Q: You forgot to capitalize the f!
A: The f in figments is always lowercase! It’s a long story.
Q: What does figments consider speculative fiction?
A: Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, magical realism, folktales, dystopian fiction, myths- anything that’s a little out of this world! We aren’t interested in trying to draw strict boundaries around what is and isn’t speculative. If you are deciding whether your piece would be a good fit for our magazine, check out some of our past issues to get a feel for what kinds of speculative fiction we publish! A good rule of thumb is that if your piece is incompatible with a realistic reading (i.e. cannot be read as taking place in our world), it’s definitely speculative.
Q: Who can come to figments events? Who can submit to figments?
A: Anyone (Princeton residents, faculty, graduate students, people who just like speculative fiction) can come to figments events! We like to hold watch parties, trivia nights, writing workshops, and launch parties throughout the year, and figure the more the merrier. Any Princeton University affiliate (including graduate students, faculty, and alumni) can submit their work to figments. In order to be a member of the figments Board, you must be a Princeton University undergraduate.
Q: How can I get involved with figments as a club?
A: If you want to get notifications about figments events, sign up for our listserv figmentsmagazine! If you need help or you don’t have a Princeton University account, email submission.figments@gmail.com to be added. If you’re an undergraduate or graduate student who wants to join figments as an editor or Board member, email the Editor-in-Chief and look out for elections information on your residental college listserv!
Q: Can I submit work to both figments and another literary magazine?
A: Yes, you can simultaneously submit previously unpublished work to both figments and another literary magazine (if the other magazine allows this as well). However, if your piece is accepted into another magazine before figments, it is your responsibility to notify figments and withdraw your submission from consideration. Likewise, if your piece is accepted into figments, we expect you to notify the other literary magazine of its acceptance. Remember that all work accepted to figments must be speculative in nature, so please consider whether your piece would also be a good fit for our magazine in particular before submitting it.