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 2026
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 for the 2026 Halloween Readings page are now open at https://bit.ly/HalloweenSFPA26.
Please note that no more than one poem from each submitter will be posted, so give us your best one!
Submissions will be open through Sunday, October 25th.