The press
About
Happy Capybara Publishing began as a writing group with a shared document and a standing reservation. The zine came later, when we noticed we were editing each other's stories with more care than most places that rejected them. We publish short fiction quarterly, online and in print, and we run the occasional contest when the treasury allows.
Why the capybara? Because it is the world's largest rodent and the world's calmest animal, and that is the whole editorial philosophy: be unhurried, be unbothered, and let smaller, noisier creatures sit on you if they need somewhere to rest. Also, they're semiaquatic, and so — as you may have noticed — are most of our stories.
We pay writers, we answer every submission, and all rights revert to authors on publication. The press is kept afloat by members, print subscribers, and people who buy the zine for the covers and stay for the sentences.
The masthead
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Sam Whitlock
Editor-in-Chief
Sam Whitlock founded the writing group that became Happy Capybara Publishing after one too many workshops held in parking lots. Sam keeps the lights on, the deadlines soft, and the standards otherwise.
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Theo Marsh
Fiction Editor
Theo Marsh edits fiction for Happy Capybara and teaches high-school geography, which explains a lot about his stories. He believes every map is a short story that lost its nerve.
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The editorial circle
First readers
The rest of the writing group reads every submission blind. They are legion, they are kind, and they argue about commas with the intensity of a border dispute.