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BOOKS, BATS, AND BRIC-A-BRAC:
LITERARY TALES FROM THE ATTIC
Guest Anthologist: Erin Jo Eldry
Editor: Demi Michelle Schwartz
Note: This is a non-paying anthology for charity.
Accepted pieces will be selected by our panel based on how they fit together in one cohesive collection.
Have you ever helped a friend pack for a move? Assisted an elderly loved one in cleaning out their home? Have you ever wandered through a garage sale and wondered about those pre-loved belongings? Those dust-collecting knick-knacks and family heirlooms in the attic, shoved into the nooks and crannies behind the holiday decorations?
In BOOKS, BATS, AND BRIC-A-BRAC: LITERARY TALES FROM THE ATTIC, we’ll dive into The Attic and discover all its forgotten treasures and rich histories.
Where did this Parisian silk scarf come from?
Or this chess set of terracotta warriors? Who did this painting of the Santa Monica Pier belong to?
Were they simply put away and forgotten, or, more sinisterly, were they best kept out of sight for a reason?
In this anthology, our authors will break out the flashlights to shed some light on all these questions, and more, as we head inside The Attic.
GUIDELINES
We will only consider historical or contemporary fiction, meaning no Sci-Fi Fantasy (subgenres like romance, thriller, cozy mystery, etc are accepted as long as they’re grounded in reality).
Submissions can be YA or Adult in nature (but please no excessive foul language, gore, or explicit erotica).
Each submission must center around one specific object and its history.
What is this object, and why is it special? What’s the story behind it? Who loved it before it wound up in The Attic?
Please make sure your submission’s title is the object you are writing about.
Some title suggestions to help get you started:
The Bag of Broken Crayons
A Pair of Kitten Heels
The Simpsons DVD Box Set
Mom’s Recipe Book
A Millennium Falcon Toy Model
Aunt Susan’s Nutcracker
The Empty Jewelry Box
Abuela’s Sewing Kit
The New York City Snow Globe
Grandpa’s Swiss Army Knife
Note: It is not mandatory to require an attic setting in your story, but you can include an attic if you would like. For this theme, all stories should focus on the object of your story and its loved ones.
ACCEPTED CATEGORIES/WORD COUNTS:
Micro Fiction: up to 250 words.
Flash Fiction: up to 1,000 words.
Short Stories: up to 5,000 words
Due to the growing popularity of these anthologies, we are limiting submissions to only (2) submissions per author, including collaborative works.
Submission Window: January 5th, 2026 - March 31st, 2026
Publication Date: October 2026
Authors will be notified of their submission’s status by Sunday, April 19th.
50% of the proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.