Since its beginnings in the early 1980s, the Life, the Universe, & Everything Symposium (LTUE) 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 sales of the anthologies go to LTUE to help students attend for a very low cost.
The tenth of these anthologies, Iron Horses in the Sky, is an anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories featuring trains, created in honor of Kevin Evans. He was a huge fan of trains, especially the steam engine varieties. He and his wife, Karen, were fixtures at LTUE every year until they passed away suddenly within months of each other in late 2020 and early 2021. Their smiles and cheerful laughter still echo in the halls each year. They are best known for their stories set in Eric Flint’s 1632 / Assiti Shards alternate history universe, where they wrote many stories and engaged in many different events with the other participating authors.
Theme
To celebrate Kevin, his works, and his life, we want science fiction and fantasy tales and poetry (as long as the poetry tells a story, and long-form poetry would be awesome) that prominently feature trains. Think space trains. Magical trains. Cargo trains. They have to obviously be trains and not just single vehicles or single streetcars (longer trains are better!). Make your stories fun to read, make the characters interesting, and make us grin. The tales must have heart, must be solid stories, and must be positive in their outlook.
Tell us stories Kevin would have loved to read and share.
In summary:
- This is a benefit/charity anthology, so stories and poems are donated and authors receive no monetary compensation.
- Authors receive one copy of the anthology in each format in which it is released (print and epub at a minimum).
- Stories and poems must feature science fiction or fantasy trains. Alternate history is acceptable.
- They must be obviously trains: a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track or other fixed pathway or route (meaning they can’t swerve out of the way or otherwise leave the route/track), transporting people and/or freight.
- Stories and poems do not have to be set on Earth or even in this universe.
- Steampunk elements are acceptable as long as they aren’t the main focus of the story. This isn’t a steampunk anthology.
- Story and poem characters and settings must be your own. Do not use other creators’ characters or settings, and do not use generative AI/LLM. Please do your own work.
- Stories and poems can be any length up to 17,500 words.
- Stories and poems can be unpublished or reprint stories (preference given to unpublished).
- Up to two submissions per author.
- No simultaneous submissions, please.
- Stories and poems must meet the content guidelines described on the Submission Guidelines page. Please be sure to read them!
- 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 and poems are due by Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 11:59pm Mountain Time.
If you have stories that meet these criteria, please submit them here:
Acceptances or rejections will be sent by Monday, August 31, 2026, and acceptances will be accompanied by a publication contract with all the details. The anthology will be released during the LTUE symposium in February 2028 (note the year!) in electronic and printed form, and possibly audio format.
As this is a benefit/charity anthology, all 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 Jaleta Clegg and Joe Monson, co-editors of the LTUE Benefit Anthologies series.
Stories not accepted for this anthology may be submitted for consideration (provided they match the theme) 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 hard science fiction and space opera, adventure fantasy and science fiction, light horror, wizards, unusual heroes, troubadours and space princesses, stories featuring amazing canines, military science fiction and space opera, and weird western science fiction.
If you are an artist and would like us to consider using your works for future benefit anthology covers, please contact us. We are always looking for amazing artists to feature.
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.