Trans Writing Workshop - How to Submit Short Fiction for Publication, with Evangeline Giaconia

Evangeline Giaconia leads a practical workshop for writers who want to submit short fiction for publication. The session covers how to prepare stories, locate suitable markets, evaluate pay rates and contracts, write effective cover letters, and identify warning signs. During the latter portion, participants will apply the material by working on submissions of their own stories. Writers at every experience level are welcome, including those who have never attended a workshop.

Giaconia is a DMV-based writer of queer speculative fiction whose work engages with gender expansiveness, sentience and sapience, decolonial futures, disability, and queer approaches to history. Her short fiction has appeared in *Utopia Science Fiction*, *The Submission Pit*, and *Trans/Port: Trans Speculative Fiction for a Queer Future*, among other publications. The workshop is organized by Lilac Peril, a DC small press focused on subversive trans writing.

When: Sunday, August 30, 2026

Showtimes: 1:00 PM–4:00 PM. The workshop itself is described as two hours, with the second half devoted to hands-on submission work.

Tickets: Free, with donations requested in place of a registration fee.

Suggested Donation: Donations are requested for Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid, a network of community organizations supporting migrants in DC. Contributions can be made at https://www.dcmigrantmutualaid.org/donate.

Instructor: Evangeline Giaconia

Topics: Preparing short fiction for submission, finding markets, understanding pay scales and contracts, writing cover letters, recognizing red flags, and submitting stories.

What to Bring: A laptop for working on your own submissions during the second half.

Ages and Experience: Writers of all experience levels are welcome, including first-time workshop attendees.

Venue: Rhizome DC, Washington, DC.