Since 2006, the SFPA has coordinated a series of virtual poetry readings with a Halloween theme by current SFPA members.
Curated by a volunteer editor during the month of October each year, recordings of accepted poems are then hosted on the SFPA website, along with art and poet biographies, if desired.
Chair for 2025
Miguel O. Mitchell, PhD (he/his/him) is a Black speculative poet, SFF author, visual artist, and retired chemistry professor. His poems have appeared in Amazing Stories, Dreams & Nightmares, Eye to the Telescope, FIYAH, Sauúti Terrors anthology, Scarlet Dragonfly Journal, Scifaikuest, Space and Time, Star*Line, and the anthology Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction (2022). Two of his poems were nominated for the 2022 Rhysling Award in the Long Poem category. Dr. Mitchell has also published two poetry collections, Surrealia (Gnashing Teeth Publishing, 2024) and Periodic Table of Alien Species (Elements 1-86) (Barnes & Noble Press, 2021). He is the Editor of the 2025 Dwarf Stars anthology, was Co-editor (with David C. Kopaska-Merkel) of the 2023 Dwarf Stars anthology, and is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of SpecPoVerse: An International Journal of Speculative Poetry (https://specpoverse.org).
Submission Guidelines
Submissions to the 2025 Halloween Readings page are currently open.
You may submit your work via the following form: https://bit.ly/HalloweenSFPA25
- Send up to 5 poems as audio or video files and/or 5 images in .jpeg or .png format, with a 100-word-max bio. No more than one poem per poet will be accepted. Preference will be given to artwork submitted by poets to complement their poems.
- Please note that images and poetry generated wholly or in part by generative AI will not be accepted, per the SFPA's statement on generative AI.
- Reprints are allowed. Please provide the name of the publication and date of first appearance (If your work is available online, please include the link).
- No payment. SFPA acquires one-time electronic rights for audio and images. (Please note that for the purposes of Rhysling Award nominations, posting on the SFPA poetry page counts as publication.)
- Please send all material by October 26. Accepted work will be added throughout the month of October.
- Please keep in mind when selecting a poem to record that Halloween is a popular children's holiday. If we feel that there is a problem with using a specific piece, either because of the content of the poem or the quality of the recording, the editor will contact the poet about it directly.
- QUESTIONS? Email editor regarding submissions or the Halloween page with the subject line "SFPA Halloween."