fault Zone.
Submission Guidelines
Direct editorial questions to Carol Ann at faultzone@cwc-sfpeninsula.org
Direct technical questions to Connie at connie@cjchangwrites.com
Anthology Title: Fault Zone: Shake, Rattle, and Roll
All submissions: Must be original work by the author and may not have been previously published. In this context, “published” means any form of publication, including: an anthology, a book, a print or online magazine, posting to a blog, social media, or personal website.
If you are unsure, consider whether the location where the work appears is subject to copyright. Is it publicly accessible? Seen by people you didn’t share with personally? If so, then first publication rights have already been granted, so it’s not suitable for Fault Zone. Save that piece for your own collection.
AI writing tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and other AI models may not be used in creating your work. You may use assistive tools, such as grammar and spell checkers. Avoid using prompts like “Outline a short story and integrate the theme of “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” If you are experimenting with AI for your creative work, please save those pieces for your own publications.
Manuscript Format Requirements
Times New Roman, 12-point font
Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX, or RTF files). Only these formats will be accepted.
If you use Microsoft Word 2016, please save your file in Rich Text Format (RTF) and submit the RTF version. Submissions in any other format, including PDF, will be declined unread.
No PDF files, Pages documents, or Google documents are allowed. Prose must be double-spaced. Poetry may be single-or double-spaced.
For shaped poetry, include a note in your cover letter to let us know you are aiming for such an effect, and designate your genre on the manuscript as “shaped poetry.”
1-inch margins
Do not use tabs to indent. Instead, set your paragraph style to indent the first line automatically.
Prose: Do not indent the first line in the first paragraph. Do indent the first line of all succeeding paragraphs.
Poetry: Do not use any indentation. Begin all lines flush left.
Do not press the Enter key at the end of a line. Instead, allow your text to wrap automatically.
Use normal spacing: no extra spaces before a sentence, and only one space after a period.
Number every page.
Insert automatic page numbering in the lower-right corner.
Center the title on the first line.
Specify the submission category on the first page, in the upper-right corner.
Anonymous submission: Your name, including any pen name, should not appear anywhere in the manuscript, including headers or footers. Your name will be registered by Submittable.
Cover letter: Provide a brief cover letter with the following information:
Your full name and email. Phone is optional.
Title of your piece.
Your submission category: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, or Poetry.
Length: Number of words or lines.
Tell us in a sentence or two how your piece, or some aspect of it, connects to this year’s theme. We welcome both literal and creative interpretations.
Certify that you did not use any AI writing tools to generate your submission(s) by copying and pasting the following statement in your cover letter: "I confirm that no AI writing tools (including ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, or Perplexity) were used to generate, draft, rewrite, or assist in the creation of this poem, fiction story, or creative nonfiction submission. All writing is fully human‑authored."
If you are a member of the Fault Zone team, specify your role. If your piece is selected, it may guide the assignment of your editor during the revision process.
If you would like your piece published under a pseudonym, specify your real name and your pen name. The cover letter, which reveals your identity, will not be considered in the selection process. If your piece is accepted, you will be asked to provide a bio and other related information.
If you need any special accommodations, please let us know. Submissions from authors with disabilities are welcome. We want to be sure we communicate and work with you effectively. Any such information is held in confidence unless you request otherwise.
How to Submit Entries
Detailed submission guidelines will be available on Subfolio starting July 7, 2026.
Submit all entries to Fault Zone through Subfolio. Members who are new to Subfolio must create an account before uploading their work. To open an account, go to https://subfolios.com/register and click Join now. On the Welcome to Subfolio page, enter your first and last name, email, and password, then click Register.
To submit your work after opening your account, go to https://cwcsfpeninsula.subfolios.com/submit.
Submit with NO author name on the manuscript, not even in a header or footer. Your name will be registered by Subfolio.
DO NOT combine multiple entries into a single submission.
Submit each work separately. When entries are submitted together, some may be accidentally overlooked.
Simultaneous submissions are not permitted.
Submission Categories and Length
Fiction: Up to 3,000 words per entry. No more than two fiction entries per member.
Submit only unpublished work. Work that has appeared anywhere in print or online, including blogs, social media, or personal websites will not be accepted.
Do not submit work that has been previously published in any form, including excerpts.
Do not submit revised versions of previously published work.
Do not submit stories that were previously not accepted by Fault Zone.
Creative Nonfiction: (Nonfiction written in story format): Up to 3,000 words per entry. No more than two narrative nonfiction entries per member.
Submit only unpublished work. Work that has appeared anywhere in print or online, including blogs, social media, or personal websites will not be accepted.
Do not submit work that has been previously published in any form, including excerpts.
Do not submit revised versions of previously published work.
Do not submit stories that were previously not accepted by Fault Zone.
Poetry: Submit 1–4 poems, totaling 100 lines across all poems.
Structured poetry is encouraged. Unstructured poems are also welcome.
Up to three related haiku may be submitted in a single document as a single entry, with a provisional identifying title. For example, “Three Haiku Using the Word Chartreuse.”
Submit only unpublished work. Work that has appeared anywhere in print or online, including blogs, social media, or personal websites will not be accepted.
Do not submit work that has been previously published in any form, including excerpts.
Do not submit revised versions of previously published work.
Do not submit poems that were previously not accepted by Fault Zone.
Number of Entries Per Member
Each member may submit up to four entries.
No more than two entries per member will be published in any issue of Fault Zone.
Entry Fee
The entry fee, which is paid through Subfolio at the time of submission, is $10 per prose piece and $5 per poem.
Ensure you’ve paid your annual 2026-2027 CWC San Francisco Peninsula Branch membership dues, or you will not be eligible to submit pieces.
Schedule
Critical Due Dates
The Fault Zone schedule and critical due dates are subject to change. We will keep submitters informed.
Acceptances (“as is” or “provisional”)—sent by email in February 2027. Note: Most manuscripts usually need at least one revision.
Declines—sent by email in March 2027.
Initial revisions—due by April 30, 2027.
Additional revisions—due to the requesting editor by July 30, 2027.
Contracts—emailed to accepted submitters after Round 3.
Final manuscript—sent to the publisher around September 2027.
Publicity pieces—sent to social media from October 1, to December 31, 2027.
Fault Zone: Shake, Rattle and Roll launches at the
CWC San Francisco Peninsula December 2027 holiday party!