Story curators/collectors S. Renee Bess and Lee Lynch are asking writers to create pieces of work that explores the role the gay bar's culture has played in their lives or in the lives of LGBTQI people in general.

Works may be either fiction or non-fiction/essay/memoir ( but not erotica ). It can be prose or poetry, and the work must be original and not previously published. If submissions are accepted for an anthology, writers will be sent contracts and will receive free copies of the collection.

Items from writers of color are especially welcome.

Submissions must be presented in Microsoft Word, in Times New Roman, 12-point font. Send it as an attachment in an email to both Bess at levrb1@aol.com and Lynch at greenhat66@gmail.com . In the subject line, write "Bar Stories, Fiction," "Bar Stories, Non-fiction" or "Bar Stories, Poetry."

The deadline is Jan. 1, 2017, and the word-count limit is 5,000.