Lemon Jelly Press is an independent publisher based on the Isle of Wight, dedicated to bold, original writing that challenges, surprises, and stays with you.

We publish work that is strange, offbeat, and quietly powerful, championing underrepresented voices and creating space for writers who may have faced barriers to traditional publishing.

An Open Call for Poetry, Short Stories and Creative Non-Fiction

Every story begins somewhere. Every thread leads somewhere else.

For our next anthology, Loose Thread, we're trying something a little different. We're inviting writers from around the world to submit poetry, short stories and creative non-fiction on absolutely any subject, with one rather ambitious challenge awaiting our editor.

Lottie has set herself the task of finding a loose thread of familiarity running between every accepted piece of writing, however different they may first appear. Her challenge is to arrange the anthology so that each piece connects in some way to the next, creating an unbroken chain of unexpected associations.

A poem about grief might lead into a story about a forgotten garden. That garden might share something with a childhood memory, which in turn might lead somewhere entirely unexpected. A recurring image, a fleeting emotion, a shared object or a curious coincidence could be all it takes to make the connection.

Every piece will stand entirely on its own, yet each will have something in common with the one beside it. The result, we hope, will be an anthology unlike any other, one that celebrates the surprising ways our words and experiences connect us.

The best part? You don't need to worry about making those connections. That's Lottie's challenge. Yours is simply to send us your best work.

Submission Guidelines

We're looking for original writing that surprises, moves, entertains or makes us see the world a little differently.

• Genres: Poetry, short stories and creative non-fiction

• Theme: Completely open. Write about anything you like!

• Word limit: Up to 400 words per submission

• Submissions close: 14 December 2026

• Publication: End of January 2027

• Email: submissions@lemonjellypress.com

• Subject line: THREADS – Your Name

There is no requirement to reference threads, sewing or connections in your work. In fact, the more varied the submissions, the more interesting our editorial challenge becomes.