Please take a moment to review The Chamber

The Chamber Magazine Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry The Strange and Dark and Beautiful

I would like to take a moment from your busy day to ask a quick favor: could you please give The Chamber a quick, honest review on Google Business by following this link? Accumulating reviews is critical to the contemporary business world. Every one helps.

Also, the next time you see The Chamber mentioned somewhere online or in social media, could you grant The Chamber a quick, honest review also? Keeping The Chamber’s face in front of the public as much as possible helps build a devoted readership.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. I hope you have a great day.

Respectfully,

Phil Slattery, Publisher

Now Taking Submissions for the October 7 Issue!

The Chamber Magazine: Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue.

The Chamber is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue. Submissions for the September issue are closed. Halloween-related material is welcome but not required to submit. Please have your submission in before October 1. Be sure to include the genre and/or subgenre of your work in your cover letter along with the word count and a bio of approximately fifty words or less.

Check out the latest in our Bookshop and Gift Shop while you are here.

Horror Writers Association Membership Badge

Horror Writers Association

Just a quick note to ask everyone to note the Horror Writers Association Member badge in the upper right of the homepage. I have been a member of the HWA since 2016, but I let my membership lapse for a while. I renewed my membership yesterday and am proud to be showing the badge once again. If you would like to know more about the HWA, click the badge and you will be taken to their website.

New Page: Support

Support The Chamber Magazine

Today, I added a Support Page to The Chamber. Check it out. Below is the text from it.

You can support The Chamber in several ways.

Obviously, the first form of support that comes to anyone’s mind is financial support. You can do this through buying something from The Chamber’s gift shop or by making a financial donation through Stripe (in homepage sidebar) or through Buy Me a Book. The funds will be used to improve and upgrade The Chamber in many ways including Search Engine Optimization, web design, software for graphics and communication, advertising (possibly at a later date), and doubtlessly many others that are not occurring to my coffee-starved mind (it’s 8:43 a.m. as I write this).

However there are also other ways as well.

Share a story or poem. The most basic (and arguably the best and least expensive) form of publicity is by word of mouth. If you see a story or poem or article that you like, share it on social media. This can be as quick and easy as hitting a link below the story/poem. You can also mention The Chamber in any comments you make on other websites or social media. If you buy a t-shirt or other bit of merchandise from the gift shop, wear it in public at every opportunity. You are limited only by your imagination and the odds are you are creative are good as you are reading this magazine at the moment.

Another way to support The Chamber is to contribute something to be published. Of course, I will have to exercise editorial discretion over what is to be published, but the better your work is, the better the chance of it being published (don’t forget to check the guidelines for updates before you submit). The wider the variety of contributions, the more exposure the magazine receives. Don’t forget that The Chamber doesn’t publish only stories and poems, but reviews, interviews, articles, essays, and anything else that might be of interest to a reader of dark matter. They all have their own readership.

Don’t forget that The Chamber also has a nascent YouTube channel (. I wouldn’t mind publishing short videos there, which would also appear in the magazine as does any story or poem. So, you would get exposure not only on YouTube, but also in the online magazine.

I don’t know how I would work podcasts, but I am open to proposals.

Finally, another way you can contribute is by submitting ideas for the website or proposals for things to be published. I don’t have any way of compensating anyone for ideas or proposals, except for some type of exposure–maybe. If in doubt, submit.

At this time, The Chamber has no volunteer program, but that may be possible in the distant future.

Check this page occasionally as I will sporadically post updates and new ideas as the occur to me.

Thank you for your time.

Now Taking Submissions for the October 7 Issue!

The Chamber Magazine: Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue.

The Chamber is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue. Submissions for the September issue are closed. Halloween-related material is welcome but not required to submit. Please have your submission in before October 1. Be sure to include the genre and/or subgenre of your work in your cover letter along with the word count and a bio of approximately fifty words or less.

Check out the latest in our Bookshop and Gift Shop while you are here.

