Open Submissions dates for Pogue One!

Since we've been talking so much about it...

Space Marines, void commandos, orbital drop troops: humanity’s finest. They are exemplars of soldierly comportment in intergalactic conflict. Throughout human space, grunts in power armor get all the glory. Even in conventional armed forces, however, only 15% or so of those are infantry.

We want stories about the other 85%. What are their adventures? The truck drivers, the bulk fuelers, supply sergeants, pay clerks, airframe mechanics, the guy who fixed the soft-serve ice cream machine on Seti-Alpha-Five (God bless that guy). Welcome to Pogue One.

“No, unwashed feet is not a flavor of ice cream, dangit!”

And because folks have a tendency to make things more complicated than they need to be, let us be clear:

Pogue means anyone whose military occupational specialty is anything other than infantry. THAT’S IT. Does that mean they never see action? NO. It just means they are not grunts.

So send us stories about the payclerks, the combat engineers, the chem/bio dorks no one cares about, and the bored artilleryman just dying to pull the lanyard on the mother-of-all-mega-cannons. For all we know, space shuttle door gunners may finally be a thing!

The REMF, as opposed to a pogue, is best described as someone who strives to remain in the rear and never deploy. Think of the type who seeks to spend their career in the Pentagon, AKA Beltway Bandits.

A Fobbit, on the other hand, is someone who deploys to a forward operating base, yet never leaves the wire. This may or may not be by design.

Either way, these stories aren’t necessarily about them, as the intent of Pogue One isn’t meant to be pejorative. It’s meant to be fun.

The greatest unit t-shirt in the history of unit t-shirts.

Oh, and for all the boots who insist it’s spelled POG, you’re wrong, but I don’t hold it against you. POG is what you call a backronym. No matter how you spell it, the definition remains the same. Tell us their stories.

Pogue One will be the first book in Raconteur Press’ 25 in 25 anthology releases. Stand by for action!

Opens: 9/29/24

Closes: 11/30/24

Contracts: 12/14/24

Publication: 01/10/25

Submission guidelines.