Call for Submissions: Seeking Article on Contemporary Dark Romanian Literature

Photo of Woman by Michaela Vreja from Pexels

With our recent publication of several works of Bogdan Dragos along with his interview with The Chamber, the amount of The Chamber’s website visitors from Romania has rocketed.

Outside of Dracula, very few Americans would be able to name another literary work or a movie set in Romania. There are some horror movies set in Romania, but these rarely make it anywhere near the mainstream of American media and entertainment.

Now, I am curious about what the state of contemporary Romanian literature is like, particularly with regards to dark literature.

Therefore I am issuing a call for submissions from a Romanian writer for an essay on contemporary dark literature in Romania. The essay should be about 2,000 words or less in keeping with The Chamber’s format. Up to three photos may accompany the article. If I get submissions from more than one author, I may publish more than one essay, provided the writing is acceptable and the article is of good quality. Though I am not requesting citations or a bibliography, the essay should be well researched. The article must be in English, though I will publish its Romanian translation with it, if one is submitted. There is no deadline for the essay. Submissions of this essay must adhere to all of The Chamber’s guidelines as stated on our Submissions page.

Unfortunately, as always, I cannot pay for this essay, but the author will retain all rights. The author’s only compensation will be publication and exposure to the US market, such as it is for The Chamber.

Sincerely,

Phil Slattery

Publisher and Editor, The Chamber Magazine


Call for Submissions: Seeking Article on Contemporary Dark Romanian Literature

Photo of Woman by Michaela Vreja from Pexels

With our recent publication of several works of Bogdan Dragos along with his interview with The Chamber, the amount of The Chamber’s website visitors from Romania has rocketed.

Outside of Dracula, very few Americans would be able to name another literary work or a movie set in Romania. There are some horror movies set in Romania, but these rarely make it anywhere near the mainstream of American media and entertainment.

Now, I am curious about what the state of contemporary Romanian literature is like, particularly with regards to dark literature.

Therefore I am issuing a call for submissions from a Romanian writer for an essay on contemporary dark literature in Romania. The essay should be about 2,000 words or less in keeping with The Chamber’s format. Up to three photos may accompany the article. If I get submissions from more than one author, I may publish more than one essay, provided the writing is acceptable and the article is of good quality. Though I am not requesting citations or a bibliography, the essay should be well researched. The article must be in English, though I will publish its Romanian translation with it, if one is submitted. There is no deadline for the essay. Submissions of this essay must adhere to all of The Chamber’s guidelines as stated on our Submissions page.

Unfortunately, as always, I cannot pay for this essay, but the author will retain all rights. The author’s only compensation will be publication and exposure to the US market, such as it is for The Chamber.

Sincerely,

Phil Slattery

Publisher and Editor, The Chamber Magazine


Interview with Author and Poet Bogdan Dragos


Bogdan Dragos photo

Biography:

I was born in 1992 in Romania and had a happy childhood until I went to school. I never had an answer to the question “What would you like to become when you grow up?” and still don’t. But I was lucky enough, after college, to land a job as a dispatcher at a gambling company. There, I spend 12 hours alone in the office (day and night shifts) supervising casinos through CCTV cameras. I like to think I learned a lot about humanity from this. But I also learned a lot about myself. It’s also where I started writing.biog

What is your greatest accomplishment as a writer so far?
That’ll be the publication of my poetry chapbook, “Pour The Whiskey Over My Heart And Set It On Fire”. In August 2020 I found myself with quite a bunch of poems and no audience, so I started submitting a few of them to random magazines and publications. I went into this with no expectations whatsoever, so you can imagine how grand my surprise was when the editor-in-chief of one of them asked me to put together a few poems and have them compiled into a chapbook.

Why do you write?
Because my computer is not strong enough to play videogames. The gods might not have blessed me with mad writing skills, but they sure did bless me with immunity to boredom, and I’m very grateful for that. I can spend time with myself and not go crazy.

What is your writing process? (Any favorite places to write? Any interesting quirks, traditions, or rituals you may have? How many times might you revise something before being satisfied with it? Besides you, does anyone else edit your work? Etc.)
I try to stay away from rituals. It’s best to just sit down and do it. Writing is the one activity you can perform with the simplest of tools. A painter needs the right brushes and colors, and a sculptor needs the finest materials, a musician needs a studio and equipment, but a writer only needs solitude. I find that at work, in the office, and sure, maybe a drop or two of smuggled vodka helps some, but I try not to rely on it. Also, when it comes to poems, I never revise them. They’re the first and final draft. I’m not saying that’s a good idea, I’m just saying that I personally don’t like revisions, it feels too much like work and too little like play.

Do you have anyone (friends, relatives, etc.) review your works before you publish them?
No. I can’t bother my few friends and relatives who understand English with that. Many of them don’t even know that I write. It’s not a secret, but neither do I like to boast it.

Could you give us an idea of your upcoming works without spoiling anything?
Well, the result of starting to write at home as well brought about a few works of prose. I’ve an epic fantasy project of about 700.000 words. Maybe it’s time to divide it in books and look for an agent or something.

Do you have any writing events coming up? For example: something being published/released? A reading of one of your works? Interviews? Any speeches or talks?
Hmm… Nope, not really.

What do you hope to achieve as a writer?
A. Since I went into this craft for fun, I never had great expectations, but maybe if I could publish my epic fantasy… well, yeah, that’ll be cool, I guess.

What do you think of bad reviews? Are they helpful or harmful to you?
It’s simple. Bad reviews are infinity times better than no reviews. I’ll accept everything as long as it’s more than nothing.

What advice do you have for novice writers?
None. But I’ll be happy to hear theirs anytime. Thanks.

What do you feel are the most important resources a writer can use?
A troubled mind. Not necessarily theirs.

Where can people find out more about you and your writing? (websites, social media, etc.)
A. Well, there’s my website, https://bogdandragos.com/
and linked to my website is also my twitter: https: //twitter.com/1_dr_bogdan (not much here, only posts that appear on my blog).
Hello Poetry: https://hellopoetry.com/B_R_Dragos/
Poemist: https://www.poemist.com/bogdan-dragos