New Page: Support

Support The Chamber Magazine

Today, I added a Support Page to The Chamber. Check it out. Below is the text from it.

You can support The Chamber in several ways.

Obviously, the first form of support that comes to anyone’s mind is financial support. You can do this through buying something from The Chamber’s gift shop or by making a financial donation through Stripe (in homepage sidebar) or through Buy Me a Book. The funds will be used to improve and upgrade The Chamber in many ways including Search Engine Optimization, web design, software for graphics and communication, advertising (possibly at a later date), and doubtlessly many others that are not occurring to my coffee-starved mind (it’s 8:43 a.m. as I write this).

However there are also other ways as well.

Share a story or poem. The most basic (and arguably the best and least expensive) form of publicity is by word of mouth. If you see a story or poem or article that you like, share it on social media. This can be as quick and easy as hitting a link below the story/poem. You can also mention The Chamber in any comments you make on other websites or social media. If you buy a t-shirt or other bit of merchandise from the gift shop, wear it in public at every opportunity. You are limited only by your imagination and the odds are you are creative are good as you are reading this magazine at the moment.

Another way to support The Chamber is to contribute something to be published. Of course, I will have to exercise editorial discretion over what is to be published, but the better your work is, the better the chance of it being published (don’t forget to check the guidelines for updates before you submit). The wider the variety of contributions, the more exposure the magazine receives. Don’t forget that The Chamber doesn’t publish only stories and poems, but reviews, interviews, articles, essays, and anything else that might be of interest to a reader of dark matter. They all have their own readership.

Don’t forget that The Chamber also has a nascent YouTube channel (. I wouldn’t mind publishing short videos there, which would also appear in the magazine as does any story or poem. So, you would get exposure not only on YouTube, but also in the online magazine.

I don’t know how I would work podcasts, but I am open to proposals.

Finally, another way you can contribute is by submitting ideas for the website or proposals for things to be published. I don’t have any way of compensating anyone for ideas or proposals, except for some type of exposure–maybe. If in doubt, submit.

At this time, The Chamber has no volunteer program, but that may be possible in the distant future.

Check this page occasionally as I will sporadically post updates and new ideas as the occur to me.

Thank you for your time.

New Tagline for The Chamber “the strange and dark and beautiful”

Just a quick note to let everyone know that The Chamber’s tagline (“Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry”) is being supplanted by a new one: “the strange and dark and beautiful”. You may see these two switching out in a lot of places over time. For now, I am using it just on The Chamber’s homepage.

I got the phrase from one of The Chamber’s contributors, Patrick Crossen, whose story, “His Assistant”, was published by The Chamber on September 2 (check out the story if you have a few minutes). In his cover letter for the story, Patrick stated:

Please find enclosed my short story, “His Assistant ”. It’s a reworking of a common trope with a fresh angle that I had a lot of fun writing. Due do your magazine’s tendency to lean toward the strange and dark and beautiful, I think it would be a good fit for your magazine.

Received by Phil Slattery, Fiction by Patrick Crossen “His Assistant”, 20 June 2022.

That phrase resonated with me and has stuck in my mind since then. It struck me as a simple, concise, and powerful way of stating what I had not realized The Chamber was truly about until I read it. So, this evening, I sent Patrick an email asking permission to use it, which he graciously granted.

Over time, I will be using this and probably some variations here and there. You will see them pop up occasionally on this website, in The Chamber’s social media, and on merchandise as I test out its suitability in various places.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Have a wonderful rest of your day.

Drop by The Chamber’s Bookstore if you have the chance.

New Page: Support

Support The Chamber Magazine

Today, I added a Support Page to The Chamber. Check it out. Below is the text from it.

You can support The Chamber in several ways.

Obviously, the first form of support that comes to anyone’s mind is financial support. You can do this through buying something from The Chamber’s gift shop or by making a financial donation through Stripe (in homepage sidebar) or through Buy Me a Book. The funds will be used to improve and upgrade The Chamber in many ways including Search Engine Optimization, web design, software for graphics and communication, advertising (possibly at a later date), and doubtlessly many others that are not occurring to my coffee-starved mind (it’s 8:43 a.m. as I write this).

