Apex Magazine is excited to present SNAP JUDGMENT Episode 12 of our rapid-fire, live-streaming critique series. 

Every quarter, industry professionals Lesley Conner, Rebecca E Treasure, and a special guest offer live feedback on the first pages of anonymous submissions, which are read aloud by our brilliant host and narrator, Aly Grauer. We are pleased to announce that our special guest editor for this event is Sloane Leong!

Sloane Leong is a cartoonist, illustrator, art director, narrative game designer, writer, and editor of mixed indigenous ancestry. Through her work, she engages with visceral futurities and fantasies through a radical, kaleidoscopic lens. She is the creator of several graphic novels: From Under Mountains, Prism Stalker, A Map to the Sun, and Graveneye. She has been self-publishing her own comics since she was a teen and has done work for Pixar, Viz Media, New Republic, Image Comics, Cartoon Network, DC, Dark Horse, Namco, and more. Her fiction has appeared in many publications including Lightspeed Magazine, Dark Matter Magazine, Apex Magazine, Fireside Magazine, Analog, Realm Media and many more. She is also the co-founder of the Cartoonist Cooperative, an organization dedicated to helping cartoonists develop a generative and sustainable creative practice. She is currently living on Chinook land near what is known as Portland, Oregon with her family and two dogs.

Snap Judgment Episode 12will be livestreamed on the Apex Magazine Youtube on Tuesday October 28 at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT / 12 a.m. CT / 6 p.m. UTC) [date updated]

HOW IT WORKS

Our host reads the title, genre, and text of the submission aloud without identifying the author. If at any point our panelists feel they would stop reading and reject the piece from their slush pile, they raise their hand. If all three hands are raised, our narrator stops reading.

Each panelist then gives their feedback on the opening: what works for them, what doesn’t, and what could be done to improve it. Don’t expect our panelists to be a mean group, but do expect them to be honest when it comes to assessing the work.

HOW TO WATCH THE EVENT

The event is available for anyone to watch. We’ll be streaming it live via three outlets:

• Apex Magazine Patreon
• Apex Magazine YouTube
• RadioFreeFedi (for Fediverse denizens)

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR STORIES

Our special Halloween episode has a 2-week submission window, open to all writers from September 17. For this episode, we are looking for horror, weird fiction, and dark fantasy! 

Submissions close midnight (ET) October 14th [date updated] 

All entries will be read anonymously and our panelists will not be given any identifying information before, during, or after the event. 

Send your submission to Marissa van Uden at ApexSnapJudgment@gmail.com.

To submit…

• Please make the subject of your email “Snap Judgment Episode 12” and the title of your story. 
• In the body of your email, include the title of your story again, the genre, and note whether it’s a short story, novella, or novel, etc. 
• Copy-paste your first 250 words only directly below that. In case of a final sentence taking your submission over 250 words, please cut the last line. 

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Meet our Host & Narrator – Alyson Grauer!

Aly Grauer (she/her) is a professional renaissance woman. As a writer, her short fiction has been published in The Deeps, Apparition Lit, Cast of Wonders, Tales from the Archives, and in various anthologies. Her first novel, On the Isle of Sound and Wonder, is a steampunk retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Her voice and audio editing can be found on a number of podcasts and she can often be found performing at renaissance faires and cosplaying. Find out more at dreamstobecome.com or check out her cosplays on Instagram @dreamstobecome.