Who makes this

Masthead

Half genre. Always lit. Enter the haze.


Founding Editor
T. James
Associate Editor
Jay Watts

That is the whole masthead. Two people.

About Neon & Smoke

Founded in 2025, Neon & Smoke is a cinematic magazine dedicated to stories that blur the line between literary and genre—fiction, poetry, and art that carry emotional resonance and linger long after the last line. We welcome work that crosses boundaries—literary, horror, comedy, surreal, experimental, or otherwise—so long as it has heart and weight.

Bring us your comedy, your drama, your horror. What matters most is character—lives that feel lived-in, choices that carry weight. At Neon & Smoke, we seek protagonists who don’t just endure circumstance: they push forward, or they get pushed back. They may not win, but they are active in their battle.

Our Commitment to Representation

We actively seek diverse and underrepresented voices. One issue might center a trans writer; another might feature an artist of color, an autistic poet, or a storyteller whose voice defies easy categorization. Our commitment isn’t to a single moment—it’s to the body of work we build over time.

We believe diversity reveals itself not just in who creates, but in how they create: in the rhythms of language, the angles of imagination, and the worlds they dare to build. Our promise is to keep widening the lens, to keep listening, and to make Neon & Smoke a space where difference is not tokenized but celebrated as essential to art itself.

Rights

We acquire first North American serial and first online rights. All rights revert to the author upon publication, with acknowledgment of Neon & Smoke as the original publisher.

The full submission terms, including payment and the response window, are on the submissions page.