However there are also other ways as well.

Share a story or poem. The most basic (and arguably the best and least expensive) form of publicity is by word of mouth. If you see a story or poem or article that you like, share it on social media. This can be as quick and easy as hitting a link below the story/poem. You can also mention The Chamber in any comments you make on other websites or social media. If you buy a t-shirt or other bit of merchandise from the gift shop, wear it in public at every opportunity. You are limited only by your imagination and the odds are you are creative are good as you are reading this magazine at the moment.

Another way to support The Chamber is to contribute something to be published. Of course, I will have to exercise editorial discretion over what is to be published, but the better your work is, the better the chance of it being published (don’t forget to check the guidelines for updates before you submit). The wider the variety of contributions, the more exposure the magazine receives. Don’t forget that The Chamber doesn’t publish only stories and poems, but reviews, interviews, articles, essays, and anything else that might be of interest to a reader of dark matter. They all have their own readership.

Don’t forget that The Chamber also has a nascent YouTube channel (. I wouldn’t mind publishing short videos there, which would also appear in the magazine as does any story or poem. So, you would get exposure not only on YouTube, but also in the online magazine.

I don’t know how I would work podcasts, but I am open to proposals.

Finally, another way you can contribute is by submitting ideas for the website or proposals for things to be published. I don’t have any way of compensating anyone for ideas or proposals, except for some type of exposure–maybe. If in doubt, submit.

At this time, The Chamber has no volunteer program, but that may be possible in the distant future.

Check this page occasionally as I will sporadically post updates and new ideas as the occur to me.

Thank you for your time.

New Video at The Chamber’s YouTube Channel

Phil Slattery, Publisher of The Chamber Magazine
Phil Slattery, Publisher of The Chamber Magazine

I am just dropping a quick note to let everyone know I have just now uploaded a new video to The Chamber’s YouTube Channel. It is an introduction to The Chamber, its origin and aims, and it provides a little background on me as well. I have perhaps made it more informative than enjoyable, but I think you will find it interesting in any case. Drop by when you can. New videos go up sporadically.

Video with Submission Tips Added to Submissions Page

I have whipped up a rough video with a few tips on submitting short fiction to The Chamber and added it to the Submissions page. I am still learning the ins and outs of creating videos, so please be merciful in your critique of it. Please also note, on a personal aside, that I am often perceived by many people as rough and abrasive even when I am happy. With some practice, these videos, will become more professional and hopefully more enjoyable and more helpful to watch.

I have posted this and a few other rudimentary videos to both The Chamber’s YouTube channel and to my own YouTube channel. Check them out if you get the chance. A lot of them I do just to learn how to create videos while, at this point, only a few are for informational purposes. I hope to add more frequently as my production skills increase.

Now Taking Submissions for the October 7 Issue!

The Chamber Magazine: Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue.

The Chamber is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue. Submissions for the September issue are closed. Halloween-related material is welcome but not required to submit. Please have your submission in before October 1. Be sure to include the genre and/or subgenre of your work in your cover letter along with the word count and a bio of approximately fifty words or less.

Check out the latest in our Bookshop and Gift Shop while you are here.

Video with Submission Tips Added to Submissions Page

I have whipped up a rough video with a few tips on submitting short fiction to The Chamber and added it to the Submissions page. I am still learning the ins and outs of creating videos, so please be merciful in your critique of it. Please also note, on a personal aside, that I am often perceived by many people as rough and abrasive even when I am happy. With some practice, these videos, will become more professional and hopefully more enjoyable and more helpful to watch.

I have posted this and a few other rudimentary videos to both The Chamber’s YouTube channel and to my own YouTube channel. Check them out if you get the chance. A lot of them I do just to learn how to create videos while, at this point, only a few are for informational purposes. I hope to add more frequently as my production skills increase.

