Bold, Boundary-blurring Fiction

PRIDE ISSUE | 2026

A Pride issue of truth, desire, chosen family, and the messy freedom of becoming yourself.

PRIDE

Issue

Explore the issue

Read Editor's Light

Enter the Smoke

________________________________________________________

Current Issue

And we’re back.

Our latest issue is here, and this one burns with truth, desire, heartbreak, resilience, obsession, and self-discovery.

Inside, you’ll find poems of longing, stories of rejection and reinvention, and characters doing what humans do best: trying to navigate a complicated world without losing themselves in the process.

This issue celebrates the beauty and tension of living honestly. The joy. The grief. The passion. The mess. The moments when identity, memory, love, and survival all sit in the same room.

Many thanks to the authors and artists who trusted us with their work.

We’re also excited to share our latest visual art call: Anything But Birthday Cake.

As Neon & Smoke approaches its first birthday, we’re looking for striking images that capture what it means to sit in the smoke with us.

The villain feeding a stray dog.
The hero making the wrong choice.
The monster in love.
The saint with a secret.

Different people.
Different pictures.

Surprise us.

If you haven’t yet, check out our latest blog post, Because We All Have a Story, where we share a few thoughts on writing, publishing, and finding your voice.

And if you’ve been following Women Who Burn, our first anthology is making its way into print. We’re excited to place these stories into readers’ hands and will share more soon.

As always, thank you for reading, supporting, submitting, and sharing.

Half genre / Always lit 🔥

- T & J

New Author Spotlight

We are honored to present Vee Valiño’s first-ever published piece, “Gorgon Love,” in this month’s Pride issue. Their debut explores identity, desire, and the freedom found in claiming one’s own story. It is a powerful introduction to a voice we are proud to share.

Where the Glow Meets the Haze

What
We
Want

Flash Fiction

Voice-driven stories with narrative stakes, emotional pressure, and language that leaves a mark.

Poetry

Poems with heat, texture, and aftertaste. Formal or experimental, but never inert.

Digital Art

Curated visual work that deepens the issue theme and adds another pulse to the publication.

Editor's Light

Because We All Have A Story

June holds both Pride Month and Juneteenth—vibrant celebrations of identity, community, and history. While unique, both share the vital journey of reclaiming marginalized stories. At Editor's Light, we are here for all the colors of this amazing tapestry, and we're excited to read your tales from every corner of the galaxy. Plus, we tackle the ultimate writer's question: How do I get published?

Jun 2

On First Lines (What I’ve Been Learning About Them Lately)

First lines won’t tell you everything, but they reveal more than you think. Voice, tension, intent, energy. The best stories arrive already alive, carrying a quiet charge from the start. At Neon & Smoke, we’re drawn to that pulse, that hint of promise in the opening line that says something real is about to unfold.

Apr 22

What We Mean By “Half Genre / Always Lit”

At Neon & Smoke , we publish work that is half genre, always lit . Writers ask us what that means. I suppose it’s a reflection of how we see the world: most people, in real life, are hybrids. We are soft and hard. Tender and sharp. Holy and unholy. Poetry one minute and curse words the next. Horny but ashamed. We want connection and we want distance. We want safety and we flirt with danger. We are brave and terrified, loving and cruel, often in the same breath. Human being

Mar 9

Our Story Unfolded

Neon & Smoke is a home for bold, voice-driven fiction with emotional weight and narrative fire. We publish stories that don’t sit quietly—tales where the plot might thrill, chill, or make you laugh, but always reveals something deeper. We crave characters who leap off the page, language that crackles, and stories that blur the line between genre and literary not for the sake of novelty, but it’s the most honest way to tell the truth.

Learn More