A literary journal of poetry, fiction & essays
Dispatches from the interior. Words that travel far to find you.
Read the Current Issue"From daydreams and reminiscences he is now wrenched by the creaking sound of a rickety bicycle, upon which the mailman delivers word of the newest events from the world, just as he has done every month for years now. By the 'world' is meant that mysterious, sepulchral other shore, for the grey-haired mailman delivers … the new issue of The Astral Courier, the news and gossip from That World."
— Jonáš Tokarský, Alchemical Child and Other Stories
About the Journal
We are a literary genre journal dedicated to the speculative, the strange, and scientifically improbable stories by writers working in Czech or Slovak. Thoughtful and well-informed essays along the subjects of speculative Czech and Slovak literature interest us as well.
Considering that we are asking writers, translators, and scholars for writing that deals with the edges of human experience and existence, as well as human perception, we absolutely need the work that you send to us to truly be thought of, written, translated, and experienced by human authors.
That is to say that while we find texts produced by all sorts of entities, including AI, to be interesting and fascinating in their own right, we do not accept such materials for inclusion in Astral Courier.
Submissions
We read submissions on a rolling basis and aim to respond within four to eight weeks. We welcome work in English for both translations of creative material and essays. All submissions are handled through Subfolio.
Simultaneous submissions accepted. Please notify us immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Previously unpublished work only (new translations are that exact thing).
Please include a copy of the original Czech or Slovak text with your submission – this should be in PDF format.
Submit via SubfolioA note from the editors
"We await eagerly the unexpected. Accompaniment uncertain. Wiser words of wiser worlds are always welcomed …"
— The Editors, Astral Courier