Video with Submission Tips Added to Submissions Page

I have whipped up a rough video with a few tips on submitting short fiction to The Chamber and added it to the Submissions page. I am still learning the ins and outs of creating videos, so please be merciful in your critique of it. Please also note, on a personal aside, that I am often perceived by many people as rough and abrasive even when I am happy. With some practice, these videos, will become more professional and hopefully more enjoyable and more helpful to watch.

I have posted this and a few other rudimentary videos to both The Chamber’s YouTube channel and to my own YouTube channel. Check them out if you get the chance. A lot of them I do just to learn how to create videos while, at this point, only a few are for informational purposes. I hope to add more frequently as my production skills increase.

The Chamber’s September Issue is Now Out

Due to what I am terming “technical issues”, I did not post all of the submissions for this edition at 10:00 a.m. as I normally. However, I have worked diligently to see that all of them were published on September 2 as promised. If I promised you that I would print one or more works of your on September 2, please go to the magazine now and check that a) your work is there and b) there are no technical issues with it.

Thank you for your time and patience.

Respectfully,

Phil Slattery, Publisher and Editor of The Chamber Magazine.

The Chamber’s September Issue is Now Out

Due to what I am terming “technical issues”, I did not post all of the submissions for this edition at 10:00 a.m. as I normally. However, I have worked diligently to see that all of them were published on September 2 as promised. If I promised you that I would print one or more works of your on September 2, please go to the magazine now and check that a) your work is there and b) there are no technical issues with it.

Thank you for your time and patience.

Respectfully,

Phil Slattery, Publisher and Editor of The Chamber Magazine.

Now Taking Submissions for the October 7 Issue!

The Chamber Magazine: Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue.

The Chamber is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue. Submissions for the September issue are closed. Halloween-related material is welcome but not required to submit. Please have your submission in before October 1. Be sure to include the genre and/or subgenre of your work in your cover letter along with the word count and a bio of approximately fifty words or less.

Check out the latest in our Bookshop and Gift Shop while you are here.

Now Taking Submissions for the October 7 Issue!

The Chamber Magazine: Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue.

The Chamber is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue. Submissions for the September issue are closed. Halloween-related material is welcome but not required to submit. Please have your submission in before October 1. Be sure to include the genre and/or subgenre of your work in your cover letter along with the word count and a bio of approximately fifty words or less.

Check out the latest in our Bookshop and Gift Shop while you are here.

Coming to The Saturday Night Special on August 20: “What Was It?” by Fitz-James O’Brien

The Saturday Night Special on August 20, 2022 at 10:00 p.m. (US central time) will feature the story “What Was It” by Fitz-James O’Brien, whose literary place is described as:

Fitz-James O’Brien, (born c. 1828, County Limerick, Ireland—died April 6, 1862, CumberlandMaryland, U.S.), Irish-born American journalist, playwright, and author whose psychologically penetrating tales of pseudoscience and the uncanny made him one of the forerunners of modern science fiction…His best-known stories include “The Diamond Lens,” about a man who falls in love with a being he sees through a microscope in a drop of water; “What Was It?” in which a man is attacked by a thing he apprehends with every sense but sight; and “The Wondersmith,” in which robots are fashioned only to turn upon their creators. These three stories appeared in periodicals in 1858 and 1859.

Britannica.com July 31, 2022

“What Was It? A Mystery” is one the earliest examples of invisibility in literature and his story “From Hand to Mouth” is one of the earliest examples of surrealism.

“The Saturday Night Special” is a new feature of The Chamber Magazine that reprints classic stories of literary horror. It runs every Saturday night at 10:00 p.m. US central time for timeless thrills and chills.

Simple Favor to Ask…

The Chamber Magazine: Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry

If you were kind enough to purchase one of The Chamber’s many products at The Chamber Magazine’s Gift Shop or in The Bookshop, don’t forget to leave a quick, honest review of the product. This helps support the magazine and gets you a smidgen more public exposure, which every writer needs. It also helps me decide which products to carry and which designs are popular.

