About The Deadlands
In the midway of this our mortal life,
I found me in a gloomy wood, astray
Gone from the path direct: and e’en to tell
It were no easy task, how savage wild
That forest, how robust and rough its growth,
Which to remember only, my dismay
Renews, in bitterness not far from death.
We are never far from death—Dante reminds us. It is always there, just out of sight, around the bend in the road. The faraway nearby, Rebecca Solnit says. We could step past a tree in that wild forest and be there. Where? The Deadlands.
The Deadlands is a quarterly speculative fiction magazine. We publish short stories, poems, and essays about the other realms, of the ends we face here, and the beginnings we find elsewhere. It is an adventure into the unknown, to meet those who live there still, even though they may be dead. Death is a journey we all will take, but we’d like to peek at the map before we go.
Explore our guidelines and read our issues to see what and when we’re publishing and if your work might fit.
Publisher
Sean Markey
Sean Markey publishes The Deadlands, has published Fantasy Magazine (and will again, someday), and writes at Psychopomp.com. He lives in northern Spain with his wife, Beth and also many cats.
Follow Sean on Bluesky @psychopomp.com
Editor-in-Chief
E. Catherine Tobler
E. Catherine Tobler’s fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, and Interzone, among others. Her fiction has been a finalist for the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award and the Nebula Award, and her editing work at Shimmer was a finalist for the Hugo and World Fantasy awards. Her work at The Deadlands was nominated for the World Fantasy Award and the Locus Award. You can find her on Bluesky.
Poetry Editor
Nicasio Andres Reed
Nicasio Andres Reed is an editor, writer, poet, and essayist whose work has appeared in venues such as Shimmer, Fireside, Lightspeed, and Uncanny Magazine. He has been a Tin House scholar and a finalist for the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the IGNYTE Award. He’s read slush for Strange Horizons, edited manuscripts for award-winning authors, and owns five different copies of Moby Dick. He has roots in Bikol, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and resides in the Philippines with his dogs.
Nonfiction Editor
David Gilmore
David Gilmore is an MFA grad, who started his career editing slush with the Lindenwood Review and Shimmer Magazine. He’s excited to delve into pieces exploring the intricacies of ancient funeral practices or sit in reflection with essays about encounters with the Pale Rider, but most of all he’s excited to travel The Deadlands with you.
Art Director
Cory Skerry
Cory Skerry aka inkshark has haunted the backstage of several publications, including Shimmer, Nightmare, and Tor.com. He spent his teen years barefoot in real wilderness, and as an artist, he attempts the metaphorical same. As someone who has always worn black and played with old bones, he swooned at the opportunity to curate imagery for “…this valley of dying stars.”
Necromancer
Amanda Downum
Amanda Downum is the author of The Necromancer Chronicles, Dreams of Shreds & Tatters, and the World Fantasy Award-nominated collection Still So Strange. She lives in Richmond, VA, where she teaches mortuary science and refinishes vintage coffins. You can summon her at a crossroads at midnight on the night of a new moon, or find her on Bluesky as @stillsostrange.
Copy Editor
Laura Blackwell
Laura Blackwell is a freelance copy editor and Shirley Jackson Award-winning writer. Her publications include stories in Chiral Mad 5, Nightmare, and the 2023 Shirley Jackson Award winner Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic: An Anthology of Hysteria Fiction. Visit her website—and if you like, sign up for her newsletter—at pronouncedlahra.com.
Copy Editor
Annika Barranti Klein
Annika Barranti Klein is a freelance editor with a writing habit. Her work can be found at annikaobscura.com. She is supervised by a cat at all times.
Designer
Christine M. Scott
Christine M. Scott has been a professional graphic and web designer for over 25 years. She is the Creative Director and Co-publisher of Nosetouch Press and has co-edited seven anthologies, including the folk horror anthology trilogy, The Fiends in the Furrows. She is also an artist and craftsperson—several of her handcrafted items were included in Game of Thrones: The Compendium, printed by Chronicle Books for HBO. For a complete list of her pursuits, please visit christinemariescott.com.
Social Media Skeleton
Felicia Martínez
Felicia Martínez is the author of The Other Lives of Altagracia Sanchez and the forthcoming Bright Phaedra (Thinking Ink Press, 2026). She currently writes and makes art in the San Francisco Bay Area, but New Mexico will always be home. Find her on Bluesky and Instagram as @feliciafm.