In January, the Reader will publish its 15th annual Pure Fiction issue, a collection of short stories submitted by mostly local fiction writers paired with illustrations by mostly local artists. This year, they’ll take submissions until November 15.

Here’s last year’s issue, with the winning stories selected by guest curator Barrie Jean Borich, author of Body Geographic, editor of the literary journal Slag Glass City, and a DePaul University faculty member.

Please send submissions to fiction@chicagoreader.com. We’re reasonably flexible on length, but up to 3,000 words is preferred. Multiple submissions are accepted. We pay for those we publish.

And if you are published, you’ll join the ranks of some exceptional writers. Our fiction issue archive includes pieces by Gina Frangello, Ben Greenman, Jonathan Messinger, Anne Elizabeth Moore, and even some in-house Reader talent—Tony Adler, J.R. Jones, and Philip Montoro.

MORE INFO HERE.