Grist (sic) for the Mill

[ecosophia]

Rejection slips are among the enduring features of any writer's life. In fact, I fielded one yesterday. It was from Grist, a glossy pseudoenvironmental rag that caters to the overprivileged, and it was in response to the story I submitted to their "cli-fi" contest back in March. 

Mind you, this came as less than no surprise. I discussed the contest, among other signposts in the strange landscape of thought we've entered in the last few years, in a post over on my blog.  My comments on it were, ahem, far from sympathetic, and the story I submitted to the contest -- "A Modest Contribution" -- was of a piece with that:  I set out to follow the rules of their contest to the letter, while flatly contradicting the spirit thereof. I was a little sorry to get a bland generic rejection slip instead of a scream of outrage, but then one can't be too picky in this business. 

Over on the blog, however, I heard from another reader who'd submitted something in the same spirit and also got a rejection slip.  It occurs to me to wonder aloud just how many readers were as unimpressed by Grist's display of overinflated entitlement as I was, and reacted to it in the same way, by writing a story. If there are enough of us, you know, it might be possible to produce a short book -- or even a not so short book! -- and get it into publication. (And I might be convinced to invite new stories along the same lines, for that matter; you can read Grist's bellowing orgy of virtue signaling disguised as a call for submissions here if you happen to need inspiration.) 

What say you, fellow writers?  Do we have enough stories, in the jargon of a vanished age, to pub an ish? 

Comments

[open_space]

I read the guidelines and as just wondering what exactly did they mean by "Hope". Does it mean to be able to wallow in an energetic bonanza forever and ever? I really don't like when people don't want to look at things by involving touchy feelings. It makes the alternative look "mean" which just sound like manipulation to me!

Would your short story submissions have to be about the climate itself or about for example, how the conditions of the change in climate would impact fields like naturopathy and alternative healthcare?

[michaeliangray]

It is funny that when it comes to hope, it is only their 1-dimensional vision of hope.

From an environmentalist perspective, the idea of the long descent is a very hopeful outcome. Ecotechnic societies as JMG has laid out sounds like something I can really get on board with. Yes it would still be filled with the usual fluctuations of societies and daily politics but that is to be expected. I don’t think grist would give two hoots to this vision.

[ecosophia]

I'm pretty sure that by "hope" they meant the same thing Barack Obama did -- "Make me feel good."

As for the short story, they didn't specify. What I'm looking for are stories that parody, subvert, or recontextualize the sort of thing that Grist was looking for.

[(Anonymous)]

I think I will try :)! Do you have a date in mind?

[ecosophia]

I'll be making the official announcement shortly but I plan on giving contributors until November 1 or thereabouts to get their stories in.