Metaphysical Circus Press Fact Sheet
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Metaphysical Circus Press (MCP) publishes book-length fiction primarily in
eBook formats; our magazine See the Elephant, publishes short stories and
serialized novels—all with a metaphysical slant.
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MCP is based in Idyllwild, CA, Ensenada, B.C. Mexico, and Richmond, VA,
with ties to Virginia Commonwealth University
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MCP is by authors, for authors. See our masthead here.
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Upcoming releases
o Bad Angels, a contemporary fantasy novel by notable science fiction
author Dennis Danvers
o Broken Lines, a supernatural thriller by writing team Cricktor & Parks, to
be released as an eBook and as a web serial.
o See the Elephant
o First issue July 2015.
o Twice-yearly magazine
o Published in ebook format and on our website
o Pays writers pro rates for new and reprinted stories, 500-6000 words
usually. Longer by request.
o Open submissions period 1x per year in the fall.
o New Voices Contests for new writers 1x a year in the fall, with publication
and cash prizes
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MCP is a hybrid in multiple ways: crossing genre boundaries, cultural
boundaries, and our publishing model.
1. MCP crosses genre boundaries
o Stories that touch on the metaphysical come with many labels—
slipstream* is one of our favorites, but there is also weird,* fantastic,*
magical realism,* contemporary fantasy and folklore, supernatural,
psychological suspense, visionary,* literary and more. (*see Terms below)
2. MCP crosses cultural boundaries,
o Seeking work by women, LGBT, and writers from a variety of ethnic,
cultural and philosophical backgrounds.
o By looking through a variety of lenses, we can see old concepts in new
ways, and allow hybrid concepts to emerge.
o Fiction that questions the nature of reality, and with metaphysical
themes is gaining in popularity, due to radical changes in culture and
technology.
o The success of authors like Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, Jeff VanderMeer
and Nalo Hopkinson demonstrates a growing hunger for fiction that
explores the implications of our individual and collective evolution.
3. MCP’s publishing model is a hybrid.
o It combines the editorial, production and marketing support of a publisher
with the potential earnings of self-publishing.
o The press splits the net profits for eBooks with the authors, retaining only
enough of the profit to finance the operation.
o MCP is a venture by authors, for authors. “The technology exists that
makes it possible for anyone to publish themselves, but by working
together we can do much more.”
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Terms
Slipstream: Slipstream fiction draws from literary, science fiction, fantasy and
horror genres, and often addresses the nature of reality.
(the following, more in depth answer, is excerpted from the introduction to Feeling
Very Strange, The Slipstream Anthology, edited by John Kessel and James Patrick
Kelly).
“Slipstream raises fundamental epistemological and ontological questions about
reality that most other kinds of fiction are ill-prepared to address.
Slipstream is a term coined in ‘89 by Bruce Sterling (SF writer). He said, “it is a
contemporary kind of writing which has set its face against consensus reality. It is
fantastic, surreal sometimes, speculative on occasion but not rigorously so…Instead
this is a kind of writing which simply makes you feel very strange…in (a) sense, a
slipstream story quotes genre in pursuit of literary effect.”
Many or even most authors writing slipstream would not call it such. They might use
“metafiction” or “magic realism” or “fabulation”
Slipstream is the literature of cognitive dissonance and of strangeness triumphant.
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Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction originating in the late 19th and
early 20th century. Although "weird fiction" has been chiefly used as a historical
description for works through the 1930s, the term has also been increasingly used
since the 1980s, sometimes to describe slipstream fiction that blends horror,
fantasy, and science fiction.
Visionary Fiction: Visionary Fiction embraces spiritual and esoteric wisdom,
often from ancient sources, and makes it relevant for our modern life. It
emphasizes and envisions humanity’s transition into evolved consciousness.
While there is a strong theme, it in no way proselytizes or preaches. Visionary is a
tone as well as a genre. The ‘visionary’ element can technically be present in any
genre and set in any time.
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The fantastic is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous
presentation of seemingly supernatural forces. Structuralist critic Tzvetan
Todorov originated the concept, characterizing the fantastic as the hesitation of
characters and readers when presented with questions about reality.
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Magical realism refers to literature in particular that portrays magical or unreal
elements as a natural part in an otherwise realistic or mundane environment. It
brings fables, folk tales, and myths into contemporary social relevance. Fantasy
traits given to characters, such as levitation, telepathy, and telekinesis, help to
encompass modern political realities that can be phantasmagorical. The existence
of fantasy elements in the real world provides the basis for magical realism.
Writers don't invent new worlds but reveal the magical in this world.