Climate | Writing | Action | Scotland

Paperboats Zine

The urge to explore and celebrate all the kinds of lives of Planet Earth is stronger than ever, but the environmental and ecological crisis demands we also lift our eyes, and our voices, to species extinction and habitat loss, to what is happening to the forests and hills, the rivers and seas, our streets and gardens. The writer’s instinct to pay attention has never been more vital. Literature can help us to see the natural world – and our place in it – differently.

PAPERBOATS EDENS ISSUE

ISSUE SEVEN SUBMISSIONS NOW CLOSED

The idea of an earthly paradise is, in many ways, compelling – for people of all faiths and people of none. While it may seem too good to be true, the image of a world harmonious and flourishing can counter the belief that the natural world is simply a resource to be exploited in the name of profit and “progress”.

Paperboats asks you: is it possible, even now, to set a vision of Eden against the all too real prospect of environmental breakdown?

We’re looking for stories, essays and poems about lost Edens, future Edens, broken Edens, improbable Edens, small Edens, rural Edens, city Edens, plant & animal Edens, poor Edens, personal Edens, radical Edens, real and imagined Edens, those remnants of paradise we may yet shore against ruin.

Guest Editors: Laura Fyfe & Chris Powici

DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT (UK), SATURDAY 31st JANUARY 2026

Guidelines:

We publish essays, short fiction and poetry that reflect our commitment, and which focus on Scotland as home ground – writing that shows honesty, care, curiosity and skill. Submissions in English, Scots or Scottish Gaelic, are welcome from writers within and outwith Scotland and we particularly welcome submissions from under-represented groups.

We publish up to 1500 words of prose (short fiction or creative nonfiction) and/or up to 60 lines of poetry. Attach your writing as a Word or RTF document to your email and send to submissions@paperboats.org.

Work should not be previously published. We accept simultaneous submissions but if your work is accepted elsewhere please let us know.

We do not publish pieces by the same author in consecutive issues of the zine, so if you have been published before on Paperboats, please leave a one issue gap before submitting again.

You can read issues one to six on our website to get a feel for the kind of work we publish.

Submissions should be emailed to: submissions@paperboats.org

Book Reviews

If you would like to submit a book review for publication on our web site, please first email hello@paperboats.org with an outline of what you would like to submit.

a wee note about payment

We would love to pay our writers – we really would, but we’d love to pay our admin staff too. As it is, paperboats has been put together using our own time and funds in solidarity with activists worldwide who freely dedicate their time and energies to fighting for climate justice. That said, if anyone would like to contribute to paperboats, then that might change.

If you are interested in making a financial contribution to paperboats, please say hello@paperboats.org