Given the recent “boom” of Japanese fiction in English translation and the proliferation of excellent Japanese translators working today, Two Lines Press has decided to focus our next Calico edition on those iconic writers of the previous century who are still relatively unknown in the US. Translators, send us that bizarre, wonderful translation that’s been sitting in your drawer, or else that story you’ve always wanted to translate but haven’t yet. We’re looking for stories that unsettle us, stories with bizarre logic, stories that were written ahead of their time, and stories that demonstrate an attention to craft. 

While the author may have appeared in English translation before, we ask that you submit stories that have not yet been translated, unless there is a good reason for retranslating. We encourage you to send us work by female authors, queer authors, and those otherwise marginalized. As Japanese short stories can be quite long, we’re open to work ranging from 2,000 to 15,000 words. 

Translators should ensure underlying rights to the story are available before submitting. We look forward to reading your work!

We will consider submissions on a rolling basis through April 26 and will aim to respond to all submissions by June 1.