Since its beginnings in the early 1980s, the Life, the Universe, & Everything Symposium has been a staple of the Utah and Intermountain West author and artist community. Many authors, artists, and editors have found inspiration for their careers at the feet of scores of symposium guests. Influential professors and others have mentored those planning and running the symposium, but many of these mentors have passed on.
The symposium helps students of all ages by providing greatly discounted student memberships. Hemelein Publications—in conjunction with LTUE Press—created a series of memorial benefit/charity anthologies to help the symposium continue to help these aspiring creators learn about their crafts at a reasonable cost. Author, artist, and editor royalty proceeds from the anthology go to LTUE to help students attend for a very low cost.
The seventh of these anthologies, Dog Save the King!, is a science fiction and fantasy anthology, created in honor of Sue Ream. Among the LTUE committee, Sue was best known for hosting an informal gathering on Saturday evening following the symposium, but she had a long history of service and helping others. She served as an officer in naval communication and codes, taught English and creative writing at Brigham Young University for many years, and was involved in many community events (such as LTUE) involving reading, writing, and sharing her love of books. She was kind to everyone, and treated all of the students who ran LTUE as royalty.
Theme
Sue loved dogs. Anyone who visited her home was immediately welcomed by the dogs she had over the years. Some of them were gigantic, too (seriously, nearly three feet tall at the head!). This year’s theme was selected because of that love of dogs. We want science fiction or fantasy tales involving dogs and royalty where the dog plays an integral part in resolving the conflict of the story. The tales must have heart, be solid stories, and must be positive in their outlook.
Tell us stories Sue would have loved to read and share.
In summary:
- Stories must involve both canines (any type is fine: wolves, foxes, domesticated, etc.) and royalty.
- The dog must play an integral part in resolving the story conflict.
- Stories must be science fiction or fantasy.
- Story characters and settings must be your own. Do not use other creators’ characters or settings.
- Stories and poems can be any length up to 17,500 words.
- Stories and poems can be unpublished or reprint stories.
- Up to two submissions per author.
- No simultaneous submissions, please.
- Stories must meet the content guidelines described on the Submission Guidelines page. Please be sure to read them!
- This is a benefit/charity anthology, so stories are donated and authors receive no monetary compensation.
- Authors receive a print and an electronic copy of the anthology.
- We ask for print, electronic book, and audio rights, 90-day exclusive worldwide English after publication for unpublished, and no exclusivity worldwide English for reprints. We request to keep the anthology in publication indefinitely.
- Stories are due by Friday, May 19, 2023 at 11:59pm Mountain Time.
If you have stories that meet these criteria, please submit them here:
Acceptances or rejections will be sent by September 30, 2023, and acceptances will be accompanied by a publication contract with all the details. The anthology will be released during the LTUE symposium in February 2025 (note the year!) in electronic and printed form, and possibly audio format.
As this is a benefit/charity anthology, author, editor, and artist royalty proceeds go to support the symposium’s mission of education, training, and inspiring authors, artists, and editors in producing the next generation of amazing speculative fiction works. The anthology will be jointly published by Hemelein Publications and LTUE Press. This anthology will be edited by Joe Monson and Jaleta Clegg, co-editors of the LTUE Benefit Anthologies series.
Stories not accepted for this anthology may be submitted for consideration for future benefit anthologies for LTUE during each submission period. Additional benefit anthologies will be published in the future, under a variety of genres. Themes so far have been space opera, adventure fantasy, light horror, wizards, unusual heroes, and troubadours and space princesses.
If you are an artist and would like us to consider using your works for this or future benefit anthology covers, please contact us.
Please forward this call to anyone you think would be interested. If you have additional questions, feel free to contact us.
We appreciate your support of this cause, and we look forward to seeing your stories.
