Closing lines

With regret, Opening Line must announce its permanent hiatus.

No more issues of Opening Line Literary Magazine will be published for the foreseeable future, although back-issues will remain available for at least the next year.

We’d like to thank everyone who supported us through the last three years (has it really been that long?) and our authors, poets and artists who contributed to the issues and made them great.

We apologise that, due to our closure, our last issue ‘Love, Infatuation and Lust’ will not be published at all.

Lastly, the Opening Line team wishes all of our contributors the best of luck with their creative endeavours. We were thrilled to see so many of our contributors achieve success with their work and will continue supporting you as genuine fans of your writing. We look forward to reading future stories and poems from you, whether it be online or on the shelves of our favourite bookshops.

May your imagination run wild, and your ink-well never dry.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Kai Kiriyama (Author of the Pathogen series)

Some of our older readers may remember this familiar face from our September 2014 issue, Futures, in which she introduced us to the wonderful steampunk detective, Blaze Tuesday.

Well, Kai Kiriyama is back on our interview sofa! This time, she’s indulging us for our Infection issue (our Winter 2016 publication). 

THEME ANNOUNCEMENT: Our Spring issue: #Love, #Infatuation and #Lust

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According to the Oxford English Dictionary, infatuation is, “An intense but short-lived passion or admiration for someone or something.” People often confuse infatuation with being in love. Infatuation is mostly just based on desire, lust and admiration.

But, y’know, at least infatuation has that ‘admiration’ thing going for it; that’s a positive emotion. Lust on its own is meant to be a Deadly Sin, so that can’t be good.

Some say that you can tell the difference between love, lust and infatuation by where the emotion comes from. Love comes from the heart and soul. Infatuation comes from the eyes, the mind, and that queasy feeling in your tummy that indicates either your crush is nearby, or you have food poisoning. And, let’s just face it, lust comes from our genitals.

This quarter, we want your stories on LOVE, INFATUATION AND LUST.

Our submission inbox
(submissions@openingline.org)
is open NOW and
our deadline is the 11th April 2016, Midnight (GMT).

Please read THE GUIDELINES before entering.

Happy submitting!

Winter 2016 issue: OUT NOW #Infection

Click here to download: Winter 2016 – Infection

This issue has been made FULLY INTERACTIVE for ease of reading and browsing.

Opening Line Literary 'Zine is compatible with iPad and Kindle. 
The magazine has been checked for bugs and viruses prior to being uploaded. 

PLEASE NOTE:
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Writing Prompt #15 | #EpiphanyMonth

Write a story where the narrator slowly falls in love with the reader.

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If you want to share your work, don’t forget to send it to submissions@openingline.org to have it featured on our website!

Writing Prompt #14: #EpiphanyMonth

Write about what life would be like if we slept during the day and were awake at night.

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With thanks to Julie Myres at Oxford Tutoring for this suggestion.

If you want to share your work, don’t forget to send it to submissions@openingline.org to have it featured on our website!

 

Quarantine imminent: #Infection approaches!

Our Winter issue is being pieced together as we speak! Our theme seems to have sparked the imaginations of all our entrants, who have provided the submissions team with stories and poems of great quality.

In the coming quarter, we will also have a ‘Where Are They Now’ interview with Opening Line alumna, Kai Kiriyama, whose excellent Pathogen books are of particular relevance to our #Infection theme.

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For your information:

Those who submitted an entry for our Infection issue will receive replies by 5pm (GMT) Wednesday. If successful, there will be a follow-up email including a final proof by 8pm Saturday (30th). This issue will be released on 1st February 2016. 

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To those who are unsuccessful this quarter – please don’t give up! The submissions team were stunned by the great volume and great quality of all entries this quarter. Our new theme will be announced shortly and we’d encourage you to try again.

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Watch this space.

And don’t drink the water.

 

 

Writing Prompt #13 | #EpiphanyMonth

If ever there was a wrong time to laugh, it was then. So, obviously, that’s exactly when I did.

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If you want to share your work, don’t forget to send it to submissions@openingline.org to have it featured on our website!

 

Writing Prompt #12 | #EpiphanyMonth

Without thinking, he switched on the basement light. 

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If you want to share your work, don’t forget to send it to submissions@openingline.org to have it featured on our website!

Writing Prompt #11: #EpiphanyMonth

Write about a place you remember that no longer exists.

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If you want to share your work, don’t forget to send it to submissions@openingline.org to have it featured on our website!