If you can’t decide which book to purchase, read one of Ryan Tan’s reviews to help with that decision or buy one of the many books available from The Chamber’s contributors. The Chamber has separate shelves in the bookshop for both of those categories.

Thanks for your time,

Phil Slattery, Publisher and Editor

Simple Favor to Ask…

The Chamber Magazine: Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry

If you were kind enough to purchase one of The Chamber’s many products at The Chamber Magazine’s Gift Shop or in The Bookshop, don’t forget to leave a quick, honest review of the product. This helps support the magazine and gets you a smidgen more public exposure, which every writer needs. It also helps me decide which products to carry and which designs are popular.

If you can’t decide which book to purchase, read one of Ryan Tan’s reviews to help with that decision or buy one of the many books available from The Chamber’s contributors. The Chamber has separate shelves in the bookshop for both of those categories.

Thanks for your time,

Phil Slattery, Publisher and Editor

Now Taking Submissions for the October 7 Issue!

The Chamber Magazine: Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue.

The Chamber is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue. Submissions for the September issue are closed. Halloween-related material is welcome but not required to submit. Please have your submission in before October 1. Be sure to include the genre and/or subgenre of your work in your cover letter along with the word count and a bio of approximately fifty words or less.

Check out the latest in our Bookshop and Gift Shop while you are here.

Update: Podcasts

The Chamber Magazine: Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry

This is just a quick note to let everyone know that The Chamber now has its own podcasts. These are available on Spotify and on anchor.fm. There are only three podcasts so far, all of them book reviews by Ryan Tan. A fourth will be out tomorrow, hopefully at 10:00 a.m., but maybe later. I will be expanding and refining the podcasts from here on. Initially, they will focus on reviews and journalistic articles and other formats that lend themselves to being converted easily to podcasts. Follow along and see how they develop.

COMING AUGUST 5: THE NEW ISSUE

Coming August 5: New dark fiction and poetry from The Chamber Magazine.
Dark Fiction by E.N. Dunn, Steve Wilcenski, Jesse Rowell, Paul O’Neill, K. Danckert, Peter Portelli, Hareendran Kallinkeel, Rob Plunkett, Trevor Zaple, Curtis A. Bass, and Kelly Jarvis
Dark Flash Fiction by Phil Temples, Louise Worthington, and K.A. Williams
Dark Poetry by Joe Farina
An Interview with Author Russell James
And a Review of Road of Bones by Ryan Tan. Available in The Chamber’s Bookshop.

Coming September 2

Don’t forget to visit The Chamber’s Bookshop or Gift Shop while you are here.

COMING AUGUST 5: THE NEW ISSUE

Coming August 5: New dark fiction and poetry from The Chamber Magazine.
Dark Fiction by E.N. Dunn, Steve Wilcenski, Jesse Rowell, Paul O’Neill, K. Danckert, Peter Portelli, Hareendran Kallinkeel, Rob Plunkett, Trevor Zaple, Curtis A. Bass, and Kelly Jarvis
Dark Flash Fiction by Phil Temples, Louise Worthington, and K.A. Williams
Dark Poetry by Joe Farina
An Interview with Author Russell James
And a Review of Road of Bones by Ryan Tan. Available in The Chamber’s Bookshop.

Coming September 2

Don’t forget to visit The Chamber’s Bookshop or Gift Shop while you are here.

Now Taking Submissions for the October 7 Issue!

The Chamber Magazine: Contemporary Dark Fiction and Poetry is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue.

The Chamber is now taking submissions for the October 7 issue. Halloween-related material is welcome but not required to submit. Please have your submission in before October 1. Be sure to include the genre and/or subgenre of your work in your cover letter along with the word count and a bio of approximately fifty words or less.

Check out the latest in our Bookshop and Gift Shop while you are here.