Historically, cats with thumbs were considered good luck by sailors and were a keenly sought out mascot on board. A cat with a thumb was also viewed with suspicion and fear amongst religious groups. Hemmingway became so entranced with these cats, that his home, now a museum, still houses fifty descendants of his polydactyl cats.
Similarly, creative wordsmiths, who share their thoughts in stories and poetry can be viewed with suspicion or as an oddity, often finding it difficult to feel comfortable within society.
It is the intention of Cats with Thumbs to create opportunities for emerging artists in order to foster their creative growth and provide exposure. There is a plethora of quality anthologies and competitions focused on genre fiction, but very little to encourage emerging literary fiction writers, poets and creative artists. It is Cats with Thumbs intention to fill that gap.
We are looking for pieces which engage readers, prompting them to look at events, situations or societal norms and question perceptions. Artwork, poems and fiction will be considered if they have careful attention to craftsmanship and to the seriousness of the subject matter. Experimental writing which has a valid artistic purpose will be considered, but in all cases, Cats with Thumbs avoids graphic violence or graphic sex scenes, extremism or sensationalism for the sake of it.
In broad terms, literary fiction focuses more upon style, psychological depth, and character development rather than be action and plot driven.
Poetry should speak to the heart, the mind and the soul. It should sing and dance across the page, through the reader and from the maker.
For both fiction and poetry – this feeling is what Cats with Thumbs is looking for.
We also recognise the integral part artwork makes as a creative form and welcome emerging artists to submit their work for inclusion to the anthologies. We do not have themes to constrain you – we just love good artwork.
There is no submission fee or reading fee or any kind of fee. Sadly, this also means that we cannot pay our creative people (yet). While we are working towards that, please believe us that your work will always be appreciated, respected and loved. However, chosen contributors for our special once a year printed version will receive a copy of the book as payment for their inclusion.
Cats with Thumbs publishes an anthology of Short Stories and Poetry twice a year (May & November) as an ezine magazine, which will be made freely available here on this site. Additionally, there will be a printed anthology a ‘Best Of’ collection on an annual basis (July each year) This will be available for a nominal cost on Amazon, with links to it under the Annual Anthology page. (Contributors will receive one for free as their payment)
Cats with Thumbs aims to be a Literary Fiction and Poetry Publication, appealing to that audience and providing a launch space for writers wishing to be published in places like Overland, The London Magazine, Southerly, The Southern Review, Poetry, The Normal School and other literature magazines.
Cats With Thumbs 